July 1, 2023

 

Serve Like Jesus

 

What does the Bible say about serving others? Jesus gave us a perfect example.

 

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” – John 13:1-17

 

True faith translates itself into action.

 

We’re to love God, love others, care for others, and live our lives in such a way that we point others toward Jesus.

 

How does Christian service and community service differ? Both are good things. The difference is that Christian service points others in the direction of Jesus. We are to mirror the life of Jesus and the love of God.

 

Who do we serve? Only Christians? Only those the world deems to be worthy?

 

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” – Matthew 25: 31-44

 

What would happen if we lived our lives as though we truly believed that? How would that change how we live? How would that change the world that lives around us?

 

A generous person will prosper;

whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. -- Proverbs 11:25

 

How many times do we tell ourselves, and others, that we can’t afford to tithe? We can’t afford to give to others? We can’t possibly share a meal or clothing or anything else, especially our time?

 

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will reward them for what they have done. -- Proverbs 19:17

 

Do you help the poor? Even those you don’t deem worthy? What’s the difference between enabling someone and truly helping them? Maybe it’s buying food instead of giving money.

 

The generous will themselves be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor.

-- Proverbs 22:9

 

Service changes us. It causes us to look beyond ourselves and see others and their needs. I once had someone say that the men’s group would NOT help an elderly widow because she had family that could help her. That family wasn’t helping but she was deemed unworthy because they should have helped her.

 

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. -- Romans 12:10

 

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. -- 1 Peter 4:10

 

 

Does everyone have the same gifts? Should everyone serve in the same way? Laurel is a talented photographer so she’s using her gifts. We all have gifts. And we all have a choice to use those gifts in a way that causes others to see Jesus.

 

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

-- Galatians 5:13

 

Who wants to be first? Who wants the accolades of being the lead singer in the band or the largest financial donor? Who wants to be sought after and praised?

 

 ³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³⁷ They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

³⁸ “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

³⁹ “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

⁴¹ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” -- Mark 10:35-45

 

Jesus talked a lot about service. So did the Old Testament.

 

“Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
² For day after day they seek me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near them.
³ ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
    and exploit all your workers.
⁴ Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard on high.
⁵ Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

⁶ “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness^[a] will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.

-- Isaiah 58:1-11

 

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. -- James 2:14-18

 

We’re good at praying, aren’t we? Or, at least, we’re good at telling people we’ll pray for them. What would happen if we actually put hands and feet to that prayer? If our deeds matched our words?

 

Ashley Boggan, the top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History spoke recently to the Council of Bishops. She urged them to become like John Wesley, to be proactive, provocative and prophetic, rather than merely reactive to organizational and ecclesial needs.

 

Wesley wasn’t always at the forefront of change. She noted that he resisted preaching outside of the confines of a church – until he witnessed George Whitefield preaching to thousands in the seaport city of Bristol, England.

 

 

 Whitefield had met the masses where they were. He was reaching those who had been forgotten, discarded, irrelevant. Wesley saw this and changed. Wesley wrote that “at four in the afternoon, I submitted to ‘be more vile’ and proclaim in the highways the glad tidings of salvation.” Boggan also noted that in doing this Wesley directly and openly violated the church law of his day.

 

This isn’t to slam churches or the need for worship. But it’s an acknowledgement that the people we most need to reach today don’t feel that the Christian faith, that Jesus Himself, is relevant today. Maybe, just maybe, it’s because they see so many people proclaiming a faith they do not live.

 

We have a wonderful opportunity to get involved in many, many different ways. There’s a need for substitute teachers in the children’s department and substitute workers in the nursery. Vacation Bible School needs volunteers. The senior ministry needs substitute bus drivers.

 

Our pastor would like to begin a homebound communion ministry. Perhaps it would mean visiting one person or couple each month to give them sacraments that the pastor has already blessed.

 

There’s also a desire to rekindle the nursing home ministry. It would involve a program the first Sunday of each month. We would serve communion, offer a devotional and sing some of the older hymns.

 

The choir needs more people. Always. There’s a need for additional volunteers to package and distribute food every month at the food pantry.

 

I hope everyone will consider how they can intentionally serve others as Jesus did. We are, after all, meant to be His hands and feet.

 

Monday, September 24, 2012

A Gift of Shoes Shocks Us All

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”

-- Mathew 25:34-36

The story was remarkable and that, in itself, was amazing. We don’t see sacrificial kindness to strangers and it stood out before us all.

A city bus driver said he’d asked God that morning to show him who he should help or show a kindness to. It wasn’t an unusual request for him, though I do wonder how many Christians would ever think of making a similar request of God.

As the bus driver drove his regular route he noticed a homeless man who was barefoot. He’d seen the man a day or so before and had noticed the man’s lack of shoes. It just so happened that the light was red and the bus driver was able to stop the bus safely, put on its flashers and exit the bus. He told a reporter that he asked the homeless man that if he had a pair of shoes, would he wear them. The man said yes. So the bus driver took off the shoes on his own feet and game them to the homeless man. And then he got back on the bus and continued his route.

Some might have criticized him for leaving his bus unattended. Others would chastise him for giving to a homeless person without checking the man out first. But the bus driver followed God’s call and did what he could, where he could.

We are a people who have a lot of stuff. We put stuff in storage so we can fill our homes with more stuff. We hold on to our stuff. Do you want to see a big fight? Mess with our stuff. We’re obsessed with it.

The only time we’re willing to give it away is when we’re done, it’s worn out, or we’re looking for a tax write-off. We don’t tend to follow that Biblical instruction to, if we have two coats, give one away to someone who doesn’t have one. After all, we might need it tomorrow.

How much nicer our world would be, how much kinder, if we’d all just do good things where we are rather than waiting for someone else -- the government, the church (that’s us, by the way!), or local charities -- to step up and do it. We don’t want to get involved. We don’t want to see the less fortunate. We don’t want to get dirty.

Please understand I’m not advocating giving money to every person standing at the end of a freeway ramp with a sign. Nor am I am suggesting that you ever put yourself in danger. But I do believe that we should all be aware of the people around us, those who are hurting, those who are in need, and follow God’s call even if it makes us squirm. Life isn’t always pretty but we are always Jesus’ representatives here on earth. It’s way past time we started acting like it.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Help Others Where You Are

“For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.” -- Matthew 25:35

A number of years ago a coworker walked into the office declaring that she’d be unpopular that day. She explained that she’d left a homeless man sitting in the back of her truck while he ate breakfast. She figured no one would appreciate passing a homeless person as they walked from their vehicles to the office. She was right.

She’d hadn’t planned to do it. She was buying herself breakfast from a food cart when she noticed him. He was hungry. What was she to do? She bought him breakfast.

Of course, many were quick to criticize her precedent. He should get out and get a job, is always a popular complaint. It’s his own fault, others added. Those more compassionate noted that there were food banks and soup kitchens for people like that. Some wondered how she could possibly help by buying him one meal. What would he do for lunch or dinner? Where would he sleep that night? And what about his long-term prospects for a job and housing?

She just shook her head. She wasn’t trying to save the world or even this man. She saw a need and she could help so she did. It really was that simple.

I wonder how different our world would be if every person who checks that “Christian” box simply did what he or she could where he or she saw a need. We don’t. It’s always somebody else’s problem -- the pastor, local charities, the government. Anybody but us.

It’s not that we don’t do anything. We write a check. We volunteer when there’s a group need, like after a storm or during a “work day” organized by our church or local civic club. But we don’t really want to get dirty in the day-to-day work of helping others. We don’t want to give away our hard-earned money to people we don’t think deserve it. We don’t want to take time we’d rather spend on our own activities and give it to a needy stranger.

And yet we claim to be Christians. We say that Jesus lives inside of us. We tell ourselves and others that we want to live a good life, a Christian life, a life like Jesus. Without the sacrifices.

That last part stings doesn’t it? Because Jesus wouldn’t walk past someone who is hungry, telling Himself it was someone else’s problem. And Jesus wouldn’t ignore that elderly neighbor down the street who is just so lonely. And Jesus certainly wouldn’t look the other way when someone else’s child desperately needed extra help with homework.

We don’t need to save the world. We don’t need to make the large contribution, the big commitment, the huge effort. We just need to do what we can, where we are. One person at a time. One meal at a time. One smile. One kind word. One step toward doing what Jesus would

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Care for His People

“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ And he will answer, ‘I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’”

-- Matthew 25:44-45

Some sermons just convict you. The words make you squirm. They break your heart. They change your attitude. At least for a while. We heard one of those sermons last Sunday.

Pastor Meghan had us read Matthew 25:31-46. Then she asked us which we would be: sheep or a goat? Naturally, we all want to be sheep belonging to Jesus. But are we? Really?

There are a few stereotypes that are common. People believe that those who have fewer financial resources than their own are lazy. They think people are unemployed because they’re lazy or too proud to take a job “beneath them.” You’ve never thought that way? Are you sure?

Oh, and then there’s that belief that anyone with an accent is from Mexico and must be in this country illegally. Or the view that men of a certain race are destined to end up in prison. The list could go on and on. We make up our minds about someone in a split-second, never bothering to see the person that Jesus sees.

Pastor Meghan has a heart for the poor and disenfranchised. She spends her Thursday mornings hearing their stories as they plead for church money. She understands how easy it would be to judge people when we don’t even know their names or their stories.

Have you ever been poor? I’m not talking about working hard and barely getting by. Yeah, that’s poor but life can be much worse. What happens when you get sick and lose your job, then your home? Many people don’t have wonderful health benefits and plenty of sick leave. They wok or they don’t get paid. And sometimes they don’t get a second chance.

What about the extras that life demands? Ever tried outfitting a child for school when you can barely put food on the table? Or keeping a car going when there’s no room for extras and no option of public transportation? I went through a season when it seemed that every time I stood up financially, life kicked me back down. Whether it was the car breaking down, being burglarized, the dogs getting sick, me getting sick -- it all added up and sucked my savings out every single time.

Do you know what that’s like? Do you understand the fatigue and hopelessness that comes from being knocked down again and again? Have you felt the loneliness as people pull away from you, fearing your struggle will somehow impact their own lives?

I don’t understand how any of us can call on Jesus as Lord and Savior one moment and then turn and look down on those who are poor and hurting, who are lost and without hope. While we should be careful that we don’t allow others to use us, we shouldn’t use that possibility as an excuse to turn a calloused heart toward the world.

In this time of Thanksgiving, as we look toward the hope of our coming Savior, let us remember those who are hurting. Let us help those in need. Let us see others with the heart of Jesus. And let us respond as His sheep, caring for His people.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Help Those In Need

“And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” -- Matthew 25:40

When was the last time you went out of your way for someone? When was the last time you took food to someone who was ill or grieving? When did you last visit someone sick or homebound? How long has it been since you volunteered to drive an elderly neighbor to the doctor or baby-sit someone else’s child for a few hours or help a deployed soldier’s wife with yard work?

Most of us are pretty good at telling other people what they need to do. Most times we’re even pretty good at knowing what we need to do. But doing it, well, that’s something else entirely.

We’re full of excuses. We’re too busy. We don’t have any extra money. Surely, someone else will step up. We’re not good with kids or the elderly or the sick or whoever it is that could use some help. Truthfully, we just don’t want to be bothered.

And, yet, we are called to be bothered. And to be happy about it. Whether it’s convenient or not. Whether we have time or money or talent or patience. We’re called to help people.

Yesterday a young woman came up to me, a shocked expression on her face. My friend had stopped by to leave something for me. In that short time period, she noticed the young woman had on high-heeled shoes while she walked around on an asphalt parking lot. The young woman explained that she had no other shoes, then showed my friend the holes in her soles. My friend gave her $50 in cash and told her to go and buy a pair of shoes.

The young woman told me that no one had ever done anything like that for her. She learned something. She learned that some Christians do live their faith, giving generously to those in need. She learned that true gifts are just that. Gifts. Not a loan and not an obligation to somehow pay back one day. And she learned that kindness exists and sometimes it comes in the form of a stranger who notices a need.

Every day we are called to do something for someone else. It might be helping a stranger afford a new pair of shoes. It might be a bag of groceries left on a doorstep. Or a freshly mown lawn left for a harried single-mom to find. Kindness comes in many forms but it only comes from a caring heart.

Jesus told us to do for those in need. No exceptions. So I’ll ask you again: When was the last time you went out of your way for someone?

Friday, May 27, 2011

We All Belong To God

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me!’”

-- Matthew 25:40

How do you treat the people around you? I’m not necessarily talking about your friends, family and co-workers. I’m talking about strangers, people who aren’t like you, people you don’t really want to be a round.

A couple of years ago a friend was truly upset by someone at his church. This person was homosexual and that went against every one of his staunch Southern Baptist conservative views. I’m not going to get in to what the Bible does or doesn’t say. That’s another issue for another day. However, I did remind my friend that the man he couldn’t stand, the one he wanted to just go away and never come back to church, was God’s child. Every bit as much as you or I. That made him think. And pray.

A few months later he told me that the man had started playing the organ at his church. My friend admitted that he still didn’t agree with the other man’s lifestyle but he felt blessed every time he heard that organ play. He said it sounded like something you would expect to hear in heaven. Do you think God was sending a message?

Another man was floored by the nasty comments church members made toward a young couple who had become part of their church a short time before. The couple got in financial trouble and ended up losing their home and land as they filed bankruptcy. I’m sure they made mistakes. So have we all. But to condemn them without mercy, compassion or understanding? And in church no less! Needless to say, that young couple no longer attend that particular church. Where was Jesus in the hearts of those who held themselves up as judges? Couldn’t they see the plank in their own eyes?

We look down on the homeless. We refuse to help those recently out of jail. We don’t like people with tattoos. We shy away from men with earrings and long hair. Or women who wear their skirts too short. I could go on and on. The conservative South is all about appearances. But it’s really supposed to be about Jesus. When did we forget that?

You know Jesus. Our Lord and Savior. The One filled with kindness and compassion. The One who died for our sins. Yours and mine. The One who forgave and saved. Yeah. That One. The One we’re supposed to try and be like.

So the next time you look down your nose at someone who’s different from you, think about Jesus. The next time you’re about to criticize someone who has made a few mistakes, think about Jesus. The next time you’re ready to condemn a sinner, think about Jesus. And everything He did for you. Because we’re never as good as we think we are. We’re never as perfect as we imagine. We’re all sinners saved only by the love and sacrifice of Jesus. Remembering that makes it a whole lot easier to see other folks as God’s children too.