Ashley May is the newest member of Restoration’s staff team, serving as Deacon and Pastor of Community Life.
“What does a deacon do?” is a surprisingly complex question to answer. On the surface, and in the context of a worship service, the duties are visible: Deacons read the gospel passage from the center of the room; deacons prepare the Eucharist table for the priest; deacons dismiss the congregation with a loud blessing: “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”
But the diaconal calling, in the Anglican Communion, is so much more than duties. It is a way of being in the world; it is a calling to be a certain type of servant, and a certain type of person, in the midst of God’s people.
One such example of this whole-person calling comes from the life lived by Laurence, a third-century deacon in Rome, remembered in many church traditions, including the Anglican Communion, as the patron saint of deacons. Though the exact details of his death are debated, sources agree that Laurence was martyred in Rome during a wave of persecution instigated by Emperor Valerian, who ordered that all orders of Christian clergy—bishops, priests, and deacons—be killed.
After the death of his bishop, Roman authorities came to Laurence and ordered him to hand over the treasures of the Church to the state. Laurence asked for three days to complete this task, and his persecutors agreed to his release, contingent that he return with bounty in hand.
Three days later, Laurence returned with a large crowd. He had gathered up the poor, the maimed, and the ill in Rome. He presented them to his oppressors, explaining in plain terms: “Here is the treasure of the Church.” In shock, the Romans discovered the treasury of the Church in Rome was empty, given away in the last three days to those in need.
Laurence is but one example of how deacons are called to be in the world. Deacons care for and care about the vulnerable and the forgotten, sharing Laurence’s conviction that the true treasure of the Church is never money, fame, power, or influence, but the hungry, needy, and humane in our midst. Every duty a deacon does goes toward this end: to see the gospel proclaimed to, and lived among, the vulnerable. In this way deacons are charged to follow the example of Jesus Christ, who valued those the world forgot.
So, “What does a deacon do?” It depends: On the needs of the parish, on the needs of the community, on the flow of the worship service. But if you were to ask me, I say it all connects to one goal: to remind us that in Christ’s kingdom the last are first, and the first are last; the weak are strong and the strong are weak. And in Jesus, the humble servant, we are all sewn together into one body, whole, restored, and formed to follow His example. Deacons exist to remind us of this truth, and to encourage us all to live it faithful act by faithful act.
Join us after both Sunday worship services January 21 for Donuts with the Deacon, where Deacon Ashley will be eager to meet you, greet you, and talk all things deacons.
