“Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8b
Our parents are often our first teachers when it comes to the serving. At first, we may be learning to serve our family around the house by doing small tasks and as we grow those opportunities move out into the community through school or other organizations.
Our family was a scouting family and we had many opportunities to rub shoulders with people who had a different faith or family values but nonetheless, we cared deeply about them.
One Saturday, the scouts were having a recycling drive. It was lunchtime and PBJ sandwiches were provided for the leaders and the scouts but one of the families was observing a high holy day and leavened bread was not part of what was eaten during this time.
I saw that they couldn’t eat and ran up the block (we lived 6 houses from the church where the group met) to make them an appropriate lunch. I knew we had Matzo crackers because any household in my highly Jewish community ate them year-round for a snack with butter.
But I was aware that butter wasn’t always appropriate with their dietary restrictions, so I decided that pork Taylor ham and mustard would be a hearty option.
I quickly made the “sandwiches” and scurried back to the church, proud of the lunch I had made. Mr. and Mrs. Leibowitz were so “surprised” after they opened the wax paper to find a pork sandwich on Matzo crackers but they ate it anyway.
Later on, back home, I shared with my parents what I had done and I was quickly told that my choice of lunchmeat was probably not the choice that the Leibowitz’s would have made.
Just as the Leibowitz’s honored the small way in which they were served, God honors the service we do in his name. Whether it is in big ways or small, God loves the cheerful giver, sees what we are doing, and blesses our efforts.
Beginning this week we will begin our Love Your Neighbor Drive to benefit Serve Our Willing Warriors, an organization that positively impacts the lives of wounded, ill, and injured military service members, disabled veterans, and their families. Registration for our November 15th Love Your Neighbor Serving Event is open now.
And we promise, no Taylor ham with mustard on Matzo crackers.
