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.

 

October 17, 2018

Help for Today and Tomorrow

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2

The local Emergency Management Agency was adamant. Do Not Go. Just don’t. At least, not without a plan. Register in advance and know where you are going and what you will be doing.

Everyone wants to help Hurricane Michael victims. There’s just so much devastation in such a large area. Do you go to Panama City? Do you head to Marianna or Gordon or any of the other inland towns that are devastated?

And what do people really need at this stage? Many don’t have toilets that flush, lights that work, nonperishable food, diapers and toiletries and, oh yes, water to drink.

The trouble comes when the influx of volunteers who don’t have a plan interferes with the recovery efforts of groups and agencies that are trying to set up a smooth, efficient organization to help people with the greatest needs.

Don’t get me wrong. They want help. They want donations. They want financial assistance to help pay for supplies and housing and other necessities for people who are desperate. But it needs to be done safely and efficiently.

Our church has been delivering supplies to devastated areas every day. Our associate pastor is from a town just inland from Mexico Beach, which took the hardest hit. He owns a home there and has family scattered throughout the area. He is also a trained medic and volunteer with a local fire department. Another church member is with EMA. We also have many others who have specialized training for just such a time as this.

The needs are specific. At first, the need was water, food, hand sanitizer, diapers, and such. Another day the need was chainsaws and files and chains. Those who go each day to deliver the supplies and work know exactly where they are going and what they will do that day.

As our senior pastor noted, there will be many opportunities in the coming months and years to volunteer in these areas. There won’t be a quick fix. We can’t just rush in and cut a few trees, pile up some debris and call it good. Everything is gone. There are many hurting people who will need help for a very long time. Remember: They have lost their homes, all of their possessions and, in most cases, their jobs.

The time will soon come when Hurricane Michael is just something that happened to someone else. We’ll all move on with our lives and focus on something else. But for the people who are suffering, well, the journey has only just begun. They’re going to need us all when the rest of the country has forgotten what they’ve been through and what they are still going through.

So, give and do what you can right now. Work with a reputable agency or group. If you volunteer, make sure you go through the appropriate groups, register and have a plan. Pray without ceasing for guidance as you help.

And remember that they will need you later too. One day the debris will be gone and the rebuilding will begin. They’ll need help. Homes must be built and furnished. Schools must be rebuilt and filled with desks and chairs and lockers and musical instruments and sports equipment. Something as simple as rebuilding a playground can do so much for morale.

It’s going to be a long journey. Will you be there for the long haul?

February 27, 2018

What Are You Doing?

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. – 1 Peter 2:21

How often do you volunteer at your church? How often do you volunteer in your community? How often do you sacrifice your time and money to be Jesus in the world around you?

Most churches and outreach groups are hungry for volunteers. Everyone has good intentions. We mean well. We’re just so busy. Too busy. Surely, everyone else understands.

No. Actually. We don’t. “I just want to show up and not have to do anything,” came one excuse. Well, so would I. Except we wouldn’t have the ladies’ Bible study if I did that because none of the hundreds of women at our church will volunteer to lead a study.

“My work schedule is just so crazy,” came another excuse. Most work schedules are crazy. So what? Offer to pick up someone who can’t drive and take them to church for worship or other functions. Help coach the softball team. Take a turn in the nursery. Help make coffee or provide a covered dish to a grieving family.

“I’ve got young children,” is a common excuse. What a precious blessing God has given to you! Have you considered including your children in outreach ministry. My Mother was so excited when one woman brought her three young boys to the rehab facility. The boys wore Santa hats and passed out candy to all the residents. Everyone – children and residents – had a wonderful time and were blessed by the experience. Such a simple gesture on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

I could go on and on with examples. The truth is that most of us just don’t want to be bothered. We don’t. We’d rather stay in our staid little worlds and let someone else be the hands and feet of Jesus.

For most of us, God didn’t call us to organize a massive march on Washington. He didn’t tell us to start a world-wide relief effort. Nor did God say we were to sell everything and go live in a hut in South America. God called us to serve right where we are.

I wonder how many elderly people would give anything for a visit form a young family or, better still, to be included in a meal or outing? I wonder how many single people would love to be part of a family gathering?

Maybe you have a gift for flowers and plants. Did you know that some folks aren’t healthy enough to do that and, yet, they don’t really have money to hire it done? Your talents and their needs could benefit you both.

Maybe you know a teen who spends most of his time alone while his parents work. He or she sure could use a mentor. Surely you have some time to offer. Or what about that young Mom who is so overwhelmed? An encouraging word, and maybe a casserole, would brighten her day.

We aren’t called to live focused only on ourselves. We’re to reach out wherever God places us and touch those closest to us with kindness, compassion, and help. Even if that means we must sacrifice of ourselves.