"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)

​Tickets for your favorite musician go on sale in person at a certain address.  And when you arrive, hoping to be first in line, you open the door....for the next person in line, allowing several to go in before you.

You're playing the game "King of the Hill", where everyone scrambles to get to the top of the hill.  And when you get to the top of the hill, you step down and let the person behind you get ahead of you.

You are at a banquet, and you are the strongest, the wealthiest, and the most famous person in the room.  And you are serving and cleaning up after all the guests.

Those are not very familiar examples for us.  Rather, we hear the opposite:  those who work and fight to be first, who get to the top over all others, and those who are served by others.

Yet the Scriptures are filled with examples of God serving us:

Isaiah 25:6 with the Lord serving a banquet to his people.
Luke 15:1-2, Jesus hosting and serving a meal to sinners.
John 13, where Jesus washed the feet of His disciples
Philippians 2:5-11 with Jesus humbling Himself to be Savior and Lord of all.

And this Sunday's Gospel reading (Mark 10:35-45) with Jesus telling us He came not to be served but to serve.

So what does this mean to us?  If our Savior and Lord humbles Himself and serve us, how can we respond?  

Consider what this has to say to marriages and families and friendships and communities and nations.  How can we look at others?  How do we treat one another?  

It seems we have a lot to learn!  And our Savior and Lord has a lot to teach us.

Lord Jesus, send us the Holy Spirit and dwell among and within us, that we may have the humility and love that you have shown and given to us.  Amen.

In service to Jesus,

Pastor Steve