Wednesday, March 20,
2013 Philippians
2:5-11
Jay Hardcastle
“Have this mind among yourselves, which you have in
Christ Jesus, who, though he was born in the form of God, did not count
equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form
of a servant… he humbled himself and became obedient unto death….”
I think a lot about servants theses days.
How could I not? British servants, tending to a wilting aristocracy, dominate
the television schedule. Next up on the Sunday evening lineup is a darker
vision of servanthood, with a documentary on American slavery and those who
sought to end it taking the stage. The movies offer no respite, with Mr.
Tarentino’s gory tale of a slave enlisted in a violent revenge drama and a
famous British actor’s portrayal of Lincoln on the eve of emancipation. The Help lingers on the bookshelves.
Servanthood and slavery provide the characters, the backstory, and the
principal thematic material for – at the time I write – the biggest hit on TV (Downton Abbey), two of the ten top
grossing movies (Django and Lincoln), and the featured documentary
on public television (The Abolitionists).
Downton Abbey is the hottest thing on
TV in my circle since…well… Roots.
The last would be first if only they could get a piece of the royalties.
I think a
lot about servants these days. But how many of us really see ourselves as
servants? So tempting to focus on the role of master. Our daily lives are
filled both with serving and being served : at the checkout aisle at the
grocery, someone tends to us; when we get the groceries home we tend to the
meals for those in our care. The doctor plays the role of “served” when dealing
with her staff, but the roles reverse when the patient enters the exam room.
Doctors and patients, lawyers and clients, mothers and children, teacher and
pupil, pastor and congregant – all the players in these roles play other roles
as well, their status as served and server shifting from moment to moment depending
on the context. I suspect that if you are like me, you don’t see yourself
primarily as a servant, and when you do feel the reality of your servanthood
-- as the demands of your family and
business press upon you -- you don’t always see servanthood as a path to peace.
(I sometimes see it as a path to scotch).
I think a
lot about servants these day, but I should think even more about honing in on my role as one -- more about cultivating that role, expanding
that role, until the master has only a bit part and the servant gets all the
good lines.
Prayer: Dear God, help me to find my role as your
servant in daily life. Amen.
Daily
Challenge: Decline
one opportunity to be in charge or get your way each day of Lent, and let the
call to service come to the fore.
No comments:
Post a Comment