A DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT by Pastor Phil
It’s well known in certain circles that chocolate chip cookies are a favorite meal, er…I mean dessert, of mine. I want you to think of the ingredients that go into chocolate chip cookies (I promise there is a point to all this). There are the chocolate chips of course. No chocolate chips, no chocolate chip cookie. Plus, even on their own they are delicious. Then there’s the sugar, both white and brown. Everyone loves the sugar, but if you don’t have both kinds, the cookie will not be good. And, sugar by itself is overpowering.
You’ll need a lot of flour, but think about it, flour on its own is useless. And who in their right mind would eat two raw eggs or two sticks of butter? Then baking soda, have you ever tasted baking soda? Nasty. You don’t put much in, but leave it out, and the cookie is no good. Same is true with the salt. And the vanilla, you could leave it out, but you’ll have a blah cookie.
The ingredients on their own are mostly awful. They don’t stand on their own. But mix them together, it can get messy, but now you’ve got something that’s really good. Add some heat, and you have the key to my heart, er…I mean a beloved and delicious treat.
So, now the point.
“The whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament (ingredient), grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
Ephesians 4:16
We are all ingredients in this community called the church. Some ingredients seem to be more important and popular (think chocolate chips and sugar. Some ingredients seem so small as to be insignificant (salt). Some can be hard to take (baking soda). Some add flavor, some add body, some hold everything together. ALL ARE NECESSARY. The chocolate chip cookie is only as good as all of the ingredients working together.
PGCC would not be great without you! PGCC is only great when we are all contributing. If you were to only rely on just Pastor Scott or myself, the church would be a disaster. If you are thinking, “I can offer so little, my contribution won’t add anything,” think about the salt or the baking soda.
Think of the church without greeters, without people caring for the building and grounds, without music, without emergency responders, without people setting up and taking down tables and chairs, without people calling and visiting those who sick or unable to attend church, without planners or organizers, without teachers, without people sharing God’s love to our neighborhoods, without everyone praying? This isn’t a complete list (and I apologize if I left you off, but I’m running out of space), but I hope I made the point.
Our church is the church you love and others love when everyone contributes.
What can you contribute? This Sunday is Volunteer Sunday. We will not only be giving love to our volunteers, but we will be sharing all the ways you can participate and volunteer in order to keep our church great. Plus, we’ll have leaders out in the lobby that you can talk to and learn more their ministry and if it would be a good fit for you.
It will be a great Sunday celebrating what makes the church great which is God using you and mixing you together with everyone else to make something wonderful—a church we all love.
