Signs of life

Some months ago I heard a sermon that broke my heart. 

The preacher was doing what happens in a number of churches: a call to 'encourage' (convince?) people to serve more, so that more ministry is done by more people. The theory is that most of the people in a given congregation are doing very little in the way of ministry and that the bulk of the work is being done by a small minority. Yep, I understand the idea. And I've heard sermons like this before. 

I'm not well known for being the person who is doing too little in a church setting. I have in the past been told I'm doing too much. At the moment, though, I'm in something of a ministry hiatus. 

What I heard the preacher say was directed to the people who are 'just sitting there in the pews'. He said, and I quote 'stop sucking the life out of this church'.

Sorry, what?

My heart broke for the pregnant women, the parents of small children, the abused, the downtrodden, the sick, the grieving, the children... the people that Jesus died for, and whom, during his life, he specifically oreached out to and raised up. 

I'm working as a cleaner just now. One house I clean has four human occupants, two adults and two children. I was pondering this sermon while vacuuming, and I saw this: 

In an otherwise clean and clear floor we have a gold star. It's stuck there. It's not doing anything. I doubt that it was put there by an adult. It looks more like something that was left on the floor by a child. 

A child who was being untidy. A child who did not clean up after themselves. A child that creates work for the adults who live there (and, thankfully, me!)

A child who could be said to be 'sucking the life out of this house'.

But they aren't. They are the life of the house. Without the people to serve, the servers have nothing to do. And in the serving, beauty is seen. 

Like the star. 

I wonder how the child would feel if they were berated by their parents for 'sucking the life out of the house'? (The parents in the star-encrusted house thought it was lovely, by the way)

I wonder what stars we don't see because we are too busy complaining about the work that hasn't been done.

I wonder if we ever achieved the 'perfect', everyone-is-pulling-their-weight (I don't know who decides this) community, would we be happy, or would we miss the stars?

I think everyone needs a star in their house.