Kitchen Service

Our time began with stories. I love stories. They carry messages of the heart in a way that “information” cannot. It’s one of the reasons Jesus used parables.

The question that generated those stories was “who was the first Christian in your life to live in such a way as you could clearly see Christ?” … in other words, an authentic Christian. Some of the stories we heard were about:

• a grandmother who was joyful, kind, uplifting, and always encouraged her grandchildren to say their prayers;
• a “foster” mother and father who took in a little girl and raised her because her blood parents couldn’t provide for their daughter;
• a daughter who came to Christ before the mother and “demonstrated” her faith in such a way that it drew the mother to Christ;
• an aunt who was known for her gentleness and quiet spirit;
• a former teacher known for her calm in the midst of a storm, her direct line to the Lord throuh prayer, her “glow;”
• a woman who demonstrated Christ in practical ways, serving through parenting a large family and fostering over 17 children;
• a priest who showed me unconditional love.

Each story was powerful in its simplicity and confirmed the power of a “Mary heart.”

Then we discussed which areas of our lives we are hoping will be our truly “growth areas,” and where we can demonstrate our faith in authentic ways. These are areas where we want “more” to show: love, compassion, gentleness, wisdeom, intimacy, forgiveness, faith, joy, order, graciousness, peace and calm. My sense is that these were some of the same areas that we recognized in our “stories of the saints” at the beginning of class.

In John 13:1-17, we learn of the service Jesus performed for his disciples–washing their feet. This was an expected example of Christian love. This was a service that was generally considered “beneath” his station. We talked at length about the areas where we might serve in today’s world. There were plenty of examples like working with the poor, or in a nursing home, or with the mentally ill, or with prisoners, with orphans, with people who are sick (e.g. HIV), or doing someone else’s task for them “secretly” or just “turning the other cheek” when we are offended by another person.

Joanna Weaver liked to talk about Christ-centered service as being either “on the way” (coming across opportunities in our daily lives) or “out of the way” (going outside our normal path to meet a need). Mark 1:29-34 is a good example of the first type of service and Mark 6:30-34 is a good example of the second. We talked about our own areas of responsibility and how these opportunities might manifest. Will we respond?

Acts 3:1-10 tells the story of Peter and John who responded to a beggar asking for money by saying, “silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you….” and then proceeds to heal the man because what Peter “had” was the Holy Spirit. So often, we do not respond to service opportunities because we don’t believe we have what is needed. We make judgments about our own abilities or compare ourselves to others thinking, “I could never do that.” I believe that we all that it takes within us to have intimate relationships with Christ. Nothing is missing. And as we build upon that intimacy, the rest comes along. We are able to serve with grace. We are able to serve in all stations of life, whether above or below. We can do the very thing we thought we could never do. We are serving in our immediate circle (families, friends, neighbors, church, work) and we are serving in the greater circle of life (community, nation, world).

Remember, both are needed, living room intimacy and kitchen service. This week, the Lord will bring an opportunity to us. Come to class next time ready to share your service along the way.

Special thanks to Marion C. Honors, CSJ, for the use of the artwork called Grandmother. For more information about her work, see her website, http://www.marionchonorscsj.com/index.html.)