Hello,
Over the last two
years, I have developed a great admiration for three women. They are each a “little” older than me. I see them every week. They always wear a red shirt and black
pants. I have never talked to them, and
I have never heard them speak. They are
the people who keep the small food court clean in our local mall.
As some of you
may know, every Friday I eat my lunch at the food court of the Greensburg
Mall. Although there is about a dozen of
food choices, I am in the habit of selecting from only three: Chinese, Pizza, or Hot Sandwich. I don’t dine at the food court for its
culinary delights, but for the easy access if provides for folks who might want
to stop by and chat with me. I call my
Friday lunching experience “Food Court Friday”.
When I started, I was regularly joined at lunch. Now, not as often. But my parishoners know that I am there, and
I hope that it provides a less formal and less intimidating place to talk to
their pastor.
So, I am in the
five-star ambiance of the Food Court every Friday from noon ‘till one, and
every Friday I have been in the care of the same three women. They work quietly and without fanfare. In fact, one might not even notice that they
are there. But with broom and dustpan in
their hands, spray bottle hung on their belts, and a cloth draped from their
pockets they prowl the food court for recently used tables, for crumbs fallen
to the floor, and for chairs not properly pushed in. I have never heard them complain, even after
arriving at a table slopped by a family of toddlers who have melted their Dairy
Queen ice cream cones all over the table and chairs. Their clothes are ironed. Their hair carefully placed. For several weeks, I saw them wielding tooth
brushes to clean the crevices created by welds which hold the chair backs
together.
As I have watched
them faithfully serve us “foodcourters”, I am reminded of something Mother
Teresa said, “In
this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great
love." What Mother Teresa said, these women do (Of
course, Mother Teresa also embodied her own words.).
I find Mother Teresa’s words ringing true
in my life. In the scope of the world’s
movers and shakers, the greatest of my deeds is merely a mild tremor. I am thankful when I can make a difference in
just one person’s life. I am thankful
for the chance to be present at a critical point in a person’s life. I am thankful when I can either literally or
figuratively lift a person up and help them get on their feet again. Small things in the scope of the world, but
big things, I hope in the lives of the individuals that cross my path.
Some years ago when I felt myself treading
water in life, I decided to write a personal mission statement.
“Ever changed by Christ’s claiming call, today, I join
God in the divine adventure of making all things new.”
When I think about it, it is really an
unbelievable honor and privilege to be part of God’s life-giving endeavor, an
endeavor in which he holds nothing back, not even the one in whom God was fully
embodied, Jesus. I don’t think that my
life bears worthy credentials. I don’t
think that I am bright enough to see through the foggy complexities of the
world. I don’t think that my heart has
the strength to endure the climb of the mountain ranges rising up all around
me. And yet….Jesus has enlisted me to be
part of this incredible endeavor of mercy and grace and life.
“Small deed with great love.” That is what I seek to do. That is what people like teachers, and
garbage collectors, and mothers or fathers, and mayors, and nurses, and factory
workers, and car mechanics, and friends, and CEO’s, and ….. three women who
clean up the Greensburg Mall Food Court do.
Have a great week….being part of God’s
divine adventure of making all things new!
God’s grace and peace,
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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