For some, the goal of religion is not directed at improving the self but is directed outward toward improving the lives of others.  The spiritual question of purpose, “What should I do?” becomes the generous offer, “What can I do, for you?”

            When I think about our churches and the various work that we do in the church, it helps me to organize my thoughts, by dividing the work of the church into two halves.

            One half of the church is the work that we do in order to maintain the church.  This is the church work that supports the institution of the church itself.

            The other half of the church is all the work that we are able to do because we have a church.  This is the church work that creates the product we offer, or fulfills the mission of the church.  The stuff that our church exists to do for our members and for the larger community.

            You could call the first half of the church work, the administration of the church:  the committees that support the institution of the church.  These are the functions that answer the question, “How do we have a church?”  Well, you need a building or some place to gather.  You need to raise money, and then responsibly manage the money you raise.  You probably need some staff, or at least volunteers with well-defined job descriptions.  You need policies and Bylaws.  You need a website and a newsletter and all the other ways that the church members will keep each other informed.  You can think of the Administration of the church as all the work we do to create the container of the church.

            And then the programs of the church are all the things that we put inside the container.  Programs are the answers to the question, “Why do we have a church?”  In the programs half you find Worship, Pastoral Care, education for children and adults, all the forms of social justice work we do, fellowship (which is the parties and just getting together for fun), membership programs that help visitors and new members develop a strong UU identity and attachment to our community, and Leadership Development programs that train people to be strong leaders and give our church members opportunities to serve as leaders.

Another way to mark the difference between the administration of the church and the programs of the church, is to think about the reasons that people come to church in the first place.

What are they looking for when they join a spiritual community?  What do they hope to achieve for themselves?  What’s the goal?

And that, of course, is the same question that we’ve been looking at for the last few months.  What do you want to achieve from having a spiritual practice and belonging to a spiritual community like this church?  What is your personal spiritual goal?

We will look at that question for a few more weeks, and then, for the rest of the year we will look at the social goals of religion.  What do Unitarian Universalists want for all the world, even for those people who don’t belong to our faith?

Think about the reason that you first came to church.  What were you looking for?  What were you hoping for?

When an unchurched person decides that maybe a church would fulfill an unmet longing in their lives, what they are looking for is what the church offers through our programs.

They might come to church seeking the peace, or inspiration, or intellectual stimulation of worship.  They might be seeking answers to the big questions of life through a class or discussion group.  Perhaps they’re wanting a moral education for their children.  Perhaps they’re hoping to make some friends and have a community to join for activities during the week.  Perhaps they are going through a tough time and need some emotional support.  Maybe they are hoping to make a difference in the community or the larger world and are looking for a group of similarly motivated folks to partner with.  Perhaps they were raised Unitarian Universalist and they want to reconnect to a faith tradition that is important in their lives.

Those are the programs of the church.

I don’t imagine that any unchurched person is sitting at home on Saturday and saying to themselves, “Maybe I should join a church because I’ll bet they have a Finance Committee and I’d really like to be the Chair of a Finance Committee.”

Nobody joins a church because they want to lead the Stewardship Campaign or write personnel policies, or negotiate rental agreements with the twelve-step groups.

People have talents that they are happy to share with the church once they get here, but it’s a very rare person whose first thought is, “I want to join that church so I can be their volunteer Treasurer.”  And I would be wary of any person who did join a church for that reason.

Which is not to say that serving in administrative positions can’t be spiritually fulfilling.  Ideally, those volunteer positions are spiritual fulfilling.  And most people who eventually volunteer in administrative roles for the church consider it a duty to the church but also a gift to themselves.  I served on the Board of the Santa Monica church before I went to seminary and I found that service fulfilling, even enjoyable.  But it takes awhile to get there.  You’ve got to really love and be committed to the value of a community before maintaining the institution feels fulfilling.  Administrative work is not the first thing that people are looking for when the tentatively approach a new church.

What people want from a church, first, are those goals we’ve been looking at for the last several weeks.  The personal spiritual goals of wisdom, courage, personal strength and power, great joy, deep peace, ethical guidelines for right and wrong in our lives and in the world beyond.

And today, I want to add another goal.  The goal of service.  To be of use.  To have the feeling that we are needed by others.  A sense that we have something to give and that, once given, our gift will be appreciated.

These spiritual seekers are the helpers in life.  The care-takers.  The nurturers.  These are the people that have the uncanny ability to intuit what someone else needs, and then find their own fulfillment in meeting another person’s needs.

All of us are like this in some way.

When I used to have two dogs I took care of their needs this way.  I fed them.  I gave them a place to sleep and be safe.  I drove them to the vet when they were sick.  I washed them in the backyard.  And of course I got a lot back from them in return for my service to them.  But even without all the fun and affection they gave me, just the service itself was a reward for being a pet owner.

I remember the incredible satisfaction I felt when I reached for their leashes and asked them if they wanted to go for a walk.  The dogs would get so excited.  They would jump up and spin around and shake their tails until their whole rear ends were quivering.  And then during the walk they would so obviously enjoy themselves.  It felt for me so incredibly good to be able to bring so much joy into the life of another creature.

That’s the spiritual goal of service.

The smile on the face.  The relief.  The gratitude.  And watching the person you serve blossom in their own right before you.

If you’re a parent you know the feeling of being willing to do anything in your power for your children.  Perhaps you’re the primary care-taker for a loved one at home and you know the satisfaction of caring for a loved one.

Perhaps you’ve held the door for someone.  Or helped a woman pick up the contents of her purse after she’s spilled it on the sidewalk.

I think we’re all motivated to be of service to some extent.

The spiritual goal of service, is to take that common feeling we all share, and expand it.  Not just the politeness of temporarily helping a stranger, but helping as a habit, a lifestyle, as an expression of our faith.  And not just serving those we intimately love like our families and closest friends, or our pets, but serving those we have no direct relationship with, except that we are fellow humans, fellow creatures on the planet.

Perhaps through this church you’ve served homeless persons through the programs at St. Luke’s.  Or you’ve volunteered to cook and serve a meal through Project Achieve.  Or you’ve participated in any of the numerous social justice programs of the church that serve the needs of vulnerable persons in our community. 

I think, what the church can do for us, for the spiritual goal of service, is not so much directly help us to expand our capacity to serve, but help us expand the circle of those whom we love.

“May we be reminded here of our highest aspirations, and inspired to bring our gifts of love and service to the altar of humanity.”

To those whom we feel connected in love, service becomes fulfilling, a blessing to give, and a blessing we receive through our giving.  Our delight in giving delight.  Our nurture in nurturing.  Love returning unto love.

“May we know once again that we are not isolated beings but connected, in mystery and miracle, to the universe, to this community and to each other.”

There are all kinds of services we are happy to provide to those we love that we wouldn’t do happily for others.

I’m thinking, for instance, of one of the duties of being a dog owner, the one that requires carrying a supply of plastic bags with you when you go for a walk.  I wouldn’t normally find that task spiritually fulfilling.

All kinds of services we willingly do for our children, and loved ones, that we wouldn’t find personally gratifying if we had to do them for other people.

And so, when we first walk into a church, the room is filled with strangers, and it’s the rare person who would volunteer to help a group of strangers decide which contractor to hire to repair the plumbing, or come back on Wednesday to update the church database with the new pledge totals.  No.  We’re here for the worship, and the stimulating discussion, and the chance to share our heartache with someone who seems genuinely willing to hear our pain.

But gradually, over several weeks, or several months, each of us at our own pace, the strangers in the church turn into people we know, and then friends, and then people we love, and a community we love.

And then, because our capacity to love has grown, we’re willing to take a hand in leading worship, not just attending worship.  We’re willing to organize the discussion group, not just show up.  We willing to be the one who listens deeply to someone else share their pain.

And then, serving on the Personnel Committee, or serving on the Board, doesn’t seem like a burden, it feels like a gift.  A gift to us.  One more benefit our church can give to us, as we serve our church.

“For needs which others serve, for services we give, 
for work and its rewards…
we come with praise and thanks for all that is our life.”

The church programs and the church administration start to feel not like two halves, one a gift the other a duty, but like one unified thing.  Both the Finance Committee and the worship service are how we have church.  Both the Social Justice Team and the Personnel Committee are why we have church. 

An opportunity to give.  A community we love.  A life of service.