Grace is often a word attributed to great dancers, those who have the ability to move with seemingly little restriction, with ease and poise. In the religious sense, Grace is synonymous with Salvation, a promise and salve to the soul. I like both of these definitions as they relate to service. Service can be thought of as doing anything beneficial. We do our fellow community members a service when we take steps to ensure their health and well being. We do ourselves a service through feeding ourselves and finding avenues to nourish our communities. There are literally endless ways to embody service, and for me this is the greatest Grace.

Often we can get stuck into thinking that there is only one way to do something, that there is only one important way to be of service. We may assess that we don’t have the aptitude or energy level for a particular kind of service, and thus can feel left out of the grace of service. But there are truly endless ways to be of service. There is a guaranteed way each and every one of us can be of service. Even those who are bed bound, immobile, can be of service by showing kindness to themselves, and finding ways to connect either in person or through technology.

In this pandemic, we have discovered new ways to connect and be of service to each other. We have adapted and utilized what we’ve had in new and expansive ways. With a shift in the pandemic will come a shift in how we are to be of service to one another.

I think the greatest impediment to serving with grace is the idea that we have nothing to offer, or that we will offer it badly. The greatest impediment is a judgement of our capacity, or an unwillingness to adapt to a particular circumstance. But this is an easy fix. We just need to remind ourselves that there are endless possibilities to be of service, and that serving with grace is not so much about moving without mistakes, but having faith that movement of some kind is possible.

We learn to serve with grace the more we practice being of service within our abilities and circumstances. Instead of comparing our abilities and circumstances with another (which is tempting to do), instead focusing on what we can do where we are, is a gateway to a sense of freedom and joy. It is a joy to be of service, and to feel the freedom that comes from connecting more truly to ourselves and another. It is a joy to use whatever abilities we have toward the greater good, in simple, mundane ways. We also open ourselves to the extraordinary, found in the middle of the ordinary, a thread that holds us together as a people. Service helps us sense this thread, and allow this thread to guide our living.

I’m very grateful to be part of a community like UUYO, that encourages us to find how we might be of service to ourselves and this world. This church community reminds me constantly of Grace, the grace that comes through movement and embodying possibility. We support each other in witnessing what is possible for us in our circumstances, and we encourage each other in kindness and ease. Grace is not a limited resource, and neither is service. Both service and grace are boundless. Serving with grace is recognizing how unlimited our capacity for service is. As a church community we remind ourselves of this, and for that reminder I am incredibly grateful.

In faith, Rev. Joseph