Weekend Worship—Working with Us?

Edie Melson

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:5

I am constantly amazed that the God of the universe has chosen to work through us. I don’t know about you, but I am totally unworthy and unequipped for the honor. And looking at the condition of our world, I have to occasionally throw my hands up in frustration and ask, “What were you thinking?” Obviously, if He were doing the work Himself, we’d all be a lot better off

…or would we.

Some of my fondest memories as I was growing up were times I spent in the kitchen with my grandmother. She’d back a kitchen chair up to the counter, wrap one her old aprons twice around me and together we’d spend the afternoon cooking. My grandmother never used recipes and I don’t ever remember seeing her open a cookbook. All her skill—and it was impressive—was completely intuitive. No matter how many dishes she had on the stove, or in the oven, she always knew when one needed a pinch of salt, an addition of bacon fat or to be plucked—perfectly done—from the oven.

But with all her skill, she always found a way to include me and make me a vital part of the process. She could have gotten the meals on the table much faster without my childish help, but I know she enjoyed our time together as much as me. I’m certain of this because I did the same thing with my boys. I included them, not because I needed their help, but because I wanted to spend time with them and maybe teach them something in the process.

God does the same thing with us. He doesn’t need our help or our resources, but he includes us because we’re precious to him.

And, just maybe, we’ll learn something in the process.