Introduction

One of the opportunities I have as the interim pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Beatrice, Neb., is to prepare a short column for a feature called “The Pastor’s Pen,” appearing in the Beatrice Daily Sun on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009.

Scripture

“For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45, NRSV)

Meditiation

Jesus shares these words with his disciples to quell an argument among them over who should receive the trappings of glory in the kingdom of God. He clarifies their confusion between Jesus’ calling to serve others and their own desire to wear crowns of status. The path of obedience to Jesus does not take the disciples, or us, to the high places of power. Instead, we follow him into the low places of poverty.

When the Church has lived its finest moments, it gets this right. It sees God’s people in need and responds. It acts, not because it brings recognition and accolades to the Church or its members, but simply because the people who need help are God’s children and he calls the Church to serve.

Beatrice bears the marks of the Church’s faithful response to God’s call. The ministry of Mosaic, growing from its roots in Sterling and the founding of Martin Luther Homes in 1925, touches the lives of people with developmental disabilities. In similar ways, institutions like Beatrice Community Hospital and Parkview Center trace their roots to charitable work by Lutherans and Mennonites to create institutions for healing. The ecumenical work of Warren’s Community Table, hosted by Christ Church Episcopal, provides food to hungry people every Tuesday. No doubt each congregation, each parish, responds to God’s call by reaching out to people in need.

These are just a few examples of the work of the Church to follow its Lord in service. The work is good and worthy. But in the end, is the Church’s service any different from the support offered by other community groups? A hot meal is just a hot meal. The real difference arises when someone asks, “Why bother? Why do you offer this act of service?” Then Christians can say, “We do this because our Lord calls us to serve. And we can serve without fear. There are no limits to what we can give, how we can sacrifice. We might even sacrifice our lives in serving. If it comes to that, then our final act of service is a witness to our Lord’s sacrifice. He has given his life for you and for all people. By this gift, we all may come to eternal life in him.”

In this way, each outstretched hand, each caring touch, each hot meal on a cold day, each of the uncountable acts of service becomes a little sermon, telling how Jesus Christ “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom” for you and for me.