Like a stealth gold-shirted army, the ELCA took the nation by storm on “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday! At least that’s what you would think if you scrolled through my Facebook newsfeed on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014. As an ELCA pastor of many years, I am connected to a LOT of active Lutheran church members. Many of my friends participated in special service projects chosen to coincide with Sept. 7, or “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday. Most that participated snapped pictures and posted them on Facebook, either on their own personal page or their congregation’s Facebook page. Many marked their postings with #ELCADay0fService to cross-post on Twitter. Some groups wore gold “God’s work. Our hands.” shirts with their congregation’s name printed on the back.
As I scrolled through, I saw pictures of people planting flowers, men trimming trees, youth feeding quarters into laundry machines, members packing lunches for soup kitchens, people tying quilts or fleece blankets, members packing Lutheran World Relief hygiene kits , groups assisting elders in lawn care, kids drawing pictures to send to deployed troops with letters of support, and groups singing at nursing homes. As for me, I joined Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Northbrook, Ill., (my home congregation) for a Saturday evening “God’s work. Our hands.” service project with more than 100 people packing more than 100 meals for an area hunger-fighting organization. These groups of gold-shirted workers (and those in other attire too) were inspirational as they engaged in service projects that helped their communities. Older and younger members worked together. People extended themselves on behalf of their neighbor in need. Work projects made a difference in numerous states. The very old and the very young and everyone in between contributed whatever they could.
One of my Facebook friends asked, “Who’s ready to keep doing ‘God’s work. Our hands.’?” Someone jokingly responded: “Didn’t we already do that this morning?” And that is the challenge of “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday. If we all feel like our #ELCADayofService is over once Sept. 8 rolls around, we may miss new opportunities to connect (or reconnect) with our community.
What if each of us – in our families, churches, schools and homes – found a service activity to engage in monthly? What if “God’s work. Our hands.” wasn’t a once-a-year activity but a renewed focus of our shared faith life together? What if every day we challenged ourselves to serve our neighbors in big and small ways? What if God’s work. Our hands.” became a new orientation for our congregational energy throughout the year – not just on the first Sunday in September? What if we invited our “non-member” neighbors to serve alongside us as together we try to make a significant difference in our communities? Could more frequent “God’s work. Our hands.” projects change even more hearts, lives and minds?
I feel great hope when I see the #ELCADayofService “God’s work Our hands.” teams in action all around me. I pray we will keep up the inspiration and stay active in the community beyond our church walls after Sept. 7. To quote ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton: “When one congregation or a group of congregations gather for service in their local communities, they are the church in that place, taking care of that part of God’s vineyard. But this is all work that we do together. When one congregation works to feed people who are hungry, that is also the entire church coming together.”
