“Way to go, you.”
“Way to go, you.”
The statement stares at me from my coffee cup. I have no idea what it’s referring to, until I look closer. My coffee shop has a campaign entitled Shared Planet. They have focused their effort on “ethically traded coffee,” and encouraged their customers by saying “everything we do, you do.”
I was feeling conflicted about this cup. Okay, maybe more annoyed than conflicted. On the one hand, it’s nice to make responsible coffee purchases. On the other hand, I don’t think I deserve the praise at all. I did not have any thought whatsoever for the farmers until Starbucks added this to their cup. And while it’s good to know, I don’t think it has affected my coffee purchases or the way I think about coffee growers in my day-to-day life.
While my purchase was important to the cause of the coffee growers, it hadn’t stemmed from my heart. It came from my desire for caffeine. I think our financial offerings are like that. They help the vision and mission, but I don’t think that your offering is what Jesus was looking for. I don’t think he was looking for you to be an usher or even (could she really be saying this?) serve as a Small Group Host. Nope. I think Jesus is looking for our whole self; our lives, our hearts, and our minds.
And while the offering, ushering, and Hosting are expressions of this, they can just as easily become the end itself.
Scripture reminds us that we are to be good stewards of our time, talents and treasure. We are reminded of it when we pass the offering plates, walk by the offering boxes on the wall of the Sanctuary, or see a blurb in the bulletin or on the web site inviting us to serve. But sometimes, I feel like we give ourselves an “out” when we look at our giving—“I don’t have time to serve right now, I have too much going on and give primarily by my offering. They should find someone to do that.”
I posted not long ago on a book entitled “Simple Small Groups.” In the book, Bill Search shares how his pastor, Jeff, at one point got tired of looking around for the nebulous group of people—“they.” You know—“They should help that lady,” “They should start a Small Group that fits my demographic,” “They should. . .” So Jeff coined a term: “They is you.” This phrase reminded him and others of the responsibility we have to one another, and to the fact that perhaps the reason you were made aware of a problem is because God wanted you to do something about it.
We all have limits on our time and energy, so I’m not asking you to take on everything. However, be mindful of everything. Whatever you find in your path, be listening for the nudge to act. BAPC doesn’t always provide structured service projects for our Small Group, but we are often nudged by God in more subtle ways: through our neighbor who struggles to bring in his trash cans; the new mom and dad who could benefit from some meals; the kids in the neighborhood who need a soccer coach; the man who walks his dog by your home every night who you can begin developing a friendship with (even if the dog does bark incessantly).
While I’m not sure how soon I’ll become an advocate for coffee-growers rights and rightfully receive my coffee cup’s encouragement, I believe that as we open our eyes and seek God’s guidance in the seemingly mundane, we’ll better embody “They is you.”
Jen Hurst
Associate Director of Small Groups
jen.hurst@belairpres.org
