Called to Serve

This past weekend, I went to Washington D.C. with my mom. It was a lovely time of vacation and quality time for both of us. We picked Washington, D.C. because neither of us had ever gotten to be tourists there. I have gone to conferences in the city, but my mom had never visited at all! We wanted to see so many of the important national monuments, explore the beautiful city, and learn more about our country’s history.

While everything that we spent time doing was meaningful, there were parts that certainly stood out. The Lincoln Memorial is so much larger than I ever realized. The Vietnam memorial, with an honor flight reading the names nearby, was somber and poignant. Visiting the National Shrine and Basilica to Mary, where each tiny alcove held a different cultural representation of Mary and child, I was struck by how far Jesus’s Lordship reaches. All of the walking! (Capitol Hill is actually a hill… who knew!)

The most impactful part of our trip, however, was our visit to Arlington National Cemetery. This was our first stop on the trip on an impossibly warm day. Yet the rolling hills, the quiet, somber, and respectful tone of the entire experience was worth it. We visited John F. Kennedy’s grave and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. While we walked through the cemetery, we witnessed a funeral procession in full regalia.

As I looked out on the rows and rows and rows of white tombstones, I thought about how much sacrifice and service was represented on all those acres. I then thought about Cape Canaveral National Cemetery, and others like it, all around the country, where others who have lived lives of sacrifice for our country are buried. It is humbling to think about. The many freedoms I enjoy as an American were a gift of someone else’s sacrifice (and their family’s).

President John F. Kennedy’s grave is at the top of a hill that overlooks a large portion of the cemetery. It is a smaller monument than other presidents who are memorialized in D.C., but still powerful. On the overlook, there is a marble wall with words from his famous speeches etched into them. When we stopped, my mom took this photo of me next to my favorite quote on the wall:

“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”

For me, John F. Kennedy transcends politics. For those of you who lived through his presidency, that may not be the case! But each president memorialized in Washington, D.C. offered service and care to our country, leading in a time of unique beauty and challenge. We can trace many gifts and challenges back to each of these leaders. I feel grateful for them and grateful that our country takes space and time to honor them at our capital. The physical reminders help us trace the best and the worst parts of all our histories.

This quote reminds me of the service represented in the monuments, museums, and headstones. It also reminded me of the work we will take up as we conclude our sermon series this Sunday. As we explore our Serve mission essential, we will talk about a brief story at the end of Luke 4. When Peter’s mother-in-law is healed, she immediately gets up and begins to serve. She doesn’t ask what Jesus will continue to do for her; she thinks about the gift Jesus has given her and then shares it. As a result, more people are healed.

These infamous words by J.F.K. remind us of our call to citizenship, but more importantly, should remind us of our call as Christians. These words can also help us reflect on our call to transformative discipleship. We should follow the example of Peter’s mother-in-law and look for ways to open our hearts and lives to others, serving them in the name of Christ. Just as so many leaders and veterans gave their lives for our country, we should offer up our lives as a living and holy sacrifice, to serve Jesus, whom we meet in the face of our neighbors and the least of these (Matthew 25).

Each season offers unique challenges and gifts, but our call to discipleship remains the same. I can’t wait to continue to explore this with you all this summer, and I’m so grateful to be a part of a church that takes extraordinary love seriously!

Remembering Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

When I was in middle school, my mom worked for a local builder. This was right before the financial and housing crash of 2008, so business was very good. They were building homes left and right, and the industry in my small hometown was booming with construction jobs. She learned very intimately the process of building a home and helped walk buyers through that as a part of her role.

Right around this time, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was the big show to watch on TV. The original series ran from 2003 until 2012 and took up a large slot on the Friday night lineup. I remember being so amazed at the beautiful houses, the creative and fun kids' rooms, and the emotion of the families whose lives had been changed by the show.

But after my mom began working with the local builder, the show lost a bit of its luster for her. The premise was that they would tear down and rebuild a brand new house in one week. The drama always came from a tight timeline; would they ever complete it?! But of course, they always did. But she would say, “Just the foundation alone takes longer than a week to complete if it is good. We can’t rush the foundation because without it the house won’t stand.”

I thought of her words this week as I read our passage for Sunday from Matthew 7. Jesus has just completed the Sermon on the Mount, and says, “Those who hear my words and do them are like people who build their houses on a solid rock.” (the Allee paraphrase) After a lot of tough words and discussion, Jesus ends his sermon by saying that a wise person would follow him and live out his words in the way they constructed their lives. Those that aren’t wise build their houses on shifting sands and pay the price.

It is safe to say that our foundation matters. It matters when you are building a house, and it matters when you are building faith. If we aren’t grounded in Scripture, prayer, spiritual disciplines, and committed to growth, we can easily build our house on the shifting sands of this life: fleeting financial stability, promises of family or loved ones, accolades, or impressive resumes, the praise of others. We will find each time we build our house on anything other than Jesus’s teaching that we will not be able to withstand the storms of life; or if we do, that it is much harder.

Suntree UMC is committed to walking with you no matter where you are in your faith journey. We have many resources including our Launch into Extraordinary Love to help you locate where you are on your faith journey, and take the next step. After a year turned over by COVID-19, many of us are ready to take that next step again and grow, both virtually and in person.

As in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, reality TV is not really "real". Many people have reported later that the homes that were built were difficult to maintain, or the family couldn’t afford the property taxes. The foundation that we build in our spiritual lives is different. When we say yes to Jesus, we get the joy of spending the rest of our lives working on our foundation and keeping our houses on solid rock. When life gets stormy and hard, we hope that you’ll find opportunities to continue to grow into and build your faith. Our Jesus is trustworthy and safe, and the solid rock of our church and our faith.