All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthinas12:27 NLT
Many of us have been blessed to spend a single Sunday afternoon, singing or serving communion at a nursing home. But to carry on a long-term ministry outreach in our community calls for the teamwork of the body of Christ. None of us possess all the gifts, and our schedules are often dictated by things out of our control. People get sick, travel to visit family or have the water heater start leaking. That is when having other people pitching in makes a big difference. We were richly blessed this past Sunday at Discovery Villages to have my friend Ed come to play the piano. After seven years of singing along with my guitar, our residents were delighted to have a talented pianist leading us in the sweet hymn, “O! How I love Jesus!” I hope you will enjoy singing along with us and that you might consider getting involved in long-term care ministry in your own community. Have a blessed weekend everybody!
"Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31 ESV
I find it interesting that this hymn was written by two friends, James Rowe and Howard Smith working together. While Rowe was composing the lyrics, and coming up with a few notes, Smith would play them on the piano, connecting the words to the wonderfully flowing melody that we are given today. It is said that Howard Smith suffered from such severe arthritis that his hands were twisted and it was painful for him to play, and yet, the joy that exuded from the music reflected the joy of his faith rather than the difficulty of his daily life. What a lesson these friends leave for us today, of working together in the cause of Christ. When one wearily stumbles, the other comes and lifts him up, so that together we can say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith!” 2 Timothy 4:7
Each of us comes to a place in our lives, more than once when it is hard to go on. Just as Peter who boldly stepped out of the boat and at first began walking on the water towards Jesus, we have times when we feel strong. Our faith seems to be hitting on all cylinders; we are confident and going full steam ahead. But, just as often, all of us come to moments when, like Peter, we start to sink under the waves of hardships, difficulties or opposition. Then, we cry out in desperation, and just as He did for Peter, Jesus reaches His hand, lifts us up, and leads us back to the boat. Oh yes, Jesus will correct us, and challenge us to greater faith, but He will never abandon us. No matter what you are going through Jesus will never abandon you. He has no problem with wind and waves. Stormy sea walking is His specialty! He has come out on these dangerous waters just for you and me. But we have to choose to take HIs hand and let Him lift us up. This past Sunday, when we sang, Love Lifted Me there was such joy in our people’s response, that I had to share it with you. There are very few who know so well the saving, helping, and strengthening power of Jesus than those in long-term care facilities, and I hope you will be blessed and maybe even sing along! If you are in trouble, facing a crisis or are just plain discouraged and don’t know where to turn, I recommend that you at least join us on the chorus.
"Love lifted me! Love Lifted me! When nothing else could help, Love lifted me!"
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 ESV
Returning to Life Care Center, to sing for the folks yesterday was a wonderful experience. It was also an amazing blessing to know that this year, in my absence several other people stepped in to keep the services going. It reminded me of lessons that I had taught but rarely experienced that nursing home ministry must not be a solo effort. Instead, as a church we are supposed to be “Team Jesus” and His work, and His message should be advanced even when one teammate has to sit on the bench for a while.
Teamwork makes the dream work, as they say, but mustering a team, has not been a quick process. Connecting our nursing home outreach to the leadership in our churches is essential if we are to make any serious progress. Years ago, we attended a large church that took nursing home ministry so seriously that they put together four or five teams of us and sent us all around our city to conduct services during Sunday School hour.
Sadly, that experience was not what we have seen elsewhere. Over the years, I have found that few churches are interested in investing time and resources in nursing home ministry. But if this is also your situation, don’t give up on your church. It will take a concerted effort, without getting discouraged or bitter to attract the leadership’s attention. Remember that they may already be overwhelmed with so many other tasks that it is hard for them to see the importance of serving nursing home residents. Yet in the Bible it is clear that God cares especially for widows and orphans, and He calls you and me to care for them. There is no one simple formula, no recipe or secret key, to getting more people involved, just be lovingly persistent. Don’t faint, because as you keep serving with all your heart, God has promised that there is a wonderful harvest of souls, precious to Jesus, who are just waiting to be reached within nursing homes and assisted living facilities all over our nation!
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