May 2, 2024

This picture, taken on April 30th, is one that I already treasure. This was with ministers and lay members from our Potomac Association congregations at the Seabury Celebration of Service held at the Washington National Cathedral. May God add a special blessing to the photographer (who I believe was from the Community Church of Washington DC) who snapped pictures from at least twenty cellphone cameras. Yet this moment with these smiling and shining spirits was worth capturing again…. and again….and again, following a service anchored by an insightful and powerful homily delivered by the Rev. Ellen Jennings of Cleveland Park Congregational UCC.

Seabury Resources for Aging, celebrating its centennial year, provides a vast array of services and affordable housing options to elders in the Washington metropolitan area.  I know of many seniors, including my mother, who have benefited from the work of this organization. Each spring, Seabury partners with the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and the Potomac Association of our Conference to honor elders who are nominated for their service not only in their congregations but throughout the community. This is a service I look forward to every year, and the opportunity to recognize our people during National Volunteer Month in April is uplifting and inspiring. This year Seabury presented certificates to fifty (50) honorees, among them faithful servants from our congregations. You can find out about those from our congregations here.

This Celebration of Service, which I wish could be held in cities and towns across the country, holds profound spiritual significance in that it celebrates the love, faith, and commitment to service of the honorees. In a society that all too often dismisses our elders, it was both countercultural and beautiful for all clergy present to stretch forth our hands to bless these saints. That moment of blessing was a moving point in the service that I will not soon forget.

Attending this Celebration of Service reminded me of the gospel lectionary text from last Sunday April 28th. During his farewell discourse in the Upper Room, Jesus said to his disciples "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34 NRSVUE)." Following Jesus’ mandate is a daunting challenge.  The call to love one another is not a passive suggestion but a commandment that requires action and intentionality. Those we celebrated today were honored because by their service, they followed Jesus’ commandment to love one another. Surveying their accomplishments over the years, they rose up and met Jesus’ challenge time and time again, exemplifying Jesus’ teachings of generosity, compassion, and selflessness. By meeting that challenge, they blessed their churches and communities many times over. May we, inspired by their examples, love one another as Jesus loves us, and put that love into action and service.  By doing so, anytime, anywhere, and in any way we can, we bless our corner of the world, and in doing so, the world itself.