By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse

Last Sunday, I quoted from a sermon delivered after the 1960 Presidential election. Kennedy defeated Nixon that year, and in his inaugural address he gave the famous line, “Ask not what your country can do for you, rather ask what you can do for your country.” That exhortation came near the end of his relatively short speech, a speech emphasizing a quest for human flourishing in the face of the Cold War and the decline of European colonialism.

The rush of volunteerism and altruistic service inspired by that line, such as the early Peace Corps endeavor, seemed to fade as the disastrous decade of the sixties waxed and waned. The early sixties is also when church membership and participation peaked in the United States. For Presbyterians, the decline started in 1966 and has continued ever since. 

Several ideas came and went to try and stem the tide. Evangelism Explosion, the Jesus Movement, and in the Presbyterian Church who could forget the Bicentennial Plan? Guitars in church evolved into Seeker Services and ministering to the “felt needs” of a particular target market. Church became a consumer-driven enterprise, and the serving ethos of Kennedy’s inaugural speech seemed like a museum piece rather than a means of peace.

In my time here with you, I’ve heard and seen evidence that many of you understand following Jesus to include doing things you might not want to do. You have gone into hospital rooms and people’s homes, tough neighborhoods and committee meetings, not because you looked forward to it. In fact, most of you say you dreaded it. So why did you go ahead? Some of you might be wondering that yourselves. The truth is, love isn’t always obvious. You might not sense its moving your heart and guiding your head. Your hands and feet might not recognize the firm force of love moving them on. In all of those moments of doing what you dreaded in order to help someone else flourish a little, love was in action. 

You might not phrase it quite like Kennedy’s famous line, but in so many ways you give evidence that your fellowship works because you aren’t in this for yourselves. It’s a powerful thing, and every time you live it the world is changed a little more for the better. That’s exactly what love does.