M.O.D. ~ Serve & Help

Sorry for the delay in posting this next article in the 'living W.O.R.S.H.I.P.' series. After finishing my papers for this semester, I'm able to return to blogging once again. This time, I'll explain the marks of 'serve' and 'help'.

Serve your neighbors to participate in Jesus' mission.

Help your fellow disciples grow in their gifts.

I'm combining these two marks into one post, because a common question I receive is: how are these different? Basically, think 'in the neighborhood' and 'in the house.' The two go together, but you obviously want to keep them distinct. No one wants a neighbor who treats the neighborhood like its their own house -- putting furniture on the lawn, leaving kids toys scattered about other families' yards, "borrowing" neighbors things without asking.

Similarly, we should not confuse serving in our neighborhoods with helping fellow disciples grow in their faith. It sets my teeth on edge when congregations give service hours to youth for doing things like hosting a fund raising meal in the congregation, or raking leaves in the church's yard, or the like. Those things aren't service; they're what you do when you're part of a family.

When I was a kid, my parents never gave me an allowance (and we don't plan to give our kids allowances either). Their philosophy was that we were to help around the house, not because we get paid for it, but simply because we're part of the family and we all pitch in. If the carpet needs vacuumed, why should I get $5 for vacuuming it? I helped get it dirty too. The rest of the family is doing their part to clean the house, so I do my part as well. That's what you do when you're part of a family.

So the mark 'serve' indicates our work beyond our church family. We discern what God is doing in the world, and we get involved in that divine action. We look for a need in our neighborhood and serve to be God's hands and feet in ministering to those in need. Rather than hosting fund raising meals in our own congregation or raking the leaves in our own church's yard, we serve by hosting a meal at a homeless shelter and raking the leaves of the elderly woman who lives down the street. We follow Jesus into our neighborhoods by the Spirit to join in reconciling the world to his Father.

The mark 'help' is similar in the fact that it too reminds us to get involved in what God is doing in other people's lives. In regards to this mark, however, the focus is on fellow disciples in the church, specifically walking along side them in their own faith journeys to discover and grow in the gifts God has given them for Jesus' mission. This is the mark of nurturing and encouraging one another to grow in God's grace.

Going back to the analogy of family allowance, there is something to be said for giving an allowance to kids. Many parents do so as a way of teaching kids how to manage money responsibly. My parents had a different way of doing this since we didn't receive allowances. They always told us, when you need money for something just come to us and ask. We'll be happy to give it to you when it meets a need.

This parenting method accomplished two things: One, it kept open the lines of communication. They knew what we were doing on weekends, what music we were listening to, what clothing we coveted and so on. Two, it taught us that when we give of our selves to contribute to the family, our needs are provided for us in abundance. Beyond our needs and daily expenses, we could buy luxury items like ball gloves and varsity jackets with the money we earned from our newspaper deliveries. We still learned to manage money including saving and tithing, but we learned it in conjunction with the lesson of being a member of a family.

Likewise, members of the church family help each other and contribute to the church family, simply because that's what church families do. Read Acts chapter 2 to see this in action. One cannot be a disciple of Jesus in isolation. The church is not a group of individuals who hang out and do stuff together, because they have similar beliefs and all like each other. Rather, the church is a community called into being for the distinct purpose of discerning God's reigning activity and participating in it for the sake of the world.

The mark 'help' is how we fine tune our antenae for discerment and exercize our gifts for participation. We help one another discover our spiritual gifts through affirmation and gratitude. We help each other see what God is doing in our lives by providing another perspective along one's faith journey. We help fellow disciples grow in their gifts by making ourselves available to the church family when they are worshiping, when they are leading a ministry, when they are studying scripture, when they are serving our neighbors, when they are praying, and when they are in need.

As with the other marks of discipleship in 'living W.O.R.S.H.I.P.', when cutting a covenant think specifics. Who am I going to serve in my neighborhood? Maybe I'll serve through a charity organization, or maybe I'll serve one person I know at school or on my block. Ask your self, what is the need and what is God already doing in reconciling that need to the wholeness of shalom? Again, who am I going to help? Maybe there is one person you have in mind that needs affirmation to recognize a gift that Holy Spirit has given her or him. Maybe there is a ministry event that you can make your self available to participate in it every time. Ask your self, who do I see could use some company in walking their journey of faith?