In Mark 10 Jesus tells His disciples what the future holds for Him: suffering, humiliation and death. Immediately after, James and John come to Him and ask to sit one on His right hand and one on His left hand when He comes to glory. Jesus is angered by this request. Have they not understood His example and all that He is teaching them? His followers are not like the rulers of the Gentiles who find greatness by exercising authority and ruling through tyranny!
Jesus explains that to be great in the Kingdom one must be servant of all. The message of Jesus is that His followers must share His life and His values and must love and serve others as He does. That is our obligation and mission as His followers: to live a life of service to others.
Service takes many forms. Each of us serves in our own way according to our talents and resources. In my personal journey, I have found service to be deeply rewarding, usually feeling that I have received a far greater reward than those to whom I have rendered service.
One form of service that I personally take very seriously is my obligation to support my church and my community with financial contributions. From childhood my parents modeled to me the obligation of service both through actions and through financial support. Through my experience as church treasurer, I became acutely aware of the needs of our church, not only for our active participation and service, but also for our financial support in order to do its work in the world. I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to support my church and feel enriched by my contributions to the work of the church.
Each of us has a responsibility to be faithful servants to our church and church community. Our financial contributions are vital to the ability of St. John’s to continue to feed our spirits through it programs. How better to show our gratitude for His presence in our lives than through both personal and financial service?
I give to St. John’s of my time and resources with gratitude for its contributions to my life and the lives of all those it touches. It is not only my obligation to serve the Lord but also my privilege to serve by supporting the mission of Christ through the institution that supports and sustains me.