INWARD SHAPE OF THE SERVANT By Dr. Maria Russell Kenney
The “inward shape of the servant” …What does this mean? It is an important point to consider, because the “how” of our service is intimately tied to the “why.” Why are Christians called to be servants? We can start by explicitly stating why we do not serve. Perhaps most importantly, we do not serve to earn salvation. “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith,” declares Paul, “and this is not of your own doing, it is the gift of God,” (Eph. 2:8). We do not try to work, or serve, our way into heaven. Nor do we serve out of fear. We are not children who live in fear
6
life of servanthood ∙ asburyseminary.edu
of our parents’ anger, setting the table and washing the dishes so that we will not be grounded. Neither do we serve for public recognition or personal gain. Jesus warned his listeners not to perform their service with an eye to the audience, to be praised by those who are watching. Far too often, Christian “charity” and “mission” become occasions for self-promotion. How easy it is to make a public occasion of our ministry, thinking all the while: “I’m gonna get a really good photo-op out of this.” This type of service inevitably widens the divide between donor and recipient, between “us” and “them”. It makes us look good and feel good; and truly, we will have received our reward (Mt. 6:2). Finally, we do not serve out of duty. We may set aside fear; we may eschew self-interest; but serving from a sense of burdensome obligation seems to be in a different category. It is not as obvious a theological mistake as works righteousness, and it is not as “worldly” as greed or vainglory. Serving from a sense of duty seems serious, spiritual, even sanctified. However, duty for its own sake is a sterile likeness of the true sense of Christian service, reflecting an obligation or a compulsion to service that John Wesley identified as “almost Christian.” Service that is separated from faith
