“There is no perfect way to serve” - perhaps this is an important truth to remember in a time where we aren't able to go to things like Mass and we can't serve in the ways we normally serve! Your gift of service is no less valuable because there is no one, perfect way for you to serve the Kingdom of God and to serve others. Whoever said that praying for people and praying for the world isn’t an act of service?
Service = giving of oneself.
And doesn’t giving some time of your day to intentionally pray for people fall into this category?
Let’s get one thing straight about service:
Whether you go out on the streets with the homeless, play music at mass or during worship, organise youth events, be a greeter and say hi to people, take photos, write reflections for the Fuel app or write a blog (hah, there’s one for me), catch up with people as part of the University’s Chaplaincy or volunteer to help out at an organisation's mail-out once a year – your act of service is no greater than any of the others.
Ooooo shocker! Perhaps even a little controversial. After all, how can collecting the offertory during mass be as good as feeding our people on the streets!? And how can praying for people at home whilst you’re in lockdown be as powerful as going out and physically praying over people?
Well, it seems we have made our own hierarchy of levels of service. I know I have! It’s horrible because right at the top I have BIG ways of service like delivering food to homeless and delivering a killer talk at a huge Youth Conference and down the bottom I have smaller ways of service like praying for people and being a greeter at mass.
But why have I even classified those things as ‘smaller ways of service’? Why have I taken an act of service and given it a rank? I think we all do this in some way – we even have ways of service that we hate the idea of doing! When did we decide that some acts of service were greater than others? Why are we putting limits on the power of our service?
“ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”
When we’re serving and giving of ourselves to others, we’re actually loving God! So service isn't just work or giving of oneself – it’s giving of oneself in LOVE. If you take love out of your service, then it’s just work.
SO really, when you think about it, service is about love – love in action.
And luckily, the bible has something to say about that in Romans 12:9-13:
Love in Action
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
So basically, you can be serving in one of the ways we see a ‘BIG’ but if you aren’t doing it out of love for God and his people, then how can your service be sincere?
10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
There’s the whole ‘giving of yourself IN LOVE’ part!
11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
I read this part as ‘keep your tank FULL in God’s love so you don’t burn out when you serve!
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Huh. There’s a list of ways you can serve in your heart whenever and wherever you are. Even in lockdown. See? Being faithful in prayer and praying for people IS LEGIT ‘love in action’!
13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
You get it.
So, if service is about love and putting love into action then how can you ‘rank’ how much love someone puts into their service? If you’re loving God and you’re loving His people then it doesn’t matter how you do it; you can be folding paper in the mail-out, you can be leading worship on a Sunday, you can be sending extra messaging to the young adults in your Chaplaincy to stay connected with them during the recent restrictions or you can be intercessory praying in lockdowns.
It doesn’t matter what way you serve but why
On top of that – don’t ever feel like the way you serve or the gifts you use as you serve are ‘lesser’ than any other service or gift.
1 Peter 4:10 - ‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms’.
God has given us different talents and gifts and desires for us to thrive in them and use them for His glory! Which means the way we serve can be unique - WHICH MEANS, God is pretty much a genius and gave us all different gifts so that everyone can serve using our different gifts to fulfill all the different types of service that exist today.
God gave you these gifts so you can use them to serve others! And since He loves us all the same, no gift He gives us is greater or better than another.
LASTLY, if service is about loving God and loving his people, then whether we’re serving in what we deem to be a ‘big way’ or a ‘small way’ it doesn’t mean anything without a relationship with God. Because God is love. And our service without our love and relationship with Him is just work.
“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. ”