About 3-4 times a year I have to be at work by 6am. I'm always surprised by the amount of traffic already on the road: businesses start earlier trying to get the most out of the day, health care professionals are going to relieve the night crew, the morning TV and radio anchors have already been broadcasting for hours, construction crews are completing their last tasks to open the roads for rush hour, bus drivers are allowing sleepy commuters to ride in a half-awake stupor, donut shops have been cooking and preparing for hours, and various suppliers are stocking shelves to make sure customers have a supply of bread and milk. I'm kind of partial to the last one because my brother delivered bread for many years, waking up at 3 am in the cold mid-west to start the day's rounds. My grandfather had some dairy cows until the benefits of pasteurization made smaller farms obsolete; the dairy farmer has mornings like no other! The other day I woke up on my own at 4am and I was quite content, but to be awakened by an alarm clock at that hour is totally abrasive. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the quiet servants who take on the tasks that many people would refuse to do. They rarely are ones looking for accolades; instead they are complacent to know that they offer a service that keeps the rest of us moving.
My prayer for the congregation?
Dear God, I am so thankful for those in our congregation who take on the tedious and laborious tasks that we take for granted. Lawns are mowed, floors are shampooed, bulletins are printed and folded, the kitchen is stocked with supplies, the air conditioner or heat is already primed so that a pleasant temperature awaits our arrival, and a suitable, moving sermon is prepared. We undervalue the work behind each detail, but quick to raise a raucous if left undone. Let us recognize the quiet servants through affirmations of words and deeds. We can share our own labors alongside their guidance, arise with purpose and intent, and work in anonymity pushing the aim of the spotlight on higher purposes and greater needs. Let us be quiet servants and robust, persuasive disciples. Amen
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