Called to Serve?

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN:  As Jesus was talking to the Disciples on their way to Jerusalem, he said, “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.” Matthew 20:26-28 The Message

CONSIDER:  Many, many years ago, as a child, my neighborhood friends and my brother and I used to play "King of the Hill". Maybe you remember it or some variation. Whoever gets to the top stays on top. Once you were there, you would enjoy your power and lord it over the other kids. Sometimes we look at our elected officials as "Kings of the Hill", seeming more eager to protect their jobs than the jobs of those they represent. Being served is prized over being a server. A servant isn't king of the hill. Following up on yesterday's post, Jesus taught us that it is somehow better to serve than to be served, better to give than receive. Jesus didn't come just to talk a good life; He came to heal others and to give His life for those He LOVED.

SO WHAT:  When it's all been said and done, Jesus would lay down His life for US. Jesus wanted us to know how much God loves us and that he was the very presence of God's love.  Just as the saying goes, "you have to have skin in the game", Jesus gave his body and his blood, just in case we weren't listening. He came not to be served but to serve unto the end.

In the world we live in, leaders exert power, domination and manipulation. They control people for their own ends. In Jesus’ world, it is altogether different. To be great is to put one’s talents totally at the service of others, to empower not to have power. Jesus himself is the perfect example. It is a lesson we do not find easy to learn or to follow.

• So what is our response to hearing that we must be in service to others?
•  Are we willing to "put some skin in the game"?
• Or are we more willing to argue with each other about "who's the king of the hill", protecting what we have rather than bringing everybody to the top of the hill?
• What of your talents will you share TODAY?

PRAYER: Dear God, I want to be "King of the Hill" but help me to help others to the top. Guide me to use the gifts and talents you have given me to bring others to experience your love. Amen