July 27th, 2026
by Pastor Kristin
by Pastor Kristin
Faith Has Hands:
When Love Simply Becomes Who We Are
One of the things I have always loved about following Jesus is that faith is never meant to stay safely tucked away inside our hearts. Faith was always meant to be lived. It finds its way into conversations, into acts of kindness, into the ordinary moments that often seem too small to matter.
I've been thinking a lot this week about Matthew 25. It is one of those passages that stays with me long after reading it.
Jesus tells the story of a day when all people stand before the King. There is a conversation about the hungry being fed, the thirsty receiving water, strangers being welcomed, and those who were sick or lonely being cared for. What has always captured my attention is the response from everyone involved.
"When did we see you?"
Neither group seemed to remember.
The people who had shown compassion weren't keeping score. They weren't building a list of good deeds or hoping someone would notice. Love had simply become part of who they were.
I wonder if that's what spiritual maturity really looks like.
Not becoming more impressive. Not becoming more knowledgeable. But becoming the kind of people who naturally notice others. The kind of people who pause to listen, offer encouragement, make a phone call, write a note, pray faithfully, or quietly meet a need without expecting recognition.
Those moments rarely feel extraordinary while we're living them.
Holding a door. Remembering someone's name. Sitting beside a friend who is grieving. Sending a card. Preparing a meal. Offering a smile to someone who needed one that day.
Most of us won't remember those moments a week later.
Yet Scripture reminds us that Jesus does.
That has always been comforting to me. The smallest expressions of compassion are never wasted. Every act of love matters because every person matters.
John Wesley understood that beautifully. Wesley believed faith should transform both our hearts and our communities. Prayer, worship, and Scripture shape us from the inside, but that transformation naturally overflows into the way we care for others. The early Methodists didn't separate faith from everyday life. They visited prisoners, cared for widows, taught children, fought injustice, and served neighbors because grace had already changed them.
That order is so important.
We don't serve in order to earn love from God.
We serve because love has already been poured into our lives.
The more we experience grace, the more naturally grace begins to flow outward.
I also find myself thinking about those who wonder whether there is still something meaningful to offer.
Maybe age has changed what once came easily. Maybe health has slowed the pace. Maybe there are days when it feels like the opportunities to serve have passed by.
I don't believe they ever do.
I've known people whose greatest ministry wasn't standing in front of a crowd. It was praying faithfully every single day. It was writing encouraging notes. It was remembering birthdays. It was making phone calls that reminded someone they weren't forgotten. Those quiet acts rarely made headlines, but they changed lives.
Our abilities may change through the seasons of life, but our calling never changes.
The church needs energetic hands willing to build and serve. The church also needs faithful hearts that pray, encourage, listen, and love. Every season brings different gifts, and every gift has value.
As I continue getting to know the people of Lakeview, one thing has become very clear. This congregation has a generous heart. I see kindness in conversations after worship, in volunteers who quietly step in wherever needed, in people who notice when someone is missing, and in those who continually look for ways to care for neighbors both inside and outside our church family.
My prayer is that this spirit continues to grow.
Not so people will know us because of our programs or our buildings, but because they experience genuine love whenever they encounter this church family.
After all, that is how Jesus said people would recognize disciples.
Not by how much we know.
Not by how busy we are.
But by how we love.
May love become so woven into our lives that we stop thinking about whether we're serving and simply become people who cannot help but love the people placed before us.
I've been thinking a lot this week about Matthew 25. It is one of those passages that stays with me long after reading it.
Jesus tells the story of a day when all people stand before the King. There is a conversation about the hungry being fed, the thirsty receiving water, strangers being welcomed, and those who were sick or lonely being cared for. What has always captured my attention is the response from everyone involved.
"When did we see you?"
Neither group seemed to remember.
The people who had shown compassion weren't keeping score. They weren't building a list of good deeds or hoping someone would notice. Love had simply become part of who they were.
I wonder if that's what spiritual maturity really looks like.
Not becoming more impressive. Not becoming more knowledgeable. But becoming the kind of people who naturally notice others. The kind of people who pause to listen, offer encouragement, make a phone call, write a note, pray faithfully, or quietly meet a need without expecting recognition.
Those moments rarely feel extraordinary while we're living them.
Holding a door. Remembering someone's name. Sitting beside a friend who is grieving. Sending a card. Preparing a meal. Offering a smile to someone who needed one that day.
Most of us won't remember those moments a week later.
Yet Scripture reminds us that Jesus does.
That has always been comforting to me. The smallest expressions of compassion are never wasted. Every act of love matters because every person matters.
John Wesley understood that beautifully. Wesley believed faith should transform both our hearts and our communities. Prayer, worship, and Scripture shape us from the inside, but that transformation naturally overflows into the way we care for others. The early Methodists didn't separate faith from everyday life. They visited prisoners, cared for widows, taught children, fought injustice, and served neighbors because grace had already changed them.
That order is so important.
We don't serve in order to earn love from God.
We serve because love has already been poured into our lives.
The more we experience grace, the more naturally grace begins to flow outward.
I also find myself thinking about those who wonder whether there is still something meaningful to offer.
Maybe age has changed what once came easily. Maybe health has slowed the pace. Maybe there are days when it feels like the opportunities to serve have passed by.
I don't believe they ever do.
I've known people whose greatest ministry wasn't standing in front of a crowd. It was praying faithfully every single day. It was writing encouraging notes. It was remembering birthdays. It was making phone calls that reminded someone they weren't forgotten. Those quiet acts rarely made headlines, but they changed lives.
Our abilities may change through the seasons of life, but our calling never changes.
The church needs energetic hands willing to build and serve. The church also needs faithful hearts that pray, encourage, listen, and love. Every season brings different gifts, and every gift has value.
As I continue getting to know the people of Lakeview, one thing has become very clear. This congregation has a generous heart. I see kindness in conversations after worship, in volunteers who quietly step in wherever needed, in people who notice when someone is missing, and in those who continually look for ways to care for neighbors both inside and outside our church family.
My prayer is that this spirit continues to grow.
Not so people will know us because of our programs or our buildings, but because they experience genuine love whenever they encounter this church family.
After all, that is how Jesus said people would recognize disciples.
Not by how much we know.
Not by how busy we are.
But by how we love.
May love become so woven into our lives that we stop thinking about whether we're serving and simply become people who cannot help but love the people placed before us.
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