“Ministry would be easy if it weren’t for all the people.” -Anonymous
I heard a sermon recently on the preciousness of others and it has stuck with me. If only we could remember how God loves, not only us, but others our attitude toward those we come in daily contact with will change. It will no longer be an “us versus them” world. Instead, we’ll see that all people have been made in the image of God. We share a common father whether some realize it or not and hopefully because of that love, we’ll make it our life’s goal to proclaim it.
While the majority of Spiritual Disciplines are devoted to our relationship with God, the act of Service is devoted to our relationship with others and directly tied to our connection with God. Serving God by serving others isn’t easy. Who wouldn’t rather sit on a pew a few times a week than get mixed up in messy, exhausting situations? Don’t we have enough of those without stepping into someone else’s?
It’s not easy to love someone who lives, loves and sins differently. Inviting new people into your life and your home is scary. It forces you to live out Philippians 2:3. It compels you to rely completely on Christ. But (and this is a big one) we are called to love and serve others. It not only shows us who we are, it shows us who God is.
I can’t help but wonder if our choice of words keeps us limited in how we deal with others. We like to assume that only the minister is obligated (or burdened) with helping. We forget that every follower of Christ is a minster to their neighbor. How would our life change if we woke each morning and thanked God for allowing us to be a minister?
Would we treat our family differently? What about our co-workers or those we worship with? What would our life look like if we realized that we are a minister to those in line next to us at Wal-Mart? Would we honk at the slow car in the passing lane if we accepted the fact that we are their minister and could possibly have a chance to talk to them about Jesus?
Would we yell at the guy on the interstate who ignored the construction signs and then tried to cut in front of us at the last minute? Would we welcome the noisy, dirty child from a broken home into ours if we understood that we are their minister? Would it make us look at those who make the the nightly news with less condemnation and more consideration if we remembered that we had an obligation to our God to love them, minister to them and do whatever we can to bring them to Jesus? A small change of vocabulary has the power to change the world.
One of my favorite stories of Jesus is found in Matthew 8:1-3. A leper approached him, fell at his feet and declared, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus was crazy busy. He had just preached one of his most powerful sermons. He had a limited time to do what he had planned on earth. He had to be exhausted dealing with his disciples and those who continually approached him with their problems. He had taught all over the country side but here he is, and guess what, he was willing. He always was. He still is. And in order for this Kingdom to grow, we must be, as well.
Let’s get out of our buildings and start invading our communities with grace and compassion. Let’s accept the fact that we are ministers of light in this dark and dying world and then let’s get busy serving.
Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. – Matthew 23:11