Service

The notion of “service” is one that is very difficult for our culture to resonate with. It could be that we keep hearing about the “service industry” and it is one we disdain. It could be the generalized irritation we have with “service calls” that will be done sometime between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM Monday or Tuesday. It could be how much we dislike the word “service” being used as an inferior substitute for the world “serve” so often.

If the notion of service is a problem the thought of being a “servant” is many, many times worse.

So what are we to do with one of the Lectionary texts for today, to say nothing of one of the foundational texts about Jesus, Mark 10:45, which reads “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (NRSV) The most important thing is to do our best to rise about our culture’s misunderstanding about service, serving, and servant and try to recapture what Jesus is meaning with this dramatic statement about himself.

This Sunday’s sermons are my attempt to answer the sermon title’s question, namely “No one wants to be a servant . . . do they?” with, “Well, followers of Jesus do.” The two sermons diverge somewhat, as they frequently do, but I think listening to either or both of them will help you see how serving not only makes you a follower of Jesus but it helps you become ever more the person you were created to be.

Knox Presbyterian No one wants to be a servant . . . do they?