Sent to Serve

And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.
Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. Luke 4:38-44

We arrived in Sitka last evening to the welcome arms of our warden and his wife. The skies were full of rain. We had a quiet supper and went to bed tired but happy to be here. I woke rested this morning full of joy and expectation. We have a job to do, we have been sent to help the wonderful folks here move from one era to another with increased faith and deepening trust in God. We were sent to serve and in so doing show the light of God's love in new ways.

Jesus healed Simon's mother and she jumped up and served them. She was so thrilled to be whole again that she offered what she could - her love and appreciation in service. And Jesus, despite the challenges and complaints that were hurled at him, offered what he had come to do - to bring good news and heal the people. He was the light of God brought into the world, to serve and heal the people. We are all invited, in our own unique ways, to reveal God's love through our service and care of others - not because we have to, but because we are grateful for the love and healing we have received.

Today, as we empty our bags and set up our new home, may we not lose sight of what we have been called to do. We have been called to love the people and to carry the good news among them by serving with great gratitude. May we all find that exuberance and joy, those true gifts from God, which make us so ever thankful for the love and support we have in our lives.

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