Mennonite
Mission Network seeks to recruit people of all ages across the church
to serve in the way of Jesus. I am thrilled that we are able to do this.
I have no doubt that this is what Jesus calls us to be about—to serve
others.
I am, however, fully in touch with the challenge that
agencies like ours face as we seek to attract participation in our
service programs. To attract applicants we must catalog the gains that
might accrue to participants as a result of their service:
- Build
networks and connections with individuals in your chosen field. - Explore options for what you would like to do in your education or
professional career. - Build your resumé or portfolio through
experiences and skills.
And, there is gain—don’t get me wrong. But I do
sometimes wonder whether service is devalued when personal, material or
career gains are held up as the foremost reasons to serve. Whatever the
initial motivation, I am heartened by testimonies from service
participants who speak to the numerous intangible benefits that often
surface as a result of service. Here are a few:
- We expand our
perspectives by working with and learning from people of different
races, cultures, ages, and life experiences. - We learn to live, and
experience new things, outside of our comfort zones. - We broaden our
horizons and learn new things that are of interest to us personally or
professionally. - We make new friends and have fun while helping the
communities where we serve. - We can focus on the practical
application of our education (both theoretical and experiential).
We develop creativity in solving or addressing a social issue that
impacts the community where we serve. Again, these are wonderful
enrichments to our lives as a result of serving. Yet, however laudable
and worthy these reasons are for serving, they, too, cannot be the
primary reason for service.
Simply put, we serve because Jesus, whom
we follow, served others and invites us to serve as well. We serve for
the privilege of glimpsing the possibilities that come from following
Jesus’ example. He offers us this insight into service in Luke
22:24-27:
Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was
considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the
Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them
call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead,
the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who
rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the
table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But
I am among you as one who serves.”
We serve for the satisfaction that
comes from knowing that as we serve, we:
- Allow our lives to be
shaped by the example of Jesus. - Contribute to making a difference
for healing and hope in the lives of others. - Leave the world a
better place than we found it. - Share a common humanity with every
member of the human family, because our destinies are bound.
It is
because of reasons like these that our service becomes transformative
for ourselves and, hopefully, for that little corner of the world we
serve. Perhaps, also, in the mystery of God’s grace, the kingdom is
advanced.
