UMYF Service Work
Service work takes many forms, including having a dedicated spot in the Sunday UMYF rotation and being the key component of annual Mission Trips. But it is much more than that. It is fundamental to Christ's gospel.
The Christ Hymn from Philippians and the verses with which Paul introduces it point to the essential 'other-focused' nature of Christ's message. The entire Gospel of Luke revolves around Christ's commitment to a life of compassion:
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim
release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, 'Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.'
(Luke 4:16-21)
Some acts of service are obvious. When we serve at the Salvation Army, deliver Thanksgiving turkeys to shut-ins, or build a house for the poor, we are acting as God's hands and feet in the world. Some acts of service are more subtle, though every bit as important. Every time we wash a car, or make a Super Bowl sub, or sell a bottle of water at the Labyrinth Theatre, we are enabling ourselves to do the more obvious work of reaching out to others. And by doing so, we are learning how to be the church in the world.