I am Ana Martin. I’m going to speak very briefly about ministry today. Not because I don’t have a lot to say. I do. I usually do. I’ve written this stewardship talk about four times now. That’s a gracious plenty. Each time there’s something different. I could write a book on this. You’ll be happy to hear that I’m not going to read you a first draft.

Jim asked me to talk about why I give myself to ministry. Why I enter into it with passion and with the conviction that I’m going about God’s work. Why is it that I behave as if something will be done when it seems, in fact, really unlikely? Truth is, God made me that way and prayer only increases this tendency. Sometimes that’s good. Sometimes that’s bad. I don’t wade into cold water. I jump. I am not a pessimist. I’m a realist. And what I know is that God is reality. All the rest of it, jobs, tv shows, obsessing over the beauty or cleanliness of the house, the quest to be the epitome of Suzy Homemaker is a futile effort to avoid wrestling with Him. To stay in the Sycamore tree. To try to avoid the massive overhaul that He’s got planned for us through the work of consistent and diligent ministry.

Furthermore, there’s this four-year-old child who is watching me. He will hold me accountable. He hears me pray, they all hear us pray: And now, Lord, send us out to do the work you have given us to do. To love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart. I could pray this in front of him every day but if I didn’t actually do it, what would it mean? What would I be telling him about integrity? About being accountable? About how seriously we take our relationship with God? Our children know what we value. They are not confused. Living with integrity in front of this child is very important. Ministry is a big part of that. It’s my chance. <>The time I spend in ministry feeds me. Compare these two scenes.  Scene one: sitting on the couch reading a book about spirituality. Scene two: standing with a child in the atrium. He’s got a Bible in his hands. He’s six. He’s just asked you about the nature of transubstantiation although that’s not the language that he’s used. And you’ve asked him what he thinks. He tells you that Jesus said it’s His body and blood and that he believes Jesus. 
Oh.

Why do I make time for ministry? Are you kidding me?  Why would I have a Big Mac when I can have a steak?
There is no job or overtime on the planet that will satisfy my need to be right with God the way ministry does. Money doesn’t buy the peace that I have when I sense that God is saying “Well done good and faithful servant.” You ask me why I give myself to ministry. Why I spend so much time here. As if, knowing what I know, having seen what I have seen and heard what I have heard, there’s a choice.
There’s an uneasiness that creeps in when I’ve gone a day or two without going about my Father’s work. Or when the work isn’t going well. It matters. And I don’t think that my experience is unique. There are plenty of folks who have plunged into ministry here. Ask Roger. Gail. Meg. Margaret. Allen. Hale. Lucy. Brian. That’s a start. There are so many others. I think that all God requires is that we say Yes when he calls us, that we pray hard and aim to do His work, that we rely upon Him completely. If we do this, it’s enough. He doesn’t look upon us from heaven and say “well, we’ve done a cost-benefit analysis on your ministry and it’s not terribly impressive.” That’s the world talking. When we do our best to follow the instructions that He gives us He is pleased. That is what we’re after here, isn’t it? That is why we show up, right?
This is why I do what I do.
My prayer for you is this: that you will say Yes when you’re called. A Yes like Mary’s. “I am the servant of the Lord.” Pray without ceasing. Ask boldly that you be used for God’s purposes and that you be given discernment. Having prayed and meditated with purity of heart, that you will go forth with confidence. Know that the road will not be easy. Expect problems. Persist. Pray some more. Then thank God. And sleep well.
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