Pilgrimage! Me?

I never would have seen myself going on a pilgrimage of any kind, until Pastor Karyn talked it to me. It sounded like a great opportunity to learn, travel and serve. Now I am excited to be leaving in a couple of weeks, traveling with family, friends, and soon to be friends by the end of the trip. We will be learning about the early Lutheran church in America and our history through tours. We will also be serving others in Philadelphia. I am really looking forward to serving at the Lutheran Settle House and the Welcome Church. I don’t know yet how we will serving, but I know whatever God has planned for us will be a wonderful opportunity to share God’s love with others.

As servants of our Lord, we have a wonderful opportunity to be the hands and feet of God. We will be able to serve God by serving those in Philadelphia. On Sunday we’ll be worshipping, praising God for all that we have been able to so and will continue to do; as Psalm 134 says, “Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord.” God gives us so many different ways to serve Him through serving others. We don’t have to go on a trip to be God’s hand and feet; we can do it right here in our community, church, home, school or workplace. In church we can serve in many area’s, like ushering, reading, serving communion, greeting, bread baking, serving coffee, helping stuff the newsletter, teaching Sunday school or VBS, being a small group guide, quilting, knitting and the list goes on. In the community there’s the Come for Supper, Salvation Army, our children’s school and many other programs that need volunteers to help. Serving each other in our homes is a wonderful way to show God’s love to those closest to us, by caring for their needs and doing something special for them. Being a servant at our workplace can be different for each person depending on what you do and who you work with. If you are in school, that will look different for each person, but being a help to the least of those who go to your school will show God’s love to them.

There are so many ways to serve one another, so I challenge each one of you to find a place to serve in each of these areas, so that we can be God’s hands and feet to everyone around us.

Next year we are planning an Adult Mission Trip, so we can serve for a week where the needs are the greatest. Look for more detail coming this summer and fall. As I get ready to leave on this years pilgrimage, I thank God for this opportunity to serve Him with others in our group, to lead devotions each morning, for the fellowship we will have together and the wonderful memories we will bring back.