Each Lord's day our deacons and deacon candidates (those who have been called and are being taught and examined, a 15 month process) encourage our church body to serve the needs of our local body. We hope the following is beneficial to you, encouraging you to serve your local church!"For this morning’s deacon minute, I would like to remind all of us about who our ultimate example of service is. As I was thinking about speaking this morning, I considered talking about a pastor from Barnstaple, England whose biography I read in college. While I am sure that would have been profitable, I realized that there was another Servant whose biography all of us have read and whose example of service is far more perfect than any others. This is the Servant whose birth we celebrate this time of year.
The Servant that I want to point us to is Jesus Christ. As our elders and the elders in training preach through the book of Mark, we will see over and over again Christ described as a servant. In the Old Testament, the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah all speak of the Messiah as a servant. The quality of being a self-giving servant is part of the very nature of Christ. This is the very reason that the Jews rejected Him. They were expecting Messiah to come as a conquering King - instead, they received a humble Servant who came as a baby. During the course of His earthly ministry, this Servant told His disciples, “I am among you as the one who serves,” and, “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
While Christ was among his disciples, He demonstrated his Servant’s heart even through actions like washing his disciples feet. Imagine that - the very God who created the entire universe washing the dirty, stinky feet of just an ordinary person like you or me. And of course Christ’s ultimate demonstration of servant-hood is displayed in the cross, where He bore the wrath of God the Father in our place. That is the extent to which Christ served us. This Servant also called us to follow His example and serve one another.
And you know what? We, if we have been regenerated, have been born of the Spirit of Christ, and we have been given servant’s hearts. We can still be disobedient, but as Christians we have been given the ability to serve one another in a Christlike way. There are countless ways that we can serve one another, even within our small congregation. If you are already faithfully serving, then praise the Lord, and seek to excel still more. If you are not regularly serving the body, then please come and talk to one of the deacons, and will help you find a place to serve.
So, Christian, let us follow in the example of the Lord our Savior, Jesus Christ, and serve each other in joy and in love!"
Deacon Candidate Meredith
Deacon minute for Sunday, Dec. 11th, 2011
