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.
