God's Work, Our Hands (Sept. 2014 Newsletter)

Many organizations have slogans, mottos, or mission statements. I can still remember my (all girls) high school’s motto: “Sending forth women of honor.” And my ELCA college’s mission statement: “Wartburg College is dedicated to challenging and nurturing students to live lives of leadership and service as a spirited expression of their faith and learning.” Perhaps you can think of the mottos and missions of organizations you have been a part of over the years. (Or think of corporations and their slogans: “Nike. Just do it.” “Pringles. Once you pop, you just can’t stop.”)

The Upstate New York Synod, the synod which we are part of, has a mission statement as well: We are resurrection people who pray first, walk together, and change lives.” The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which we are part of, has had several statements and slogans over the years. Currently, one of the buzz-phrases is “God’s Work, Our Hands.” This phrase has caught on to the point where the church has started celebrating “God’s Work, Our Hands” Day. Starting last year, and continuing to this year, “God’s Work, Our Hands” Day is an opportunity for congregations across the ELCA to celebrate what it means to be church together. Matching T-shirts is part of it (and we have extras if you did not get a chance to order one and would like one), but there’s more to it. Congregations and organizations across the ELCA are taking time on this day to do service in the world: to be active, positive forces in our communities.

We are going to be taking this day to celebrate together, both Trinity and St Stephen’s. We will have joint worship together on September 7^th at 10am at the Town Park. We will then have lunch together and serve our community by making care packages for our military personnel.

It’s important to remember that this is not just one activity that two congregations in southern Rensselaer County are doing, but a celebration happening across the Church. We are not as isolated as we may sometimes think that we are. The slogan is not “God’s Work, Your Hands” or “God’s Work, My Hands.” Nor is it “Our Work, Our Hands.”

“God’s Work, Our Hands.”

This is a deep reminder that we are not alone in what we do. Though we are in different buildings, we are all Church together. And it is not our church, but God’s Church. It is not our call, but God’s call into the world. It’s not our work, it’s God’s work. And God uses not only our hands, but our hearts, our feet, our voices, our elbows and eyes and tongues and ears and knees. All that we have to offer is valuable to God’s work.

It’s also important to remember that this is not a one-time event. There is a reason that the ELCA chose to have this event the first Sunday in September. This is when many congregations are kicking off their Sunday School programs for the year and getting ready for the coming months of ministry. As we prepare for our Sunday Schools (which you can read more about in the following pages of this newsletter) and for other fall activities, we take this day to celebrate that we do not act alone, that all we do is God’s work, done with our hands.

Thanks be to God.