#6 Living a Life of Service

26 Mar

Time Stamps

00:00 - Welcome from Dan and Anna
04:05 - Talk: The Secret Ingredient of Spiritual Formation with Matt Edmundson
08:30 - The "Do to Be" Lie That Keeps Us Exhausted
13:45 - How Serving Transforms the Server
17:32 - Jesus' Radical Vision of Greatness Through Service
23:05 - Finding Time to Serve in an Overloaded Life
30:33 - Conversation Street: Small Moments of Service in a Busy World
42:18 - The Transformative Power of Intentional Presence

The Secret Ingredient of Spiritual Formation

On Palm Sunday, as we continued our journey through the "Becoming Whole" series, Matt Edmundson tackled a topic that goes straight to the heart of what it means to follow Jesus – service. In a culture obsessed with climbing ladders and building platforms, Matt invited us to consider how living a life of service might be the key to spiritual wholeness that many of us are missing.

Finding Yourself Where You Need to Be

Matt opened with a personal story about his unexpected gap year at a children's home in North Carolina. "I was not a Christian at this point," he shared, "but if I look back, I can definitely see that God orchestrated the whole affair... It wasn't where I personally planned to be. It wasn't where I expected to be, but it was where I needed to be because it was here that God met me and I became a Christian."

This theme – that serving others often leads us to places we didn't expect but desperately need – set the stage for a challenging exploration of how service shapes our spiritual formation.

Matt turned to Philippians 2:3-7 where Paul writes: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourself, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage, rather he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant."

The implications are stunning. If Jesus – who as God had every right to demand service – chose instead to serve, what does that mean for how we approach life?

Breaking Free from the "Do to Be" Lie

One of the most powerful insights from Matt's talk was his exploration of what he called the "do to be lie" – the false belief that our worth is measured by our works and our identity shaped by our achievements.

"If we head back, for example, to the Garden of Eden, the devil promised that if Adam and Eve did something, they would be something: eat the fruit and be like God. 'Do to be.' And it was a lie, a massive lie, that Adam and Eve bought hook, line and sinker... And we are still doing it today."

This lie manifests in our approach to service too. We serve to be seen, to be valued, to be considered good Christians. But as Matt pointed out, "Adam and Eve were already enough. God made them enough. He has made you enough."

The revolutionary truth that changes our approach to service is this: "We serve not to be, but to genuinely help bring God's kingdom on earth."

During Conversation Street, Dan and Anna unpacked how this shift in motivation transforms our approach to serving. "It's do things out of love, rather than do things to be loved," Anna observed. "It's a subtle difference, but it's massive as well – do things because you know you're loved by God, not to earn God's love, because you already have it."

How Serving Shapes Us

Why does service matter so much in our journey toward wholeness? Matt explained that serving is built on two key foundations of God's kingdom: humility and love.

"Humility teaches us to look beyond ourselves, to see the needs and the values of others as equal, if not more important than our own. Then there's love, the driving force and motivation of serving. Love gives without seeking anything in return. It's as though God is using our hands and our feet to extend his love to others, we get to be a part of that, which is incredible, it's a privilege."

Serving shapes us by challenging our inherent selfishness and replacing it with a spirit of generosity and compassion. Or as Matt put it, "Serving transforms the server. It's a double whammy, a genuine win. We bless others and in so doing we are blessed, we are transformed, we become whole."

This transformation happens because serving aligns us with Jesus' definition of greatness. Quoting Mark 10:43-45, Matt highlighted how Jesus turns our cultural understanding of success upside down: "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all, for even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

In God's kingdom, we don't climb to greatness – we serve our way there. "The highest honour is achieved not by towering over others, but by lifting others above ourselves," Matt explained.

Finding Time to Serve in a Maxed-Out World

Perhaps the most practical challenge Matt addressed was how to make time for serving when most of us already feel overwhelmed by our existing commitments.

"The very uncomfortable truth here is that we have to come to terms with, we all have the same 24 hours in the day," Matt acknowledged. "We are all equal in terms of time... Once it's spent, it's gone. And there is no secret out there that is going to give us more time."

This reality forces us to be intentional about our priorities. But beyond simply managing our time better, Matt suggested a more profound shift in perspective:

"I think Jesus shows us something a little different. I think he shows us that serving others isn't just about finding more time in our already packed schedules. It's about serving in the moment."

During Conversation Street, Anna picked up on this theme: "When we talk about serving... we often think about doing the big things like, it's great to do those big projects, go and volunteer for a charity or a soup kitchen or go and feed the homeless... But it's also those small moments... you can actually really serve people and encourage people and make a difference in someone else's day in those small moments."

Dan added: "If you read the Gospels, there's so much out there where Jesus sees people in that moment, doesn't he? He doesn't ignore them... He wasn't just in his own world, he was watching all those little things that happen."

The Challenge of Being Present

One of the most convicting insights from the discussion was about how our constant distraction prevents us from serving in the moment. As Anna confessed, "I'm so often, I'm terrible for this, I'm always like half here, half checking emails, waiting in a queue in the supermarket, but also doing something else on my phone at the same time... and then I'm not fully present to the person that's serving me."

This distraction isn't just robbing us of meaningful human connection – it's robbing us of opportunities to serve. "If I could just be a bit more present in the moment," Anna reflected, "I might not miss these opportunities to serve people in small ways."

The discussion prompted Dan to commit to being more intentional in his conversations: "Perhaps I could be a bit more intentional in my questions and in my listening. So when someone says, 'I'm fine,' just ask another question... just to move that conversation from being an automatic response to actually caring and spending time thinking about someone else."

Your Serving Audit

Matt concluded his talk with a practical challenge – to conduct a "serving audit" over the coming week.

"This isn't about crunching numbers like an accountant. This is about introspection. This is about asking God in prayer if there's anything in your serving that needs tweaking... Write it down. Write what God is saying and share it with us. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open to the needs of those around you. And when you spot an opportunity to do good, don't hesitate, embrace it."

During Conversation Street, Anna embraced this idea enthusiastically: "I really like that idea of going away and thinking about it prayerfully regularly and saying how much of my time am I serving others and in what ways, and is this still working or do I want to serve somewhere different for a while?"

The audit isn't just about adding more service to our lives, but about ensuring our service flows from the right place – not from obligation or the need to be seen, but from love and a desire to partner with God in His work.

As Dan observed, "God is love... We serve out of love and out of that overflow and overspill of what God's done for us and his love. And we're transformed and we want to partner with him and transform the world around us."

The Unexpected Blessings of Service

Matt ended with a beautiful reminder that service often leads to unexpected blessings. After university, he took another year to volunteer at his local church, despite having just graduated in accounting. During that year of service, he met Sharon, who would later become his wife.

"If I hadn't have served, I don't know if we would have spent that time together that we did. Dating apps are okay, but for me, it was in serving that I met my future wife – something that I'm grateful for every single day."

This wasn't shared as a formula (serve = get spouse!), but as a testimony to how God often works in ways we don't expect when we choose the path of service.

Your Next Step

As we approach Easter, this message of service takes on special significance. Jesus' own journey to the cross represents the ultimate act of service – laying down His life for others. As we reflect on His sacrifice, consider how you might respond:

Take up Matt's challenge – Conduct your own serving audit this week. Ask God if there are areas of service He's calling you to embrace or perhaps let go.
Practice intentional presence – Look for opportunities to serve in the moment by being fully present to those around you.
Examine your motives – Are you serving to be seen, or serving out of an overflow of God's love?
Start small – Don't wait for the "big" service opportunity. Begin with one small act of service this week.

Join us next Sunday for a special Easter service led by John Harding as we celebrate the resurrection – the event that makes our service not just a duty, but a joyful response to the One who served us first.