WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW?
Scripture: Ephesians 4: 1- 16
The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry for building up the body of Christ.
I was recently ordained, and as a result, nearly everyone asked, what are you going to do now? That question made me so nervous that I avoided talking about my pending ordination to many. Will you be a pastor now? Some pressed. Will you have a church? What’s the plan? These questions both frustrated and frightened me. I didn’t fit into whatever plans they had imagined in their heads. I had no clear answer.
As far as ministry goes, most people are familiar with the pastor or the preacher, so when one imagines a “Reverend” one thinks of a pastor with a congregation. When I initially received the call to ministry, I found myself not in a church, but in a women’s homeless shelter where I taught Bible study. The women energized me and I loved talking and interacting with them. I knew from the beginning that ministry does not mean that we fling open the church doors and ask people to come, we walk outside of the church and go to the people.
Today’s passage reminds us to be true to ourselves and our gifts, talents and interests. Those questions and my frustration have only driven me to slow down and reflect on what God has given me, not what others think God has given me.
Prayer: God thank you for the gifts and talents you have entrusted in all of us. Give us the eyes to see our uniqueness, and give us hearts to use it. Amen.
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