Prayer: Give us the wisdom and courage to serve you, O Lord, and show others your love in all that we do. Even when we serve breakfast! Amen.
Reading: Romans 8.11-21 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”—Romans 8:14 Last month, my family and I traveled to Niagara Falls for a little family vacation. We decided to stay in Buffalo and got a hotel room downtown. One of the perks of staying at the Hampton Inn was their complimentary breakfast. The first morning we went to eat, I met Connie. Connie was the hotel employee who prepared the breakfast items and made sure everything was well stocked. When I arrive the first day, I went to make a Belgian waffle for my kids and she told me how the machine needed a new part but it was able to be used. She just had to make sure that there wasn’t a mess underneath it and that her boss didn’t see because technically she wasn’t supposed to use it. But, she knew her guests, especially children like mine, wanted their waffles! I made the waffles, we all sat down to eat, my children enjoyed their breakfast, and I heard Connie telling everyone the story about the waffle machines. Her voice travelled in the small breakfast area. She was a person who you could tell enjoyed her job and serving people. Before we left, Connie’s path crossed mine and I thanked her for making sure we could make waffles. I told her that she was my hero for the day. She replied, “I’m not a hero. I’m just a child of God.” Her words stuck with me. Her identity is all wrapped up in being God’s child and serving others. We saw Connie the next two days we were there and she continued to treat us with respect and love, with a servant’s heart. In fact, the last morning we were there she told us she wasn’t even supposed to be there but they were short-handed so she came in for a while to make sure everything was set for breakfast. She was on her way home to take a nap. Guess what? As we were carrying our suitcases to the car, there she still was at the hotel—serving. I hope I can be more like Connie. She truly is a hero—and a child of God! --Chad Hershberger
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