Chaplain’s Note
Service of others is a sign of maturity and is therefore an essential area for development in our journey from the self-centredness of the toddler to the other-person-centredness of the wise.
For the Christian, service is a response to God’s love for us in Jesus Christ that teaches us to live like Jesus through specific, tangible actions that contribute to the dignity and well-being of the people we serve.
In many ways we don’t need a faith commitment to Jesus in order to help others. Lots of people whose religious affections and spiritual orientations are not affiliated with Jesus act in genuine and meaningful ways to seek the good of people beyond themselves. Yet serving others is an essential practice of our Christian faith as a school.
In Acts 20:35 we hear the Apostle Paul speak from his own example, “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help those in need, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
To say this differently, not everyone who serves is a Christian, but everyone who follows Jesus Christ is called to serve. So, it is only right that in spending time in an Anglican school, you will encounter this motivation for service.
In learning to engage in service as a practice that shapes our own formation, the Christian can benefit from asking three questions:
- How will I remember and respond to God’s love for me today?
- What specific, tangible actions can I take to live like Jesus?
- How can those actions be directed in ways that “look to the interests” (or, to the dignity and well-being) of others?
These questions cannot guarantee that we will suddenly love others as Jesus loved us. In fact, if your experience is similar to mine, you might even become more aware of how often you don’t live like Jesus. But by keeping these kinds of questions in front of us, we are giving our attention to the mindset of service Jesus exemplified.
In Scripture we see a wide variety of ways in which God’s people are called to serve others. There is room to experiment with what the practice of service can look like in your life. Wednesday’s assembly contaied some ideas and additional resources related to service that can help you discern some potential next steps for you. We heard from an Old Cranbrookian, Geoff Coombes, who shared with us a whole school initiative (STRYDE4). We also heard from Zana Bowen, a representative from World Vision Australia, which in their own words, is a Christian charitable organisation which hears Jesus’ “call to servanthood and see the example of his life.” (Strong Women Strong World).
At its best, service is not just an activity but an attitude. One we hope you will learn through habit but also by having the same regard for others that God has for you. In doing so I hope we all learn the blessing of giving, whether in time, energy, advocacy or financially, to the betterment of others. Service which recognises other people’s dignity can help change their destiny and our own maturity.
Rev R.G. Farraway
Chaplain