"Live your life in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called."

Karen repeated this a few times today. It made me think about how we, at St. Andrew's, live out our calling.

On Friday evening, four St. Andreans met on Piccadilly Avenue at one of the houses run by Daybreak Ecumenical Non-Profit Housing. We have been going to visit with the dozen or so women who live at Piccadilly for several years now, sometimes bringing dinner or board games, sometimes taking the women to visit the art gallery, go for a picnic, or see the ice sculptures on display during Winterlude. I see it as a ministry of presence.

On Friday, we had planned to share dessert together in the early evening, and then head over to Commissioners Park to see the tulips and then the fireworks over Dow's Lake.

I was really tired on Friday. It had been a long work week and I did not feel as if I had the energy to make polite conversation while wandering amongst tulips. I was slightly annoyed at myself that I had even agreed to this - Fridays are pretty important end-of-the-week rest and renewal time for me... but we wanted to see fireworks, so it had to be Friday.

To top it all off, only a few women from the house joined us for the evening. Frustration.

And yet, it was a wonderful evening. The flowers were beautiful, of course, and the fireworks excellent. And the two women who joined us seemed very appreciative. Although it was not my usual Friday night relaxing, it was still rejuvenating.

Like Karen said, as we participated in the body on Friday evening, striving to live out Jesus' ministry of compassion and love, we were gifted - with energy, patience, joy.

Sometimes (or perhaps often!) we are called to do things we don't want to do or don't think we can do. God equips us to build up God's kingdom, to be Christ's body here on earth. It's up to us, friends!

Laura S.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which is to look out Christ's compassion to the world;
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good;
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless people now.
- Saint Teresa of Avila