Psalm 100
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Louise Rogers was the organist at the church I served. She was also the widow of one of the former pastors of the congregation, had served as the parish secretary, and was president of the women’s group. My favorite thing about Louise is that she was also an avid Dr. Who fan.
One day, while I was visiting the women’s group, Louise asked for volunteers for a dinner they were hosting. The way she asked for those volunteers changed the way I interact with people forever.
“What can you volunteer to do joyfully?” Her request was brilliant in its simplicity because it contains the heart of Christian service. In that room filled with ladies who complained about EVERYTHING, Louise gently proclaimed the Gospel.
Because our salvation is a gift of pure grace from God, every good work that we do is a joyful expression of gratitude. Without fear of punishment or shame, we are left with the pure joy of living.
Prayer: Lord Jesus: Thank you for setting us free from bondage to Sin, and from all the death-dealing things that bring dissatisfaction and pain into the world. Grant me the wisdom to volunteer only for those things that I can do joyfully, entrusting those that I can’t to the rest of the Body of Christ. AMEN