All to play for - Christian to serve

I'm preaching on Sunday on Mark 10:35-45, which is (as all of God's Word is!) one of those passages which the more you look at it the more it says to you. The whole section builds up to the model Jesus sets us in rescuing us on the cross, verse 45; 'For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'

Jesus, the eternal ruler, was prepared to serve his people, prepared even to die for his people; what's challenged me this week is this question - what am I prepared to do for Jesus' people? Do I serve them as we gather as a church, and throughout the week, with everything I have?

It strikes me that we need to learn how to serve, and a good place to start (as with the disciples in this passage) is in our relationship with other Christians gathered together, what we call church. How can we serve others at church?

- Why not come ten minutes early? Then you can help with last-minute preparations, and if there's nothing to do you can chat to someone.

- Afterwards, pick up service sheets or litter. There's always some, and someone's got to do it - why don't you?

- Introduce yourself to someone you don't know each week. It's not an easy thing to do (but then, neither was Jesus' service), and it's really welcoming if someone welcomes you 'out of the blue'.

- Sign up to do a job that isn't particularly glamorous. We all like jobs like doing children's addresses, or taking biscuits round - easy jobs - what about lugging chairs about, picking up rubbish, cleaning toilets, etc - there are never as many volunteers for those

- Lastly, if you are involved in a group at church, think about whether that group serves the other Christians or expects to be served by them. For instance, choirs and music groups often think they are serving people - but actually the whole service is planned around what they're doing and when they want to do it, and woe betide anyone who tries to meddle with what the music leader/choirmaster wants! Groups should serve the church, not the other way round.

After all, if Jesus had demanded to be served, and decided that he would put himself first and everyone could fit round what he wanted, there wouldn't be a church because there wouldn't have been a cross. So, as Mark 10:43 puts it, 'whoever wants to become great among you must be your SERVANT.'