Recently Sam Metheny, our Executive Administrator, put out a call for guest bloggers for our website and weekly emails. I was instantly excited to hear from some new voices, but I also realized that I have never written anything for the church either. So, I thought it was about time that I changed that. I had a few posts worth of thoughts, so this is the first of three articles in which I reflect on Christ-like service, the importance of developing new Service Teams, and finally why we serve.
[1] Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. [2] During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, [3] Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, [4] rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. [5] Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. [6] He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” [7] Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” John 13:1–7 (ESV)
I have been a partner at Veritas Church for close to its entire life, and throughout that time Jesus has done amazing things in my life. Early on I began to serve, first on set-up and tear down, then I served as a sound technician, and eventually I began to lead the AVL team. My initial reasons were to meet new people and because I grew up in churches that modeled service regularly. Recently I have been reminded of my grandfather who served as a deacon at his small Baptist church. For most of my life my grandfather was an older man, well into retirement, and yet he did everything from the finances to building maintenance. Sometimes he would bring me along, and there was never a question of why, it was just something we did. However, it wasn’t until I was much older that I realized that service was more than just duty or tradition. My grandfather found great joy in showing the love of Christ by helping where there was a need. One of the many results of the way Jesus shaped his life was the joy he gained from serving others!
In John Chapter 13 we see a simple, yet impactful way in which Jesus, who has all authority in heaven and earth, washed the feet of his disciples. When looking at the significance of this action it is often mentioned that washing feet was one of the lowest jobs in the household. John points out that Jesus had every right to give this task to a follower. Jesus always acts counter to worldly expectations and provides his followers a model for humble service in love to others. However, there is more to Jesus’s actions than just the physical washing of feet or example in humility. Like the Lord’s Supper there is also a revelatory aspect to the washing of the disciples’ feet. Jesus points us to the greater truth of HIs work, that only He can wash us clean from our sin. When we serve others, we can meditate on this truth and give thanks to our Savior for the depth of His love for us. To serve in a Christ-like way is to joyfully put aside our authority and preference to worship Jesus through our service to others.
Next post we will continue to look at John chapter 13 and why we develop Service Teams at Veritas Church. I hope you join us in serving one another, and if you have any comments or questions you can reach me at trey@veritasfayetteville.com or life@veritasfayetteville.com.
For the fame of Jesus,
Trey Perry | Lay Pastor
trey@veritasfayetteville.com
