Serving

Holy Wednesday – Surprised by Love

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. Luke 22:24 ESV

Earlier this year, I was surprised by a beautiful flower that suddenly appeared on a large rather ugly cactus, alongside the road where I sometimes walked. I discovered that, with just the right combination of rainfall and temperature, this awkward plant could put on a show with spectacular white blossoms covering its scarred and twisted trunk. On Holy Wednesday, an even greater surprise awaited the disciples. In the middle of an ugly argument, they were having about who was the greatest, and right after Jesus finished serving them the bread and the wine, Jesus got up from the tabIe, and went into a side room. I can almost imagine Jesus striking his forehead and crying out “Oy Vey! These disciples are making me crazy!”

We may chuckle at the absurdity of that scene, but that night, Jesus gave us a surprising example as He returned to the room with a basin and a towel and interrupted their argument by washing their feet. Shame and gratitude replaced pride and anger, as Christ surprised them with love. Then He left an unforgettable command for us to do the same. Though, we don’t do much foot washing in the 21st century, the kind of service that this humble task represents is all around us. As Easter approaches, we need to each ask God how He could use us to serve someone who is as awkward, twisted and scarred as that old cactus. You just might be amazed by the beauty of the flowers God can produce through them, given just the right amount of His mercy and a little bit of His surprising, foot-washing love.

 So He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 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. John 13:4-6 ESV

The Most Important Person in the Room

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” 
Luke 10:40-42

This well-loved passage has many of us chuckling, as we consider ourselves a bit more like a Martha than a Mary. But our fondness for the story may cause us to miss the reason Luke included it. He alone could have recalled from firsthand experience as he accompanied Paul, how a life of service could be thrown off track by busyness. Martha was in many ways a lot like Paul. She loved Jesus with all her heart and didn’t care what anyone else thought about her faith. Remember it was Martha who invited Jesus over in the first place. Yet somewhere in the middle of her determination to serve Jesus, Martha began to lose focus. With her house filled with disciples, servants and even a few curious neighbors, she forgot that the whole occasion was supposed to be about Jesus. In the midst of our serving, sometimes you and I, like Martha, also forget who the most important person in the house is!

There are other times we get caught in the “service trap”, because of the expectations of others. As Pastor Rick Warren once famously said, “God loves you, and everyone else has a wonderful plan for your life!” We mean to take time for prayer and reading God’s word, but the phone rings, a text message grabs our attention, or we decide to check our Facebook page, just one more time. Little by little our day is eaten away by distractions, and the Holy Spirit’s voice is drowned out by the banging of our own pots and pans. With our hours consumed by serving, it is easy to miss out on taking time for the only one who really knows what we should do.

Last of all, while Martha asked for Jesus to pay attention to her needs and feelings, Mary just sat at HIs feet, with her eyes on Him. When we allow our serving to overwhelm us, we may elicit sympathy from others or even cause them to jump in to give us a hand, but we lose our chance to point to Jesus. But when, like Mary we give our complete attention to Him, then we can begin again to draw others to look to Him, because He is the most important person in the room!

Jesus the Volunteer (The service entrance)

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. Philippians 2:6-7 NIV

The key to successful volunteering, is to follow the example of Jesus. The Bible tells us that though Jesus was in very nature God, worshipped by angels and seated next to the Father, that He set aside His position and privileges and volunteered to be made a servant. How Jesus came, reminds me of when I worked on the estate of a very wealthy woman. Her mansion was set on the top of a small hill at the end of a long driveway. In front was a field once used by her horses as a pasture and behind were several acres of woods. Facing the main parking area for the house was a large impressive white door with columns on either side. But we who worked on the property had another entrance tucked away behind some bushes on the side. That entrance led to a small green house, a break room and a set of stairs leading up to the kitchen. Just over that doorway was a small sign with the words, “Service Entrance.” While guests gained entry through a much finer looking door, they needed to have an appointment. On arrival, they often were greeted by the housekeeper with a large guard dog (named George) who sat quietly as long as she was nearby. Only after carefully checking the visitors, did she usher them into the living room, where they waited for the lady of the house.

The same two entrances are in every human heart. There is a formal entrance in the front, but to gain entry, an appointment is required, and visitors are carefully checked over before being welcomed. But the other doorway is the doorway that Jesus chose: “The Service Entrance.” If we want to reach hearts as volunteers, let’s follow His example and come as servants. Only trusted servants may enter by the service entrance, and though it is humble, it has a stairway that leads directly to the heart!

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com