DEVOTIONAL FROM PASTOR DAVE MAY 17 2023

This past Sunday, I finally had an opportunity to help serve a meal at the Mustard Tree Ministries, which is one of our church’s outreach partnerships. This faith-based non-profit ministry was founded 20 years ago and, according to their website, “helps people become all that God wants them to be.” They are based at First Centenary United Methodist Church downtown and are especially focused on serving their homeless and impoverished neighbors. Rev. Barry Kidwell, a former associate pastor here at Signal Crest, serves as the Executive Director. Our church provides volunteers to help serve the Sunday evening meal on the second Sundays of each month. Last month, that date fell on Easter Sunday. This month, it was Mother’s Day.

Doranne Lane is often in charge of organizing this outreach for us, but Jill Yetter herded the eight of us cats who came this time. She had heated up the pans of casseroles that she and others of you had prepared (thank you!), along with the salad fixings, dressing, bread, and desserts. Then we loaded up our vehicles and transported the food down to First Centenary. When we arrived, the folks there helped us set up in the kitchen and serving area. Then we went to the contemporary worship center for the evening worship before the meal.

Barry welcomed us all and invited us to greet one another. There were smiles on faces all around. Their worship leader led us in singing “This Little Light of Mine,” and then Barry’s daughter Kathleen delivered an inspiring message with us about letting our light shine. She shared a memorable image with us that the flashlights on our phones won’t work if it’s in selfie mode. In other words, we can’t let our light shine if we are focused on ourselves.

I was especially touched with the prayer time that Barry led before the message. There was such a supportive and encouraging spirit in the room, as various people lifted up joys like housing applications being finalized or medical treatments that were seeming to work, along with concerns about family members in the hospital or friends facing addictions. We took our time, and everyone who wanted to share something on their hearts had time to share.

Those of us who were serving the meal slipped out of the service before Communion. We served the kids first. I was at the dessert station, and there was this one kid who filled up her plate with just desserts! Then the adults came along, and many of them came back for seconds, and we later fixed several to-go boxes for them to take with them. We left the leftovers with the staff there, and they cleaned up after us. They made it so easy for us; all we really had to do was serve the food.

There were probably 30-35 folks there. All ages. Different colors. Different socioeconomic classes. But all with smiles on their faces, full bellies, and a palpable sense of fellowship and love for one another. I remember thinking as I was driving back up the mountain that I think I just got a glimpse of what the kingdom of heaven must be like.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”–Matthew 13:31-32.