‘Every baptized Christian is baptized for service.’ (John Tiller: A Strategy for the Church's Ministry, 1983)
When I was a theological student, many decades ago, a report was published: a Strategy for the Church’s Ministry. It contained radical thinking about the way that parish ministry was structured. For the most part, it was quickly forgotten. However, one phrase stuck in my mind. ‘Every baptized Christian is baptized for service.’
Yesterday, we witnessed the coronation of our king. It was a moving and meaningful ceremony. It began with this same reminder of service, as King Charles quoted from the Bible. He came in the name of God, the King of kings: ‘In his name and after his example I come not to be served but to serve.’
Not to be served, but to serve.
John Tiller, in his report suggests that membership of God’s family brings obligations as well as privileges. King Charles reminded us of this same truth. We may not all be called to be monarchs, but we are called to serve, in whatever capacity we may find ourselves. It is surely significant that the word ‘minister’ means ‘servant’. It comes from the Latin. Ministers of state are servants of the state, just as civil servants have the task of serving the community. King Charles reminded us that even monarchs are servants. Their function is to serve their people.
And as members of the Body of Christ, we are baptised to service. That’s a sobering thought. How many times have you heard it said, ‘Something ought to be done’? Or maybe you have said, ‘Some-one should do something about that?’ How easy it is to say, ‘the church should take a stand on that issue’, meaning ‘them up there’. The bishops, the establishment; but be careful – who is the church? Whenever we point a finger at someone else, we must be aware that we have three other fingers pointing back at ourselves.
As members of God’s family, we belong to a community. We can’t avoid being part of that community. Our faith is personal – it’s essential that we come to a personal faith in the God who gave us life, but faith also has a corporate dimension. At the heart of our faith is the call to love both God, and our neighbour. Faith, if it is genuine, has to look outwards. To love God demands that we must trust in Him, and in that trust, loving our neighbour compels us to look outwards, in attitude, and service. You can’t love your neighbour if your door is permanently locked.
Near the beginning of the faith story, in the book of Genesis, comes the story of Cain and Abel. Cain, out of jealousy, strikes his brother dead. When the Lord asks him for an account of Abel, he makes the famous retort, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ The Lord’s implied reply makes it abundantly clear, ‘Yes, you jolly well are!’
We can’t turn our backs on other members of the community. So where do we begin?
On our knees. The way to serve others is first of all by coming to God, seeking forgiveness and the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. Through the Holy Spirit, we are given peace and power. Through the prompting of the Spirit we begin to see things from God’s perspective, and grow in our capacity to love. So we pray for others – that’s an expression of concern for them. But of course, it would be a cop-out if we left it at that. Prayer, if it is to be genuine, must surely lead to action. As we pray, expect that God will change us, and alter our perspective on things. Prayer gives us the motivation to serve God.
If we remember the reason why we serve – in the name of him who gave his life as a ransom for many – that will ensure that we do our service for the right reasons – not for self-glorification, not to serve our personal aims, but in order that God’s will may be achieved. We are called to work in the service of His kingdom. Each of us has a different part to play, different responsibilities, different abilities. Maybe we’re not all called to be monarchs, but service is universal, whether we may be Prime Minister, or minister of state for helping the old lady next door. As we take our place: love God, love our neighbour as ourselves, then His work will be achieved, and we will see the kingdom of God growing amongst us.
I conclude with a very old and well-known prayer, written by Ignatius Loyola, extremely valid and meaningful for kings and everyone who belongs to the Body of Christ:
Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labour and not to look for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will. Amen.
Comments