Saints at Work

This past week I saw another cutesy church sign which I didn't consider very cute. It said "Caution, Saints at Work". I realize that they were trying to be clever and worked off the sign Caution, Men at Work but at least we could have a little truth in advertising on church signs!

I don't think whoever put up the sign (do you think they have a Sign Ministry Minister?) was talking about the pastor inside as the saint at work. Certainly if you entered the church on Sunday morning, you would find a Saint (the pastor) at work. If the church is particularly blessed, you might find another saint, the organist at work. That's not what the sign was indicating. It was talking about all the members sitting in the pew at work praising and worshipping God. That's not the primary reason I go to church. I go to church to:

rest
receive God's gift of His Body and Blood
hear "I forgive you all your sins...."
listen to the Word
hear my fellow members singing to me
say back to God what he has said to me

I don't go to church to be a saint at work! If you want to see saints at work,

*go to my daughter-in-law's house while she prepares dinner for my son as he returns from a 12 hr shift as a paramedic
*go to my other daughter-in-law's house as she changes one more diaper
*follow my friend as she dons steel toed work boots as she welds
*sit with me while I help my granddaughter become more proficient at reading
*look at the pizza delivery man who comes to your door
*see the mom who takes care of the daily needs of her five children
*listen to the clicking needles of a mom who knits sweaters for her family
*follow the man who makes sure the computers work at the Cleveland Orchestra
*listen to the sewing machine of this mom as she creates delightful clothing and costumes for her family and friends
*accompany this computer geek as he works in the insurance industry
*greet the chilly morning with this mom as she milks the cow which provides her family with milk and cheese
*or wake with me at 4 a.m. to the telephone ringing and a member saying "Can I talk to Pastor? It's an emergency"

These are saints at work. Here, there, in their homes, at their work, these are Saints at Work. Sunday mornings, they are saints at rest receiving the good gifts of God. Well, you will probably also see them at work on Sunday morning as they instruct their children on proper behavior in church but most of all, you will see them at peace.

Last weekend I attended a birthday party for 2 of my grandchildren. It was not work for the children. They ate food prepared by their parents. They opened gifts bought by someone else. The children were not workers, they were receivers. As we all are on Sunday Morning. Caution: Saints at Rest.