Devotional Messages

DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE

Mark 10:42-45 – So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.  But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.  For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (NRSV)

As we embark upon this new sermon series, pondering the many nuances of spiritual maturity, we will continually be called back to the nature of Christ.  The essence of the church is a community of people striving to live like Christ.  Part of that means that we are called to serve, humbly, willingly, with love.  And certainly, we know that there are many outside the church’s walls who need our service, whether it’s feeding the hungry or welcoming strangers or giving hope to someone in despair.

But sometimes church is about serving one another.  Christ did not come to be served, yet our scriptures tell us stories about the people who did serve him, whether it’s the revered woman with the alabaster jar of ointment or the nameless person who welcomed all the disciples in for the Last Supper.  In a sense, a church is a mutual aid society, where we look out for one another.  We laugh with those who laugh and weep with those who weep.  We do whatever we can to meet the needs of those within this community and beyond, with the love of Christ.  And that is how it should be.

So why is it that so many of us have trouble asking for help?  We love to serve; we love to give any way we can to help someone out.  But we hate the idea of “being a burden” by asking someone to help us.  My friends, just because Jesus said he did not come to be served, that is not a theological justification for pretending that you are entirely independent and don’t need anything from anyone ever.  That is not a holy way to be human.

As with most of the characteristics and practices that make up spiritual maturity which we will be exploring over the next few weeks, the trick is balance.  We are formed by Christ to serve as we are able.  But the Spirit also helps us cultivate the humility to know when we need help and the faith to trust that when we ask for help, people will be glad to offer it.  The illusion of independence may very well be the last barrier to communion with God for many folks who have spent lifetimes in church.  Once we learn to let go of that, we can truly walk in faith.