New Reminders: Service

There are many kinds of services, from the services we pay for to the services performed out of kindness.  Generally, services are helpful acts preformed for the benefit of others.  From public servants such as nurses, police officers, garbage collectors and military troops to spiritual advisers, aid workers, grandmothers and Sunday school children all have a role in helping services to make other’s lives, better, easier or more pleasant.  From a child setting the table to help his mother, to a soldier who gives his life for his country, the performance of such acts require effort from the servant.  Motivations for that effort vary greatly.

Some people perform services as a job for pay, as a way of making a living, to provide for themselves and their families.  Others may be motivated by exposure such as film or TV personalities or politicians who volunteer or are requested to present a public-service announcement or engage in service work.  Still others, volunteer to help in times of natural or man-made disasters or in places where there is a need for help, such as in areas where immigrants or refugees are arriving and need basic necessities, or where extreme poverty or scarcities exist.  Whole groups might organize mission trips to where help is needed.  Churches and non-profit organizations often help sponsor such groups.

Our own UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) is one such organization.  They operate almost exclusively with volunteer labor so that every dollar possible is spent on the causes they support.  UMCOR volunteers are often the first in and the last to leave where help is needed after floods, fires or other disasters.  They provide labor and material goods like school supplies, furniture, housing materials, farm tools, animals and seeds in this country and around the world.  Church members donate money and goods, and volunteers visit UMCOR warehouses in Illinois and Tennessee to help put kits, desks, school and cleaning supplies together for ease of transport.  Other organizations such as the American Red Cross perform similar services.  One difference is that their administrative staff are often well paid.

Selfless acts of kindness are often motivated by compassion.  Empathy for people with a wide variety of needs can inspire people to volunteer, donate and serve. 

"For even the Son of God did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” One central element of sacrifice and selfless love is service. Mark 10:45

"Each of you should use whatever gifts you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.  Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." Peter 4:10-11.