I washed my hands this morning so very clean and white and held them up to Jesus to work for Him til night. I told my ears to listen quite closely all day through for any act of kindness these little hands could do. Little feet be careful where you take me to.
Anything for Jesus, only let me do.
If I close my eyes, I can almost hear my Mother’s voice as she sang this song to me. A child’s song, with simple words. And yet it holds the secret to becoming a vessel. Anything for Jesus only let me do.
What does it mean to be a vessel? It begins with recognizing whose we are and acknowledging our part in sharing in His great love. We worship Him through our service. We begin to care, to reach out to others. We understand that just as we love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind, we must now turn that God-love within us into our interactions with others. We realize we have become the eyes and hands and feet of the ministry and the kingdom depends on us because this is God’s plan of salvation. Go. Feed. Love. Anything for Jesus only let me do.
To be a vessel in the kingdom does not imply containing but emptying. Like the woman with the alabaster box who poured out sweet oils on the feet of Jesus, we pour out our lives as a gift of service. We are cleansed by the fire of the Holy Spirit, making us ready to serve. We are committed to Him.
But what if we fail. What if we just aren’t good enough? “I am like a broken vessel,” the psalmist wrote, perhaps visualizing his life story. He had been called a man after God’s own heart. Yet he had stumbled, sinned and paid the price of his mistakes. Perhaps, he saw himself as ineffective to lead the kingdom of Israel, to be the voice of God. To be His vessel. Instead he was broken. And useless.
Thankfully, our effectiveness to God is not dependent upon our beauty or utility but on the skill of the Potter to create wholeness from broken shards. Isaiah wrote “We are the clay, You are the potter. We are all the work of Your hands.”
Anything for Jesus only let me do.
Love your neighbor. Love your enemy. Love the one who is not like you. Love the one who needs to be loved.
Pray for others – pray for the sick, for those facing illness and hospitalization. Pray for expectant mothers, and those with children. Pray for the young people who have to navigate throughout the temptations and disappointment of this world. Pray for those who have no one. Pray for the church, for the missions, for the missionaries who have left home, family and friends for the kingdom’s sake. Pray for those who lead the church at home, both on the staff and volunteer. Pray for teachers and caregivers and soldiers and policemen, for doctors and nurses, for friends and foes. Pray for our country. Pray for the kingdom.
Serve within the church framework – the nursery, children’s programs, meals, small groups. Work within the women’s ministry – bakes cookies, sew bags for foster children, reach out to Phoenix Pass, lift up others at the prayer walk, retreats and nights of worship, connect with others. Work for the kingdom.
Be aware, be available, be ready. Be a vessel.
Anything for Jesus…
Opportunity to serve
The Campus Christian Fellowships at Emory Atlanta and Emory Oxford are holding their fall retreat the weekend of November 12-14. We have been asked to supply lunch on Saturday the 13th. We plan to serve chili, cheese and crackers/bread, and cookies. We need volunteers to make their own recipe of chili and bring it in a crockpot to the church by 9:00 Saturday morning, November 13. We will transport it to Camp Westminster where they are holding their retreat. Any kind of chili is acceptable – we even have a recipe for vegan chili that we guarantee is easy to make if anyone would like the recipe! (And there are vegans among the mix of kids :)) We will pick up the crockpots and get them back to you the following week.
This is ministry that many of you have already worked with, baking cookies and preparing meals. It is an outreach to young people who will be going back to their homes with the message of God’s love and the understanding of how it is reflected in the those who are His vessels.
If you are interested in participating, please send us an email at CrossfireWomensMinistry@gmail.com
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