The People God Calls Me to Serve

The Rev. Joan W. Gandy

First Presbyterian Church of Natchez, Mississippi

 

Where God puts me, I expect, will be a place where the best of what God has given me as a Minister of Word and Sacrament will intersect with the best hopes and dreams of a people who want to know and follow Christ in their daily lives along with me. They are a people who understand what it means to be the Body of Christ. That means to me that:

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• They are disciples who want to remember the past and honor their forefathers in the faith; who are strong in their own faith and discipleship in the present time; and who know that what they do today matters to those who will follow them in the church they serve now.

• They care for those in the church who are growing old; they nurture those who are young in years and young in the faith. They honor the gifts of all people.

• They are people who are unafraid of holding on to traditions of the church that make sense in today's world; but they are able to let go of those former things that interfere with the new mission to which God calls them.

• They are people who do not fear failure but, instead, look to God to show them how to grow stronger in times that are challenging and uncertain.

• They are people who know that God has not finished with them; for them, God continues to surprise and delight.

• These are Christ's disciples who are excited to come together to worship, to read and hear scripture, to sing hymns of praise, and to pray. They believe in the power of prayer and the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in the world.

• They are thankful for the blessings of baptism and for being nurtured at the Lord’s Table.

• Gratefully acknowledging God's love for them, they seek to serve the people of God with hospitality, love, joy, and compassion wherever God may send them.

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God's time is perfect time. I pray that God's will be done. Where God has called me, I  will join in the work and worship of people whom God believes I can faithfully serve with love, energy, and imagination. In all things, together we will remember that God has created us for his pleasure; and that he calls us to glorify him and enjoy him forever.