I have a novel idea! I have a new business concept that I’d like to share with you. I’d be curious if you think it’s any good or not. The idea is for a gas station, but it’s not like any gas station you’ve ever seen.
When you pull up to the pump, instead of getting out of your car, someone comes from inside the gas station, asks you what kind of gas you’d like, how much gas you want, and pumps your gas for you. I think I’d call them “attendants.” Not only will they pump your gas, but they’ll also wash your windshield and even check your oil and tire pressure if you want, all while you wait inside the comfort of your vehicle. Isn’t that a novel concept?
Of course it’s not.
Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, all gas stations operated that way. When was the last time you saw a full-service gas station? It’s seems that most everything is self-service these days, from gas stations to banks to grocery stores.
But when held up to the biblical understanding of how we are to relate to one another, the concept of self-service is an oxymoron. In the Bible, “to serve” automatically implies an outward expression toward another person. It’s about giving, not receiving.
Why do we serve? That question first of all does something dangerous – it assumes. It assumes that you serve. I’d like to think that is true of everyone, but I can’t tell you how many people have told me they enjoy going to big organizations or churches because they can be anonymous, just sit in the seats without being asked to do anything. And it’s true – we are all so busy.
Jesus said he came not to be served but to serve, but I wonder if at times we don’t come to church with just the opposite way of thinking. For many people who serve, it’s out of desire to make a difference. No matter how big the task may seem.
In his book Death by Suburb, David Goetz tells about how he volunteered for a ministry program that helped inmates transition back into the world after their incarceration. He was paired with a prisoner named Pete, who was close to his parole. Goetz met regularly with Pete, working with him to help smooth the difficult transition from prison to a local halfway house. Goetz said he had big dreams for Pete that included Pete having a relationship, buying a house and settling down in suburbia.
So imagine Goetz’s anger when he found out that Pete had been arrested again after only a few months out of jail. Goetz said he was furious, because Pete had jeopardized all of Goetz’s plans for him. (What’s wrong with this picture?) Goetz was using Pete in his pursuit of significance.
In our performance-oriented culture, we expect results from everything, even our service. If we’re going to put in the time or the money, we expect change.
But service can be messy, and doesn’t always end the way we want. That’s why Goetz says we often find ourselves mostly serving in safe or comfortable programs, where we won’t get dirty or get into a relationship with someone where a deep need could form. There are people who need friends, who need money, who need guidance because they are in such deep poverty or despair. But why get involved in that? There’s no upside for us.
The challenge for us is to make the move from self-service to full-service, where our focus is on serving others, and then to God-service, where our reason for serving is not prominence or even importance, but obedience.
Pastor David Shirey tells a story he heard about the building of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. One of the foremen on the construction crew noticed that a certain stonemason was spending a lot of time on one of the gargoyles that would adorn the very top of the cathedral. Knowing they were falling behind schedule, the foreman said to the stonemason, “Why are you spending so much time on that gargoyle? Don’t you know that it’s going to be so high up that it won’t even be visible to the people below?” And the stonemason replied, “I’m not doing this for the people below.”
What we are called to do may benefit the people here below but our ultimate motivation isn’t to do it for the people below, including ourselves, but in response to God’s gift of love and grace and the call to share that gift with others.
Whether it’s every week or once a month or once a year that you are using your gifts to make a difference I thank you!
P.S. You are invited to attend the wild and crazy Follies at The Met on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door ($15) and a spaghetti dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. ($10). It will be a fun time!
Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org.
