To Serve All People Following the Example of Jesus
March 17, 2021 | Midweek Worship
Message by Divine Cubwa
What Does it Mean to serve others
Hello everyone, my name is Divine, and I just want to thank each one of you for being here. I am blessed to be with you today and look forward to sharing some of my thoughts with you. I am from Omaha Nebraska and currently living in Lincoln for school. I am a junior studying secondary English Education and am excited to one day learn from my high schoolers as they learn from me. We will be talking about what It means to serve all people following the example of Christ. As I am speaking, let the spirit work through you and around you to guide you to where you are needed. Before I begin, let us all take time to take a deep breath in and a deep breath out.
So, what does it mean to serve? What does serving one another look like? Is there only one way to serve our neighbors? 1 Peters 4:10 says that, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." We all are gifted with something that could used to help serve one another. To serve means to use the gifts that we were given to help those in need. Serving does not have to look the same, in fact, it might look different for each one of us. And sometimes serving will not be a grand gesture, will not heal the blind, deaf, or the mute. Sometimes serving will mean listening to one another. Empathizing with one another. And sharing joy with one another.
When the pandemic began, I was made aware that maybe the injustice that was happening around us, might have something to do with love, or lack thereof love. We are not serving or loving our neighbors enough. As Christians, it is embarrassing that some of us are choosing to side with hate instead of love. Ignorance over love. Convenience over love. Laziness over love. This is embarrassing. To serve means to love. To serve means to be a community and to act like a community. We are the children of God. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are a community. We need to take care of one another. We need to serve one another.
When I think of what it means to serve, I think of my mother. I think of the many times, she has had little to nothing, but still found something to give to those in need. How there is never enough time in the day, but still enough time to help a friend out. How there is never enough money, but still enough to feed our neighbors. She is persistent and consistent in her effort to serve those around her. The things that she does for others are never expensive. But it does take time, it does take patience, and it does use one of her gifts, which is love. It’s just love.
If you are having a hard time finding where you are needed, then I would start in you home-town, and maybe search up where you can volunteer. Since we are still in a pandemic, it can be difficult to help those around us, but it not impossible. This last winter, me and my partner Matthew, were able to knit some scarves for the homeless. I had not knitted anything for a really long time, but that skill and gift was one that I was very familiar with. As I poured my time and prayers into the scarves, I began to feel excited. This was something that someone could use. Something that took little effort from me, but just required my time. Together, me and Matthew, were able to create something that would help someone else. To keep them warm.
What is a gift that you have that you could share with others? Is there a friend that might need a listening ear? Could writing a letter remind someone of that they are loved? Is there something simple and easy that you can do right now to show those around you love?
As I’m attending school, I am also working at a grocery store. This was a bit frightening to do when the pandemic began, but I soon understood how much it meant to the people I was serving. Although some days are harder than others, I have found myself cheering people up in the morning, making their day, or being the listening ear. A few days ago, I talked to man who had lost his son. The man’s son had epilepsy and had passed away in his sleep. The man quietly told me about how hard it had been to not be able to see him or talk to him. As the conversation progressed, and a line grew behind him, I was able to finally say what he had seemed to need: “I will pray for him. I hope that he is experiencing nothing but peace. I will also pray for you. Please take care of yourself.” After saying this, he finally locked eyes with me, and was finally able to slightly smile.
Serving will look different for each of us. I pray that you are guided to where you are need. Peace be with.
