Friday, September 19, 2003
If you eat out occasionally, you know that the servers can range from helpful to rude to attentive to invisible. I guess customers can, too. But some of the women on our staff were really impressed the other night with the way their waiter went out of his way to take care of them. It was a Mexican restaurant, and every time their salsa was about half gone, he would notice and he'd quickly bring more; same with the chips. And when they asked for a special dressing for the chips, he made sure they had plenty all night. And later, when they tried to put their leftovers in the plastic container, he said, "Please, no. I'll do it. That's my job." He insisted on putting the containers in a bag for them! They were really impressed with his service. And then he brought the check with his name stamped on it - and they were blown away. It just said, "Thank you. Jesus."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Most Powerful Person In The Room."
Well, okay, the server's name was officially Jesús. But his unselfish, "What can I do for you?" spirit, offered by a man with Jesus' name, said a lot to my friends. I don't know what his relationship is with Jesus, but he understands how one who bears His name should live.
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 20:25, and it spells out the rare and radical lifestyle that should make a believer stand out as much as that waiter did that night. Jesus says, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
The highest title in the kingdom of God is not chairman, or pastor, or president - it's servant. Because that is the role your Master chose, the Ruler of the galaxies, the Prince of glory, the One who washes dirty feet touches those no one will touch, loves those who can ruin His reputation, lays down His life for those who have no use for Him.
Oh, but how we love to be served, to have things revolve around us - the conversation, the attention. How we tend to want people to meet our needs instead of living to meet the needs of others. Our nature is to be self-serving, especially at home with the people we should be serving most.
But Jesus proved over and over that the one who is there with a servant spirit is ultimately the most powerful person in the room. People listen to someone who's all about serving them. They confide in someone who's all about them. They trust them. They remember them. So at work where you have so much pressure, do people see you as the busy, self-absorbed co-worker, or the one person who makes them feel cared for and important? When you're with your family, do you want them to revolve around you - or are you putting them first? At church, in your ministry, is it about promoting you or promoting others?
One "Touched By an Angel" episode showed one of the angels - in their human form, of course - washing the dirty feet of a very unsavory man. When he objected, she looked up at him with a pained expression and said, "I must do this. It helps me remember who I am." A servant. That's who you "am," too, if you bear the name of Christ - a Christ one, a Christian. You're a life signed by Jesus, and that means you do not "come to be served, but to serve."