Ensor Walters was an English Methodist preacher in another generation.  He was educated  in one of the most cultured prep schools of England and Oxford University, then ordained.  His first appointment was a little mission in one of the worst slums of London.

Telling of the experience, he said, “I went down there with my frock coat and top hat, figuratively and literally.  As I walked up the steps into the shabby meeting house, a ragged, dirty-faced cripple stuck out his club foot on the steps and said, “Tie me bootlace, guv?” 

“I stooped down,” he said, “and my top hat fell off, figuratively and literally.  I’ve been tying bootlaces ever since.”

It’s a marvelous picture of a much-needed lifestyle.  I hear it over and over again:  “I’ve never known a joy like this -- the joy of serving others.”  You can find this joy at a shelter for the homeless, delivering meals on wheels, or visiting the nursing home.  To be able to put aside our selfishness, to reach out and love others, is a grace we need to cultivate.