Skip to main content

Use the "good silver"!

Why are we always waiting for an excuse to “use the good silver”?  We wait for the right moment, the perfect occasion, the celebration to end all celebrations and when it arrives, we are still sometimes reluctant to bring it out of its safe hiding place at the bottom of the cedar chest or china cabinet.  When we finally decide the occasion is worthy of “the good silver” we spend excessive amounts of time meticulously polishing and situating each piece in its proper place on the table, that we no sooner get everything set out and it is time to put it away again.
How did your family’s silver become “the good silver”? When great grandma (insert your own family name here) left it to you in her Will, was there a usage clause that deemed it “the good silver, only to be used on certain days for certain occasions”? Did the clause read something like this; “The ‘good silver’ can only be used on occasions where there are more than five(5) family members present, it must ALL be used or NONE can be used, and most importantly no matter what happens it MUST be on the table for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.”  I would venture to say that is not the case. I would imagine that great grandma never thought of it as “the good silver” but just as the silver, used everyday to serve meals to her family, to butter great grandpa’s toast at breakfast and cut his meat and potatoes at supper. It is my thought that the silver hasn’t been passed down from generation to generation so it can sit in a box and only be used a few times a year but that it was intended to be used time and again, for the special occasion of having food enough to eat and family with which to share it!
I think we often treat the Word of God in the same way we treat “the good silver”. It is special and important to us and we don’t want anything to happen to it so we only bring it out when the occasion calls for it. Instead of searching for the right occasion to share the Word of God we should treat it more like the everyday silver, using it daily because the special occasion is not a particular holiday; the special occasion is that this powerful, amazing, and everlasting Word needs to be shared with a hurting world now more than ever. The special occasion is that you are fortunate enough to know the story and are given the opportunity time and time again to share it with others.
As this holiday season quickly accelerates into full swing, remember the occasion is now, the time is right, USE THE GOOD SILVER! SHARE THE GOOD WORD

Comments

  1. Maggie SebastianNovember 24, 2010 at 4:09 PM

    Fits into "eat dessert first," I believe. Use the good stuff - the Word - first. Before all the other stuff that gets in the way.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Changing of the Seasons

"I don't like this cold..." SERIOUSLY not even two weeks ago some of the same people who are saying this were more recently saying "I can't stand this heat, I wish it was cooler." You got your wish, quit complaining!  Why is it we are never happy in the moment? It is too hot, too cold, too boring, too silly, too dry, too wet, too overwhelming, not overwhelming enough...the list continues. As I sit in my office this afternoon, reflecting on the past few week's events (funerals, Sunday school starting, children and youth activities starting, countless meetings, and moments(very few moments) of silence) I hear in the back of my mind a voice not my own reciting the beginning of Ecclesiastes 3     1  For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:  2  a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;  3  a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break do...
2 comments
Read more

Almost Back to Reality

In this final few days of sabbatical as I begin to re-enter “the real world”, I want to thank each of you who have prayed for and with me over these almost 60 days. I have spent time over these past two months reflecting on eleven years of ministry and know that God continues to call me to this extraordinarily beautiful life with all of the highs and lows of working with, living with, and loving Gods people. I am looking forward to these last few days however my heart and soul are ready to be back with the wonderful people of First Christian Church and Oskaloosa! See you very soon. Week Nine Hope for the week:  I hope the people I have been away from are as excited to see me as I am to see them! Is there an Answer (last week’s question): How many pages will I write for my devotion/resource? It is hard to say how many pages have been written, however I made progress in outline, structure, and worship ideas. Question of the Week:...
2 comments
Read more

Words from the Board...Bulletin Board that is

I have a bulletin board hanging on my office wall; it has various things thumb tacked to it. At some point each of the things hanging there were important to me. I suppose since they are still hanging there even after making a 740 mile move cross country, they are still important. The things hanging on this board vary in shape, size, meaning, and appearance. A Chalice sun catcher, a map of the church, several cards from family and friends, a picture of my paternal grandparents in front of the "Arc de Triumph" during WWII, my father’s obituary, the preaching schedule, and a couple crosses…just to name a few. When I am sitting at my desk, this bulletin board is on my left; every time I glance at it the same thing catches my eye. I am always drawn to the same card. I believe I received this card at my Ordination and if memory serves I received three or four of this same card that day. The card reads; “Be who you are. Do what you love. Make a difference. Change the world.” ...
2 comments
Read more