Servanthood

We did it up big for Thanksgiving. Just about everything was made from scratch ingredients bought at Aldi's. And with (more than) a little help from the grown-ups, the teen guys served the ladies in the basement of West Bethel a grandiose meal with about twelve courses. We made that old, decrepit basement look as fancy as possible, stringing up white Christmas lights, lighting candles, and using table decorations. I wanted something about servanthood to be learned; we can tie that into to Thanksgiving easily by remembering Jesus who became the ultimate Man and the ultimate Servant in the gospel. In a way, the night was an allegory of the church. Some of the guys resented the idea of servanthood enough to stay out of play. Others came into Man Time and avoided work until they could benefit from the servanthood of others. Still others served for a time with mixed motivations. Finally, it was Sam and Tyler that went all the way with bow ties, vests, and a rag on their arm, Tyler spitting the periodical French-like elocution. They didn't even eat until the very end; I was impressed. There were thirty-nine people at dinner that night, but among both the guys and the girls, maybe only two of them caught hold of a vision of counter-cultural, Jesus-following manliness. We closed the night with our newly established vision for the church as a toast. "To praying constantly and courageously. To reaching and discipling. To raising up Christian leaders."

Matthew 20:25-28

“But Jesus called them over and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and the men of high position exercise power over them. It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life - a ransom for many.’”