This Sunday is Love Works Outward. In case you have never heard of it, it is a Sunday that we spend our time in worship of our Lord, serving others in our community. Last year, we served at 12 different sites; this year, we have 21 projects that we will be sending teams to!
While this is a departure from our normal Sunday morning routine, it is no less important or impactful. Worship includes singing, praying, and even preaching, but that is not the full extent of it. Anything we do that brings glory to God can be categorized as worship, including serving. This change of pace allows our church to experience a couple of different things; first, it breaks us out of routine and allows us to worship Jesus in a new way; and second, it gives us the opportunity to proclaim the gospel outside the four walls of our church in both word and deed.
There is something beautiful about stepping into someone’s practical needs. This year, we have projects ranging from cooking meals to landscaping to stocking blessing boxes and even repairing a staircase. While some of those things take specialized skills, most of what we are doing only requires a willingness to sacrifice a few hours on another’s behalf. For many of our project recipients, having a group of people show up to help them is the best gift. It really does convey love. That’s why we call it, Love Works Outward.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to live as he lived (Phil. 2:1-5). That is true for us individually, and also as a church community. As he came to serve, so we serve (Mark 10:43-45). Love Works Outward is a tangible way for us to do that together, thus multiplying our impact!
We have no idea the extent that God will use our church this Sunday. It could be that relationships are established that lead to long-term connections. We could make new friends! We could find ourselves with new or deepening ministry partners. Perhaps we will have ongoing service opportunities every year during LWO or maybe even throughout the year. Something that we are all praying for is the opportunity to share the gospel with those we serve. That may happen Sunday if those are doors the Spirit opens for us and we boldly walk through them. Or, the seeds planted will be watered at a later date as the Spirit makes room for a budding relationship leading to an opportunity to share the hope we have in Christ.
In whatever ways the Lord chooses to use our church this weekend, it is going to be worth every second of effort, prayer, and planning. Our staff and our project leads are enthusiastic about serving our community in this way, and for the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus alongside our church! See you Sunday!