I was prompted into writing this blog in response to my good friend Steve. He has spoken on his blog about his son taking the first steps to be an Alter server in the Church of England.
This is an old tradition that goes back to the times before the great schism when the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church broke apart and it is a tradition that has stayed in the high end of the Anglican church. I was brought up in a very traditional little village church and it was actually my fairly modern and forward thinking Vicar that suggested I become an alter server. I served very happily for most of my youth and when I came back to exploring my ordination I started to serve again, until my move to Christchurch.
Steve's son's tentative steps into the hierachy of the Anglican church lead me to wonder, what did I get out of serving? What has it done for me? I know with most church based work it is not a case of what you get out of it but what you put into it, but I wondered, there were other people on sidesperson duty that could deliver the chalice just as well as I was able to, the only difference was the attire. I wore long black and white robes similar to the vicar when I served and the other sidespersons didnt'.
Why did my Vicar choose me to be an alter server? These thoughts have been running through my mind lately and I think I have hit upon an answer.
As an alter server I learned a lot about the church. The way it worked, the rules, the traditions and ceremonies, the politics and the general nitty gritty involved in the day to day running of services. I gained an insight into the work of a Vicar which has stood me in good stead for my current journey. Perhaps my vicar saw something in me then that made him believe it would be useful to me in the future. Perhaps my sense of calling was stronger than I realised and was already being outwardly projected to other people.
I also learned a lot about myself, I learned that I was capable of doing some aspects of the services in church, I was able to stand at the front and speak words from the book of common prayer and lead people through the minefield of Christian lingo to affirm our faith and repent of our sins. I learned that people accepted me in that role and my place within the church. I was encouraged by those involved in church life, the vicar, the wardens, the other sidespersons and the congregation. They appeared to enjoy having a young face in the team and I was happy to be there.
I became closer to God in terms of faith. I felt that I was working directly for him. I now know that all Christians are working for God (or should be striving to do so) but when I was younger I thought it was only the clergy that worked for God. The ceremony and tradition gave me a sense of value within the church, I was no longer just another young person, but one that had a set direction and I think this made me more open to the plans that God had lined up for me.
Most importantly though I learned the value of service. I don't mean delivering the chalice to people or leading from the front but genuine service, doing jobs for other people simply because it is a good thing to do. Being an alter server has instilled those values in me and I *try* to be good at service now. Life does have a tendancy to get in the way and I know that I have not always been the best server I could be - at home for example I would often shy away from various chores such as washing up. I suppose the main reason is that it was my family and I didn't feel that I needed to make any special effort there which is not the right attitude to have.
Since I have moved across to Christchurch I have tried to serve as best I can. I quite enjoy helping others and easing the load when I am able to. Sometimes it is difficult to serve without being detremential to yourself, sometimes you can do too much and wear yourself out or simply not have enough time for your own rest and relaxation. I think a lot of Christians can experience this "burn out" if time is not well managed. It all ties in with what we were learning about on our leadership course this week. Jesus spoke about not having to make oathes to people and simply letting your yes be yes and your no be no without putting in time frames and other stipulations.
If people ask me to do something I will do my best to get it done. I cannot promise it will be instant though. I think that serving in my little church in Granborough helped me to see how much serving others is appreciated and valued, after all Jesus was the servant king and I do wear WWJD on my wrist - what would Jesus do? I am uttetly convinced he would serve.
So, if you pop around, expect a cup of tea.
God Bless
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