Altar Guild Service

Sandy Gerow, Altar Guild Chair

My first venture into cooking a holiday dinner for lots of family was Thanksgiving in our new house. We finally had enough room and furniture to unpack wedding presents and I was determined to have everything absolutely perfect: the silver polished, candles lighted, tablecloth spotless. Ignoring the fact that I'd never cooked a turkey, much less tried to have mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, and all the trimmings ready at the same time, I dived in, determined I could do it. It happened, but not without the help of my mother, mother-in-law, and several other family members (in a very small kitchen)!

Many years later, I have a lot more holiday and party gatherings under my belt but I still enjoy getting out the 'good' silver and china, using the linen tablecloth that has to be ironed instead of easy-care cotton, and arranging flowers. There's a pleasure in doing special things for family and friends, and the tasks of polishing, cleaning, and cooking provide wonderful 'thinking' time. There is also a lot of satisfaction in putting extra effort into making guests feel their company is anticipated with joy.

Altar Guild work is much the same but with the added joy of preparing for a feast with the most wonderful guests possible. The silver must be polished, the linens ironed, and the flowers arranged. The companionship of other members enriches the time spent cleaning and carefully setting the table.

In her booklet Expressing Our Faith through Altar Guild Ministry, Hobey Hinchman recalls the time when her rector told the Altar Guild members at her church to consider four questions about Altar Guild service:

• Do you look forward to the time you serve on the Altar Guild?
• Is your life richer from being on the Altar Guild?
• Do you know Jesus better?
• Do you linger a little bit when your duty is over and just spend time with the other people who are on the same journey you are on, enriching and building your life with Christ?

These are questions I try to ask myself about activities in my daily life. When I can choose the people I spend time with and the things I do, it's easier to make the answer an enthusiastic “yes.” On the job or when I was in the middle of raising a family, it is more of a challenge. The co-worker who always seems to be going in a different direction or the effort required to mesh everyone's schedule and still carve out a bit of time for myself make it hard to feel my life is richer for the experience!

I'm learning, however, that trying to find the “yes” times in the parts of my life -- where I have less choice in my companions or my schedule -- helps. I have to work hard to see how my life is enriched by working with a difficult person, but that is a spiritual discipline I need. If I linger a bit to get to know him, I begin to see things from his point of view.

Hinchman's booklet includes a quote that helps put everything into perspective:

I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
I awoke and saw that life was service.
I acted and behold, the service was joy.
-- Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)