“FOR HIS SAKE – I am but one; But I am one. I cannot do everything but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do. What I ought to do, By the grace of God I will do. Lord, what wilt thou have me do?” I ran into this saying from the literature of The Order of the Daughters of the King, a prayer and service group of the Episcopal Church. I find this to be a powerful invitation for each of us, reminding each of us that we can all be positive agents of change through the service of God. That begins by asking God what he would have us do and by asking ourselves how can we best serve him. The Christian life was summed up by St. Benedict as falling into three ways of working for God, each of them essential to a healthy spiritual life. Those three were: Labor, Prayer and Study.
Our labor on behalf of others is what allows our community and society to function. When this labor is dedicated to God, and offered for his good purpose, it becomes fruitful beyond measure. Whether it is helping out at home, at church or in your workplace, the attitude with which we serve can turn everyday labor into a spiritual work that is pleasing to God. Prayer is our dialogue with God both speaking and listening. In prayer we maintain a healthy connection with our Creator and our Lord Jesus Christ. Whether we are attending church services, brining our pets to be blessed, praying for the needs of ourselves and others or simply sitting in quiet meditation, prayer brings us into God’s presence and allows us to experience his blessing and grace. The final way of working for God is through our study of his ways through Scripture and other spiritual reading and devotions.
St. John’s seeks to help all people to find ways each week to work for and dedicate our lives to God. Whether laboring on behalf of others in our community through outreach activities or through the services of blessing and prayer that we schedule each week or in the devotional opportunities like weekly Bible Study and our Advent and Lent Book Groups; St. John’s is a place dedicated to nurturing our spiritual growth, that we all might ask, “Lord what will thou have me do?”
Christ’s Peace,
Fr. Daniel+