The current global financial chaos has sharply focused our attention on the extreme economic downturn many of our neighbors are experiencing today.  This time last year the majority of our neighbours would not have been too concerned about being careful on what they spent on their “daily bread”, their mortgage payments, their annual holidays or petrol for the car. One year on, many are unemployed, their homes close to repossession, investments have disappeared never to return, and they are wondering just how they will survive........... particularly those facing their retirement years.

 

If there was ever a time for the Christian Church to step up to the plate it is today. This is a time for our neighbourhood church to proclaim not only the spiritual truths of the Gospel but to get on to the streets of our towns and cities and serve our neighbour by offering the social and practical care, not only taught by, but practiced by its founder, Jesus Christ.

Jesus came to serve. He chose prayer over sleep, the wilderness over the Jordan, irascible apostles over obedient angels. Given the choice, I think I would have chosen the angels, making life less stressful!

However, Jesus picked Peter, Andrew, John, and Matthew, people like you and me. Not the most reliable, but being the Son of God He knew what he was doing.  When they feared the storm, he stilled it. When they had no money for taxes, he supplied it. And when they had no wine for the wedding celebrations or food to feed the five thousand, he supplied both.

Jesus came to serve.  He let a woman in Samaria interrupt his rest, an adulterous woman interrupt his sermon, a woman with a disease interrupt his plans, and one with remorse interrupt his meal. Though none of the apostles washed his feet, the Bible tells us he washed theirs. Though none of the soldiers at the cross begged for mercy, the Bible tells us he extended it. And though his followers disappeared like scared rabbits on Thursday, the Bible tells us He came searching for them on Easter Sunday. And finally, the resurrected Jesus ascended to heaven only after spending forty days with his disciples and friends……teaching them, encouraging them, and yes, serving them.

He stripped himself of His heavenly grandeur, layered him­self in skin and hair, invaded our world, and spoke our language in the belief that he could lead this bunch of ‘failures’ back in touch with their Creator.

"He set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death-and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion" (Phil. 2:7-8 The Message Translation.)

The Church of today needs to follow His example, and put on the apron of humility and service, "in submission to one another" (1 Pet. 5:5 The New King James Translation ). Jesus entered the world to serve, and the needs are no less today. Servanthood, as practiced by Christ requires no unique skill or college degree.

The message of the Church is eternal, and in order for that message to impact people lives today, it needs to practice and dispense the total Gospel, both spiritual and social, or as William Booth, the founder of The Salvation Army said, “We need to offer people, soap, soup and salvation, aiming to save people from the guttermost to the uttermost!”

 The story is told of a climber who witnessed two goats traversing a narrow path from opposite directions, one ascending the other descending. At one point the narrow trail prevented them from passing each other. When they saw each other, they backed up and lowered their heads, as though ready to lock horns. But then a wonderful thing happened. The ascending goat lay down on the path. The other stepped over his back. The first animal then arose and continued his climb to the top. The goat made it higher because he was willing to bend lower.

Didn't the same happen to Jesus? "So God raised him to the highest place, making his name greater than every other name so that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus" (Phil. 2:9-10).

Serve someone by swallowing your pride, decided to do small things in a great way. Don't be too big to do something small. "Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort" (1 Corinthians 15:58 The Message Translation.)

The story goes that Baron de Rothschild employed an artist to paint his portrait. Though a wealthy financier, Rothschild posed as a beggar, wearing rags and holding a tin cup. During one session of painting, a friend of the artist entered the room. Thinking Rothschild was really a beggar, he dropped a coin in his cup.
Ten years later that man received a letter from Baron de Rothschild and a cheque for ten thousand francs. The message read, "One day you gave a coin to Baron de Rothschild in an artist’s studio. He has invested it and today sends you the capital which you entrusted to him, together with the compounded interest. A good action always brings good fortune."

We would add. A good action not only brings good fortune, it brings God's attention. He notices the actions of servants. He sent his Son to be one.

When you and I eventually enter our heavenly reward and hear the applause of saints we’ll realise this, many hands pushed us up the mountain, but none more influential that the pierced hands of Jesus Christ, the greatest servant who ever lived.