Brothers and sisters,
My article this week is going to be short and sweet. This coming Sunday, August 9th is the deadline to turn in Deacon nomination forms. In light of that, I wanted to just reflect for a moment on what it means to be a deacon.
We see the first deacons appearing in Acts 6:1-7. The church is in its infancy and the twelve apostles are realizing that there is more work than the twelve of them can do. So, they go out into the community and find seven people (in this case, men) and appoint them to serve their brothers and sisters in Christ. At that time, the main ser-vice that was needed was the daily distribution of food to those in need. Their service would allow the twelve apos-tles to continue to do the important work of growing the church.
So, what does it mean to be a deacon? It means recognizing that your community trusts you and repaying that trust with humility, service, and faithfulness. It means partnering with the pastor to meet people’s needs. It means praying for folks and reminding them they are a be-loved part of God’s family. It means working to foster community within the church. It means your church family recognized your gifts, sensed a call from God, and believes you could serve well. All those things may sound lofty, but sometimes all it takes to be a deacon is being willing to serve food to people.
So, if you have someone in mind that you think would be a good deacon, be sure to talk with them this Sunday and see if they would serve. If you have been approached about being a deacon, but are not sure if you’d be “good enough,” remember that all it takes is a humble spirit and a desire to serve. Pray about it. Listen for God’s voice. Respond in the way you deem faithful.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben