You Who Choose ( ... To Lead Must Follow)
by Scott Schultz, Session Elder
Matt. 20:28 (NIV) For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Other quotes (non-Biblical sources of wisdom) support this:
"Therefore, desiring to rule over the people, One must in one's words humble oneself before them. And, desiring to lead the people, One must, in one's person, follow behind them." [Tao te Ching]
“Too many Chiefs, not enough Indians.” [Ervin Williams, my father-in-law, who was a full-blooded Oneida/Chippewa Indian, Distinguished Flying Cross awardee, and Chief Pilot (American Airlines)]
“You Gotta Serve Somebody” [Bob Dylan]
And from Dan Chun: “Somehow, the more we mature in our faith, we want to help, we want to serve others, we want to lead them to Jesus, we enjoy it and feel empowered by it.” (March 7 2021 sermon Service with a Smile)
Pastor Dan also said: “We can move through different service stages: (1) I don’t want to serve. (2) I will serve, but I don’t want to. (3) I will serve because it’s the right thing to do. (4) I will serve and I enjoy it.”
An amazingly effective way to move from stage 1 to stage 4 is simply to serve. You will discover whether the particular area of service is within your God-given gifting. I was initially reticent to serve as an usher, even more so as an usher captain. I soon learned that usher captains serve ushers, who serve worshippers, who serve Jesus. (FPC’s excellent training helped a lot!)
Pastor Steve often reminds us that we all should be participants (co-creators) in worship, classes, etc. Serving being the highest form of participation! Pastor Dan also said, “Church is not a show. it’s supposed to be like a co-op. Everyone pitches in (in) some way.”
Titus 3:14 (Voice) Our people must learn to get involved when a need arises, particularly when the need is urgent. Teach them to do what is good so they won’t become unproductive members of the community.
The title of this devotional is a line from the song Ripple by Grateful Dead, where the chorus is: "Ripple in still water, where there is no pebble tossed, nor wind to blow." Toss in your pebble by serving, and may your service have a ripple effect for the Kingdom of God in our church, your community, and the world!
At the end of the 2021 H.I.M. Conference, I heard Andy Croft say, “… like a stone thrown into a pond that lands and then ripples out.” Okay!
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the opportunity to serve Your children and Your Kingdom through the free will You instilled in us. Give us the courage to toss a few pebbles in still water in the name of Jesus, in whose precious name we pray, Amen.
P.S. Click here to watch a really cool arrangement of Ripple.
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