Could you measure success by service?

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Opinion

April 19, 2019 - 4:40 PM

After Thursday night, I’ll never see my pastor in the same light.

He washed my feet.

And yes, those of others, as an example of Jesus’s humility to his disciples during the Maundy Thursday service.

To show God’s love, we are to be servants to one another.

So there was our new pastor, the Rev. Dan Daniels, working the room on bended knee with a pitcher and basin in tow. I marveled at his ability to show how at its most vulnerable, love is its most powerful.

 

MY UNDERSTANDING of Christianity is pretty limited.

I’ve never officially studied religion and, as such, am probably someone whom scholars wish would keep quiet.

My short take is that despite Jesus’ gruesome crucifixion we rally over the premise that love is stronger than death.

We don’t really want to dwell over why Jesus was killed. In fact, current leaders hold that only “losers” get captured, which doesn’t cast Jesus in a very good light. 

And in terms of success, well Jesus was a poor role model.

Americans still hold on to an ideal of self-sufficiency: Enough money will secure us respect as well as seal us off from life’s pitfalls.

Which my bones — and life experiences — tell me is a bunch of hooey.

Nobody is immune to making painful, life-altering mistakes. And is there anyone so insufferable as those who pretend they have led perfect lives? 

Where we err is when we let our mistakes keep us from moving forward. Forgiveness is a heck of a gift, but yet so difficult to accept. How many of us let fear of forgiveness — mostly by ourselves — keep us from making needed changes?

The things that make us feel most alive are when we are able to recover from setbacks, when we dare to take advantage of new opportunities, meet new people or turn success on its head by showing your measure is by service, such as washing another’s feet. 

 

THOUGH THURSDAY night’s service was somber, I celebrated the community of fellowship. I appreciated the time to mourn Jesus’ death, though haunted by the pain and tragedy of it all. I wondered if it could serve as a reminder of mankind’s role in the violence in the world today.

As each candle was snuffed out, signifying Christ’s death, the light within the congregation seemed to grow stronger. 

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