1. Serving is one way that we honor and glorify God. "Christ has no body on earth by yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now." - Saint Teresa of Avila
Christ does not love us because of how we serve Him or how we serve others. There is nothing we can do to earn his favor. That being said there is nothing like stepping into what Christ is already doing. When we become the hands and feet of Jesus, we begin to understand the depth of his love in new ways. Change happens in our hearts when we lay down our own concerns and pick up his.
2. You get to be a part of God's redemption in the city of Philadelphia! What you heard about Philly likely doesn't scream redemption. You have probably heard more about the murder rate than you have about the number of church plants. Regardless of what you heard, Philadelphia is not a city that has been forgotten by God. In fact, before Philadelphia was even established, William Penn spoke this prayer over the city:
"And Thou Philadelphia the virgin settlement of this province named before thou wert born, what care, what service, what travail have there been to bring thee forth and preserve thee from such as would abuse and defile thee. O that thou mayest be kept from the evil that would overwhelm thee, that faithful to the God of thy mercies in the life of righteousness, thou mayest be preserved to the end. My soul prays to God for thee that thou mayest stand in the day of trial, that thy children may be blest of the Lord and thy people saved by His power."
This prayer is still cemented to the walls of City Hall and we serve a God who hears us and answers our prayers. There is no knowing how many people have implored that God would save the people by his power, but I believe that God will come through. Each year when we go to Philly we get to glimpse the small ways that God is moving. He moves through people, through neighborhoods, through churches, and ultimately through prayer. Every year I walk away amazed at the powerful and redemptive God we serve.
3. We get to be a part of a multi-generational church model. There is nothing quite like serving with a broad spectrum of believers. God puts us in communities to show us how to lead and to learn form those who have walked a little bit ahead of us. We get to see the journey as it really is and learn from the wisdom of those who have walked the path we are walking. We also get to see the truest picture of the body of Christ as we each come with a variety of strengths and weaknesses. Psalm 145:4 declares, “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”
I hope that you consider coming. Please contact me at katy.stubanas@gmail.com with interest or questions.
