What does it mean to serve?
Posted 11/01/2021 by The Rev. Brandon Ashcraft
It’s impossible to perfectly describe St. Paul’s in just four words. But our new identity statement comes very close: ‘Seeking. Serving. Loving. Together.’
This succinct statement captures the essence of the St. Paul’s community. And we can trust it will resonate with potential newcomers, inviting them to discover what we have found. The universal appeal of these four words is part of their beauty. It also means we’re not alone in claiming them. Royal Caribbean, Triple-A and McDonald’s – to name just a few – also highlight seeking, serving, and loving as core to their identity. Undoubtedly, our interpretation of these concepts will find little in common with a cruise line or a fast-food restaurant. But if an outsider asked us to articulate our interpretation, what would our answer be? If asked to paint a picture of what these concepts mean to us, what would that picture look like?
In our Sunday Forums, we’ve begun the important work of bringing these concepts into sharper relief. We’re looking carefully at each of them through the tried-and-true lenses of Scripture, Tradition and Reason. In the first few weeks of our Forums, we had rich and lively discussions about what ‘seeking’ means to us, and we’ve recently turned our sights to ‘serving.’
The ancient words of scripture help to clarify our unique understanding of ‘serving.’ In John’s Gospel, on the night before his death, Jesus offers a powerful image for the vocation of Christian service. In an act that confounds his disciples, Jesus - their Teacher and Lord - kneels before the disciples and, one by one, washes their feet. And Jesus follows this concrete act of humble service with concrete instructions: “I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” By relinquishing his power and authority to perform an act of menial service, Jesus reveals just one paradox of many that defines his kingdom: namely, that power is displayed in weakness and strength is revealed humility. Jesus’ posture, which so powerfully embodies this paradox, is the posture we seek to emulate as we serve.
Last week, I joined a group of about a dozen parishioners to take a meal to 2100 Lakeside, the men’s homeless shelter. Before we left the church, we prayed together in the parking lot. In our prayer, we recalled the parable Jesus tells in the 25th chapter of Matthew. The moral of this parable is that when we give food to one who is hungry, we are feeding Jesus himself. “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). With these words, Jesus claims solidarity with the poor and marginalized. In our baptism, we promise to “serve Christ in all persons.” This promise commits us to service that will take us to the margins – places like the homeless shelter – where by feeding those who are hungry, we are feeding Christ himself.
Living into our identity as a community that serves is one of the joys of life at St. Paul’s. As we do, we should keep Jesus’ example at the forefront of our minds. In the months to come, hundreds of Afghan refugees who have fled war and persecution will arrive in the Cleveland area. How might we kneel before them and wash their feet? If we answer this question with humble acts of service, we might just paint a picture that speaks for itself.
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