It’s a common human desire to receive honor, glory, and power for oneself. Even Jesus’ disciples were not immune from the lust for status. James and his brother, John, asked Jesus to allow them to sit, one on his right, the other on his left, in his coming kingdom—two positions of power and prestige. In response to their request, Jesus called all his disciples together and said, “whoever would be great among you must be your servant.” Then he added, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 ESV). Here was the Master Teacher, the Lord of the universe, God incarnate explaining that his own work was not for himself but to serve others, to give up his life to set others free. Here is the God who serves.
Because Jesus gave up his life on the cross, all who become his disciples are drawn into his life of service. Through the Holy Spirit, God equips and enables Christians to look out for the interests of others rather than focus on themselves. At Emmanuel, we strive to follow in the footsteps of the Savior as he gives strength. We seek to serve one another in our congregation as well as those in other churches or in no church at all. We serve because Christ first served us. We consider ourselves weak and feeble but we rejoice in the thought that Jesus said that his power is perfected in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). In other words, we take no credit for our service. On the contrary, we hope that our service points the whole world to the Greatest Servant ever to have lived, Jesus Christ.
We invite you to join with us in serving God, his people, and the world through Christ. Opportunities to serve abound and there’s a place for you.