Belmont University - Freshmen First Forty DaysSample

Day 33 – Service

I may never forget the experience. I was with a group of students in El Paso, TX, exploring issues of justice and ministry along the US/Mexico Border. I don’t think any of us had undue expectations that our weeklong immersion into life on the border was going to change the world, but we certainly all expected that our time there would be useful, that we could bring our skills and passions to bear on such a difficult issue.

So when, on our first night there, we found out that our activity was not, in fact, a service project but a chance to cook authentic Mexican food with a woman from Juarez, it was hard not to be a little disappointed or even puzzled. I mean, I love gorditas, but how in the world would this help anyone?

The three passages from today confront us in our desires to “change the world.” In Luke’s gospel, we encounter what Jesus presents as the heart of the gospel: we must make ourselves one with those whom we most despise, in humility and grace. In Philippians, we realize that the very basis of our discipleship—woven into the fabric of the universe—is our willingness to work with and on behalf of others.

And in Ephesians, we learn to praise God not because of what Jesus did for us, but because of his willingness to become like us. Often, I think we want to change the world through acts of service because, in fact, acts of service are very often ways to stay distant from, apart from, folks who receive our service.

Back to El Paso. That night, I experienced something radical, and I mean radical in the gospel sense. As we prepared a feast, stumbling through language barriers and the unfamiliar intimacy of cooking together, it began to dawn on each of us that surely this is the heart of gospel service. That we, as best we can, refuse to exploit our positions of power but instead humble ourselves to become like those we would serve.

This is not to suggest that we shouldn’t do good on behalf of others; of course we should. But it is a gospel reminder that doing good starts with giving up the very tools, the very power, that makes us distinct from those we serve.

Micah Weedman | Associate University Minister & Director of Outreach