I heard a story about a man who, while traveling through the Northeast, decided to attend a Quaker religious service to see what it was like. He entered the meeting hall where the seats had already begun to fill and took a seat on one of the nearest benches.
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I heard a story about a man who, while traveling through the Northeast, decided to attend a Quaker religious service to see what it was like. He entered the meeting hall where the seats had already begun to fill and took a seat on one of the nearest benches. Having never attended this type of service before, he thought it quite interesting everyone was so quiet and respectful. Once most of the benches were filled, he prepared for the worship service to begin.
He sat still for about five minutes, like everyone else, and waited for something to happen. Nothing did. He waited another five minutes ... still nothing. This continued for a period of about 45 minutes of silent stillness, until someone on the other side of the room stood and shook hands with the person next to them. This resulted in others shaking hands with their neighbors as they rose and began to leave the meeting hall.
Quite confused, the man stopped a wise looking elderly man, dressed in simple clothing, and asked, “Excuse me, sir, can you tell me, when does your service begin?”
The older man smiled gently, looked at the visitor while pointing toward the door, and said, “Our service begins when we walk out that door.”
When I first heard this story, I connected with it immediately. Just like in this simple story, I realized that a true worship “service” has nothing to do with location, special music, or a sermon. Rather, it has everything to do with showing genuine love for God through not so random acts of kindness.
It is my desire that this philosophy be reflected in everything we do through The Salvation Army to help those in greatest need.
