” For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many ” (Matthew 10:45). “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant ” (Philippians 2:5-7a). ” Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant ” (Matthew 20:26b-27).
As we come into this season of Christmas, our days turn towards the buying of gifts and baking cookies; our eyes town towards the bright light displays; our noses turn towards the yummy smells; and our hands to wrapping and cleaning and preparing. How important it is then, when there are so many pulls on our lives, to keep our hearts turned toward Jesus. It’s so easy to think that we’re turned toward Him when we’re celebrating the day of His birth, but unless the person of Jesus Christ is first and foremost in our heart, then we’re not really celebrating Him.
Who is this Jesus?
One of the best ways for us to keep the person of Jesus Christ at the forefront of our hearts is to spend some time thinking about one aspect of Jesus as a person. Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, came to earth and ” took upon Him the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). Jesus, who deserved all glory and laud and honor, ” came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 10:45). The King of the Universe came to this world as our Messiah with the express purpose of dying to save us from our sins and to display for us what it meant to minister to the lives of others. He displayed for us exactly what we are to be – servants. ” Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren ” (1 John 3:16).
Our Call
God calls us to be His hands and feet extended to a lost and dying world. We are called to ” Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ ” (Galatians 6:2). ” Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord ” (I Corinthians 15:58). ” Serve the LORD with gladness ” (Psalm 100:2). The Lord calls us to service to Him and service to others. Indeed, as we serve others, we are serving Him.
” And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal ” (Matthew 25:40-46). Whenever we reach out to those around us, we are reaching our to Jesus Himself.
The Christmas Servant
The call of God upon our lives is to lay down our lives in service to others. Indeed, ” Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends “(John 15:13). It’s so easy in this season of Christmas to focus on showing love by buying the perfect gift or cooking the perfect meal, but God calls us to love each other by serving each other. So, as you approach this season of Christmas stop for a minute and just think. How can you serve those around you? Perhaps it’s not finding the perfect gift for your grandmother, but also to help her to get all her Christmas cookies baked. Perhaps it’s not choosing the perfect purse color for a friend, but also helping her to move the heavy piece of furniture in her living room. Perhaps it’s not getting the Christmas songs just right in the choir, but also making sure that those shut-ins who can’t sing any longer can hear the carols as well. These are the sorts of things that Jesus is concerned about this holiday season. Friends, what a Saviour we have to celebrate! What a Lord we have to lead us! What a Friend we have to guide us! What a God we have to love us! What a gift we have to share. Merry Christmas.