[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 08/Mar/2020]
This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realised that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.
This story is relevant to most churches, where there are numerous jobs to be done and not enough volunteers. Usually there are a few very committed people who will fill the gaps by taking on far more than they should, but they can become burnt out or resentful of those who do nothing. Their children (and spouses) can also resent the time they devote to church activities, as I remember all too well. My father was deacon and organist and my mother taught Sunday school every single week for 35 years, as well as both of them taking on numerous other church jobs. When my sister was small she made a house of bricks and said “That’s church, where Daddy lives.”
Of course, some people have very little free time due to work and caring responsibilities, while others have health problems. Yet I believe the story of the widow’s mite applies to our time as much as our money. A very busy person may only be able to take on one small job, like helping in a children’s group once a month or joining the rota for teas and coffees or putting out chairs or giving lifts to church, but God will bless the little we can offer, just as he blessed the boy’s offering of his lunch and used it to feed 5,000.
If someone is feeling overburdened, perhaps the time has come to lay down a task, even if there is no-one else to do it. Sometimes it is right for things to come to an end. Jesus said “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11 v 30.
Jesus also said “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9 v 37, 38. As we pray that prayer may we be willing to be part of the answer.
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Contributed by Helen Ruffhead; © the Author
