Jesus, the definitive servant

One of the most profound statements of the Bible is this: The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28 (NKJV) 

When one thinks of the person who serves, we think of waiters, airline stewards, mothers, parking lot attendants, janitors, the sound person. In other words, we do not imagine bosses, CEO’s, or people in control. Servants are usually in the low socio-economic position, have little societal power or station, and are without community wide influence. But necessary they are. The world could not function without the servant. So much so, Jesus said, “the servant is the greatest of all”. But I digress.

This blog is not about you and me being a servant. I am speaking of Jesus Christ; the Son of Man, the Creator of the cosmos, the power that holds the universe together, the resurrection and the life, the ultimate King of Kings, it is He who has come to serve and not to be served.

The significance of this statement supersedes all teachings from spiritual leaders of every major religion. Religion is about humans appeasing a god, (serving a higher power than themselves) to curry favour and be rewarded in due course. What sets Jesus apart is that he came to serve humans - to be their appeasement - in order that favour and blessing would be bestowed upon them as grace instead of our human efforts.  Jesus not only taught this, but lived out his servitude as an example to his disciples and for us today. In the Gospel of John it is written, "You call me Teacher and Lord, and it is right that you do so, because that is what I am. 14  I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another's feet. 15  I have set an example for you, so that you will do just what I have done for you.” (John 13:13-15) Here we see Jesus doing the work of a lowly servant.

Jesus’ final act of discipleship training was to demonstrate his true servant nature. He came to serve, to care, and to be involved in the most humble of daily activities. Jesus makes that commitment to us. He is Lord and Teacher, but he is also a servant, committed to serving us. That means he is willing to get involved with us: struggling with us, identifying with our pain and pouring his strength in us.

The role of the servant is to anticipate the needs of the master; Jesus knows what we need before we ask. (Matthew 6:8)

The role of the servant is to give unqualified allegiance to his master; Jesus promises never to give up on us. (Hebrews 13:5)

The role of the servant is to relieve “the cares” of the master, Jesus said; cast our cares upon him, for he will take care of us. (1 Peter 5:7)

The tricky part for us is not to be like Peter and deny Christ’s servitude. This Sunday I will be speaking and enlarging on this theme. It is the most exciting, revealing, and encouraging piece in Christianity. Don’t miss it. If you know someone that is in a tough place, this would be a perfect message for them to hear. Invite them along.

If you are having trouble with this concept, or find it difficult to allow Jesus to serve you – meaning you like to take control and your life is a mess (even if your life is not a mess I would be delighted to hear from you) – then why not email me, and we can chat about this.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sunday Meeting – Join us on Zoom

This coming Sunday, Kootenay Christian Fellowship will have two different options to participate in Online Sunday Service and we hope to find you at one of them.  Both will begin at 10:30am:

• Join us on Facebook Live @ Kootenay Christian Fellowship Facebook page; or
• For a more personalized experience where we can view and interact with one another find us on Zoom (it you would like to chat before service, simply check into Zoom early – we will be there visiting at 10am).

If you are not familiar with Zoom, feel free to contact us directly for guidance and we will be happy to help you. 250.352.1722.

Here is the Zoom link and Meeting ID to join us: 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84408696211

Meeting ID: 844 0869 6211

For those who may not have internet availability, use your phone to call in on the Zoom meeting at 1.778.907.2071. 

We are looking forward to connecting with you on Sunday if not before.

You can also find us on YouTube (posted afterwards) at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNT9GnRlN0fPZdvqmaUV_LA

Subscribe to our channel while you are there.

When you visit us on Facebook, like and follow please, here is the link

https://www.facebook.com/kootenaychristianfellowshipnelsonbc

Communion Sunday

This Sunday, we will have communion, so be prepared at home with some grape juice and bread as we share in this special time together.

Jim Reimer, Pastor

January 7, 2021