Weekly devotion: Gathering our Gifts for a Shared Mission
Olive Harvest Volunteers - Embrace supporters join the team from Joint Advocacy Initiative (JAI) each October in the West Bank in solidarity with Palestinian olive farming families - a life-changing experience for all
This week we give thanks for our amazing volunteers, here in the UK and beyond. Their compassion for our Middle Eastern partners inspires them to spread the word and raise funds for our mission, using their unique gifts to do something positive for the world.
We talk a lot about the life-changing work of our Christian partners, who are on the front line of conflict, poverty and injustice in the Middle East. But behind them is an unsung team of UK volunteers, who give their time, skills and energy to make sure our partners – and the vulnerable people they serve – are never forgotten.
Some take part in fundraising events – running a marathon, organising a quiz or taking a collection at a carol service. Others are powerful speakers, who visit congregations to tell them the stories of people whose lives our partners have transformed. Others welcome visitors to our stand at events, having meaningful conversations about what Embrace does. And of course there are those who pray faithfully for the people of the Middle East, strengthening our partners through difficult times and giving thanks for their successes.
Each volunteer brings unique gifts, skills, and enthusiasm. We thank God for their generosity, and we pray that he will bless them and sustain the deep sense of purpose they devote to our partners’ work.
Bible reading
‘There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.’
1 Corinthians 12:4-6
Thought
Taking part in a fundraising skydive is a fantastic achievement, but many of us probably feel that our talents lie elsewhere! As Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12 remind us, there is a beautiful diversity of gifts among God’s people, and every one of our volunteers makes a significant contribution to a common purpose. Some organise, some speak, some pray, some quietly support behind the scenes, yet all are moved by the same love for their sisters and brothers in the Middle East.
No gift is unimportant, and no act of service is wasted when it is offered faithfully. God weaves together many small acts into one collective work of grace and hope.
Ask yourself: What gifts has God entrusted to me, and how might I use them to serve others this week?
Prayer
Father God,
Thank you for the many different gifts you share with your people. Thank you for each Embrace volunteer and every act of faithful service. Help us to recognise and nurture our own gifts, and to offer them gladly for the good of others. We ask you to gather our small acts of service into your greater work of grace, bringing hope and solidarity where they are needed most.
Amen.
Volunteer with Embrace
Use your gifts, talents and passion to make a difference
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