Have you ever hung a door? OK, have you ever seen or used a door? OK, now I have everyone! You can hang a door by the top hinge and, though it will be unstable and not work effectively, it can stay in place. If you try to hang a door by the bottom hinge it may stand for a moment, but it will inevitably fall and damage itself, and the door jamb around it.

In Mt 22, Jesus says that all of what God requires of us is summed up in two commands, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  These two commands are like hinges on a door. 

“Love God” is the top, weight bearing hinge. Without that in place, we will never be able to truly love our neighbor. If we try to live on “love your neighbor” alone, eventually our own selfishness and self-centerdness will cause us to fall, damaging ourselves, and others around us. But though our lives and churches might stand for a long time, and even be somewhat useful, on “love God” alone, they will always be unstable and less than fully effective. 

That is because, as Martin Luther said, “God does not need our service, our neighbor does.” God doesn’t need anything from his creatures. But, he created each person in his own image. Because of that, and because the first man and woman sinned and plunged the rest of their race into sin, we all needs others and their service.

So when we serve each other, we are, in effect, serving God through them. Jesus made this very clear in Mt 24. “‘I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then [they] will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

At Evident Grace we believe that serving each other, and those around us, is a significant means of making God’s grace evident through our example. This begins, formally, with our elders, who seek to minister primarily to spiritual needs, and our deacons (which means “servant.” If your interested in knowing why we call them this, you can read about the first “diaconate” here), who are responsible for, among other things, overseeing the ministry of mercy and service at Evident Grace Fellowship. But we don’t stop with formal service by a few. We seek to serve one another, in body, mind, and soul, as needs are made known, through our table groups and individual relationships. 

We, at Evident Grace, belive that God calls us to begin by serving the members of our own church community. Then, as we are able, we try to serve those in need in our broader geographical communities. Our hope is that, in time, we will become known as a community of servants who worship God not only “in word or talk, but in deed and in truth,” by sharing and caring well for the vulnerable and needy.

If you live in the Fredericksburg regional area, and are in need, we invite you to contact us. Better yet, come join our community, and help us make God’s grace evident through our example, by allowing us to serve God, by serving you.