ELCA Day of Service/Music Sunday
Text: Colossians 3:12-17
Pastor Jean M. Hansen
Welcome to the ELCA Day of Service, which we are kicking off with Favorite Hymn/Song Sunday, and thus focusing on two important aspects of our faith – praising God through serving and through singing.
This is the 12th year for this special emphasis of the ELCA, observed throughout the United States, as a reminder that because of our gratitude for God’s grace, we serve. Our doing so is not to earn God’s favor, but because we are thankful that God’s favor is already ours’.
So, we do God’s work with our hands. (Show t-shirt.) Almost every time I wear this shirt, someone comments on it, affirming the message that we can make a positive impact in our community, and the world. This is a day for projects that do so; some are simple, others are more complicated, but they all require people’s hands and hearts to accomplish.
We’ve done a lot of different things over these 12 years; I remember that one year we discussed connecting with the businesses across the street by offering to wash their glass door windows and clean their restrooms. I don’t remember if we did windows, but I’m fairly certain we did not clean restrooms!
For a number of years we connected with First Serve, a ministry of the United Church of Christ in Hudson, that was then held all day on both Saturday and Sunday the same weekend as our Day of Service. There were innumerable projects; I remember spreading mulch at the Hospice Center on Ridgewood Road, painting at the Community Center at Patterson Park, weeding flower beds at a park near downtown Akron and even giving blood as a part of that outreach. Unfortunately, though, the timing of their event changed to primarily Sunday morning, which does not fit as well for us since we’ve had one service and organized projects for worshippers to do here or close-by on that day.
In any case, wherever and however we do it, serving is a Christian way of life. I chose the reading from Colossians for today because it addresses the topic of a Christian way of life, that is, our response to God’s grace.
Here’s a good question to consider: how do we respond to a gift that changes our entire lives? Commentator Stan Mast reflected on people who win the lottery, not just the little ones, but the Mega Millions and Power Ball. He noted hearing about a woman who won $330,000,000. Her first response was that she would not have to go to work the next day. When asked what she would do with the money, she said, “Provide for my grandchildren’s education. Commentator Mast surmised that it was a happy day for her. Her life was changed forever by that large gift. But, he said, studies of former lottery winners reveal that such huge windfalls often ruin people’s lives. In a few years, most of the money is gone because they didn’t respond in an appropriate way to a life-giving gift. (1)
In the book of Colossians, the Apostle Paul points to the life-changing work of Jesus – his birth, life, death and resurrection – that created a whole new self for us and incorporated us into a whole new community. Listen to 3:11, “In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!” In other words, that which divided people exists no more; Christ in us makes us one.
Quoting Dr. Mast, “How shall we respond to all that? In effect, Paul says, Christ has put on your flesh, therefore you should put on Christ in your flesh. And he (Paul) explains that (this is done) not with a call for some mystical practices or heroic sacrifices or esoteric knowledge, but with a call to be Christ-like in our everyday living.” (2)
That means we adopt the attitudes and behaviors that distinguished Jesus’ life and death, including the qualities of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. Let me list those again; how are you doing when it comes to developing those characteristics? If doing so is difficult, note that Paul also writes about actions that will demonstrate and sustain those qualities, including:
• being willing to forgive
• being clothed (covered) with love
• allowing Christ’s peace to rule in one’s heart
• being thankful, which is mentioned three times
• dwelling in Jesus’ word and teaching it to others
• praising God through music
• doing everything in the name of Jesus
It’s interesting that the “you” is plural, meaning that we are on this journey together, and struggle to walk it alone. It’s God’s Work, OUR hands, not my hands.
One of the things we do together is sing, expressing the gratitude in our hearts, and also learning about and expressing our faith through music. As you know, musical gifts, particularly singing, are not among the gifts that God gave me. I’ve fervently wished that was the case, and even tried to make it happen until a voice teacher told me it would be better if I spoke rather than chanted the liturgy. However, I have been fortunate to be emersed in a setting where I hearing singing every week – meaningful singing that strengthens by faith and expresses that for which I have no words.
For today’s service 55 different hymns/songs were suggested, and we used those that were listed most often. Still, 55 … that’s a lot of music which is significant to people. The church is one of the few places in our culture where people sing together that is not primarily a choir or a musical group. I think we are blessed to be a part of it.
In fact, music is so important that on the 10th anniversary of the ELCA Day of Service, a new hymn contest was held and 120 people submitted original hymns to reflect the day’s theme. (I find that amazing … 120!) The one that was selected has original lyrics that can be sung to a familiar hymn tune, and also has original music. Here are the two verses I particularly like; think of the tune to “Earth and All Stars”.
God's work, our hands: working together,
building a future, repairing the world,
raising up homes, planting new gardens,
feeding the hungry and shelt'ring the cold.
Bless, God, our hands as we work in your name,
sharing the good news of your Gospel.
God’s work, our voice: singing together
praising, proclaiming to all who will hear,
praying for peace, shouting for justice,
claiming God's love for the lost and the least.
Bless, God, our voice as we speak in your name,
sharing the good news of your Gospel.
May we continue to do God’s work with our hands and voices. AMEN
(1) “Colossians 3:12-17 Commentary” by Stan Mast, December 27, 2015, www.cepreaching.org
(2) Same as #1