July 30, 2009 Newsletter Archive

Grace-filled Service and Leadership

"Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many,
have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love."
(Luke 7:47 NRSV)

There was a man who was driving alone at high speed when suddenly he hit a pothole in the road. The story says he hit the pothole with such a force that it knocked 100,000 miles off his odometer. It was reported later that this man said, not only did the car suddenly seem newer, but he himself felt rejuvenated and born again. This is exactly how I felt after I hit that pothole on the road of life, in a religious sense, at a place called Emmaus. It was there that I encountered the grace of God, felt relief that my sins had been forgiven, and began to see that my life needed to be changed.

For those of us who have been blessed to experience the Walk to Emmaus, we know that it is three busy days of singing, learning, laughing, praying, worshiping, and participating in small groups. It is also a renewal experience designed to train Christian lay leadership for the service of God's kingdom through the local churches. So that this grace of God's can come alive in the community of faith and be expressed through out the world, each pilgrim on the Emmaus Walk is given an opportunity to experience God's grace through worship, communion, talks, prayers, volunteer services and acts of love.

During these 72 hours of Christian spiritual renewal and formation, there are 15 talks given by laity and clergy. Three of the talks on an Emmaus weekend challenge us to think about our Christian life as a three-legged stool. We learn from these talks that each leg is important and all three legs work together. The first leg represents piety and it reveals to the pilgrims how we can intentionally nurture our relationship with God in such a way that it thrives and grows into maturity. The second leg represents study and reveals to the pilgrims how we are to learn and grow in the knowledge and love of God and His Word. The third leg represents action and reveals how, if done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, it can advance the Kingdom of God. If each pilgrim leaves, having experienced the grace of God, God's agape love in action and prepared for "new levels of grace-filled service and leadership," then the purpose of Emmaus will have been fulfilled.

The five clergy talks are designed to usher the pilgrims into an understanding of the power of God's grace. Through these five talks, the pilgrims are given ways to realize that Grace is real in their lives; they are given examples of how to live a life of grace; and finally they are given examples of how to bring that grace to others. I am a strong believer that once we really experience God's grace we are turned toward God, personally changed, and motivated to serve others. The woman mention in Luke 7:47, was transformed, liberated, and given new life through the grace of God. Because of this new life, God's grace moved her to wash the feet of Jesus. To some, this can be seen as an act of service to "some" other person. But to others it is seen as an act of love. I would summarize this to mean that our actions of love reflect our experience of grace. In other words, when we have really experienced God's grace, it motivates us to tell others about what we have experienced.

It has been my experience that after such great love and grace has been extended to me; I cannot selfishly hoard it to myself. Knowing the love and acceptance of God's grace motivates me to tell others how my life has been changed for the better because of my encounter with Jesus Christ. There is just something about going back to that place, that Jerusalem, and serving others who travel a similar path. I guess that is the reason I have returned to the Emmaus road so many times as a servant.

However, in spite of the fact that the aim of Emmaus is to build up grace-filled servant leaders within the body of Christ, the plentiful Emmaus data base has many names of people from many churches listed, but very few workers share their grace-filled service with other Christians. During the Emmaus Walk weekend, the pilgrims are encouraged to become active in servant-leadership, yet, in spite of that, it seems to me that too often the topic of conversation centers around the question "Whatever became of...?" The reason for this is that while some people will come back and serve a time or two, more often than not many people who attend walks never return to serve.

As Christians, we are called to become more active Disciples of Christ in service to the world. As the Emmaus Community Spiritual Director, I'd like to make you aware of the fact that God needs your help to spread the word to your church and to others. God needs you to be His hands and feet! I would also like to encourage you to become involved with the Emmaus movement by getting active in service. There are many ways of doing this. You can get involved by visiting churches, making phone calls, making flyers, making agape, signing prayer visuals, mailing, giving testimonies, serving on a fourth day team, being a sponsor, and, of course, serving on a 72 hour weekend. All of these are wonderful ways of carrying on the practice of administering love and grace to others after experiencing these things as pilgrims!

Remember, one of the purposes of Emmaus is to develop grace-filled leaders for the local church. With the help of God's grace-filled servants, Emmaus will inspire, challenge, equip and lift up a way for our grace-filled lives to be lived and shared with others in our homes, churches, and places of work. Will you become a Grace-Filled Servant Leader for the sake of others? I hope you answer yes, for there are many people who can experience God's grace and love if we all do our part, and we do all have a part to play in Kingdom Building.

Let's get involved and become grace -filled servant leaders.

DeColores,
Rev. Ella McDonald
Walk # 54
Table of Esther