Sarah Walker - November 25, 2018
Serve Everyone Always
While musicians are touring or actors are on set, they will often have a rider - a list of extras they expect to receive for their performances. Usually, riders include a list of items to be left in their dressing room including food and beverages. Generally, the more fame a person gains, the more ridiculous their demands become. On their 1982 tour, Van Halen’s rider insisted on bowls of M&M’s with all the brown ones removed. David Hasselhoff requires a life-size cutout of himself set up backstage. Brittany Spears requests McDonalds cheeseburgers with no buns, and Jenifer Lopez demands that every single thing in her dressing room be white - the chairs, the curtains, the carpet - everything. The craziest part is, these demands are met! These celebrities have such a high opinion of themselves that they demand whatever they want and expect other people to make it happen. It’s all about them and meeting their every need because they hold the power. They want to be served, because they are the most important. Most of us can’t imagine demanding people serve us in this way, but we can easily get caught up in that, ‘All about me’ mindset. We can be quick to trample over those who are beneath us, and push people out of the way as we climb towards the top. Ancient Rome, not unlike today, was a society where a small minority at the top held all the power and control, and didn’t care much for those who were at the bottom. It was all about climbing the ladder and making yourself more important. But Jesus came to show us a different way of living. He entered the world in the position of a servant. He didn’t demand power, he didn’t exploit people because he was in a position of authority, in fact, he made himself nothing. He poured himself out for people and showed us that what is required from Christ-followers is a posture of humility and an attitude of service. Not so that we can get ahead or elevate ourselves, but that we might live lives that put others first and be satisfied, because our identities lie in who God is, rather than the position we hold in the world.
Scripture References: John 13:3-17
From Series: "Everyone Always"
The way we treat people matters. As Christians, we are called to treat everyone in the same way that Jesus did. Join us as we explore what it means to follow Jesus in the way we interact with everyone, always.
