Rev. Jane-Elizabeth Brakhage Presents
'Spiritual Discipline'
Rev. Jane-Elizabeth Brakhage, Missouri West Conference UMC
(a good friend of Rev. Michael Lee Burgess, shared with permission).
The Spiritual Discipline Of Service
Last month's Spiritual Discipline was submission. This month, we look at the
Discipline of service, which flows out of the Discipline of submission.
Sometimes, we do better with a concept when we have an image to connect to it.
Richard Foster uses this image for the Discipline of service, "As the cross is
the sign of submission, so the towel is the sign of service" (Celebration of Discipline, p. 126).
The towel is the sign of a deacon in The United Methodist Church and is one of the
symbols you will see on my stole each Sunday. The towel reminds us of Jesus washing
the disciples feet at the Last Supper. It reminds us that if the greatest of us, Jesus,
does not see footwashing as being beneath him, then there is no service that is
beneath us either.
Just as with any other discipline, there is a danger of misusing the Discipline of service.
Self-righteous service differs from true service in one very basic way.
Self-righteous service is focused on us; what we get out of the service
rendered - recognition, applause, rewards, gratitude. Self-righteous service
picks and chooses who will be served based on what we gain from the service.
True service remembers that Jesus said "you must be servant of all" (Mark 9:35)
and serves because we are called to do that, regardless of the cost.
True service is scary. We fear being used and walked on when we decided to serve all in need.
And yes, it is true that this could happen to us. But Foster makes the helpful distinction
between being a servant and choosing to serve. "When we choose to serve, we are still in charge.
We decide whom we will serve and when we will serve…But when we choose to be a servant,
we give up the right to be in charge. There is great freedom in this. If we voluntarily
choose to be taken advantage of, then we cannot be manipulated. When we choose to be a
servant, we surrender the right to decide who and when we will serve" (p. 132).
And being manipulated is the real fear behind being taken advantage of, so when we
choose to be a servant, that fear is removed.
What does the Discipline of service look like since the disciplines are something that
practice or do. Foster lists several forms of service on pages 134-140 of his book.
Here they are.
Service takes the form of hiddenness. "If all of our serving is before others, we will
be shallow people indeed" (p. 134). Hidden service crucifies our need for recognition.
We learn to be content with the approval of God when we practice hidden service.
Sometimes, we look to be of service in the "big" things of life. Practicing the service
of small things helps us keep our focus on our service and not on the reward. It reminds us
that service is a daily practice.
The service of guarding the reputation of others reminds us that "we are to be saved
from backbiting and gossip" (p. 136). Foster relates the story of how the pastoral team
at one church he served made the decision to not allow "any person in the congregation
to speak disparagingly of one pastor to another" (p. 136). Rather, each person was
encouraged to speak directly with the pastor they had the problem with. "Guarding the
reputation of others is a deep and lasting service" (p. 136).
When we focus on service, we must remember the service of being served.
"It is an act of submission and service to allow others to serve us" (p. 136-7).
Just as in the example of "if we were all teachers who would be the students?",
if we were all servants all of the time, who would be served? Remember Peter's
refusal of Jesus washing his feet? This was not an act of humility like we might
think, but rather it was an act of pride. Foster postulates that "if Peter had been
the master, he would not have washed feet!" (p. 136).
"There is the service of common courtesy" (p. 137). Some people feel that
"acts of courtsey are so meaningless, so hypocritical," when in reality "they
are extremely meaningful and not in the least hypocritical" (p. 137). The
purpose of common courtesy is "to acknowledge others and affirm their worth" (p. 137).
Foster says this service "is sorely needed in our increasingly computerized and
depersonalized society" (p. 137).
Another service needed in this society is the service of listening. When we listen,
"we do not have to have the correct answers. In fact, often the correct answers area
hindrance to listening, for we become more anxious to give the answer than to hear" (p. 138).
Foster says that the most important requirements of listening
"are compassion and patience" (p. 138).
Yet another service is the service of bearing the burdens of each other.
Foster states that "if we care, we will learn to bear one another's sorrows" (p. 139).
He reminds us that the Jesus "who bore the burdens of the whole world, could say,
'My yoke is easy, and my burden is light' (Matt. 11:30)" (p. 139).
Therefore, "we can learn to uphold the burdens of others without being
destroyed by them" (p. 139).
The finally service is sharing the word of Life with one another. Foster suggests
that "no individual can hear all the God wants to say. We are dependent upon one another
to receive the full counsel of God. The smallest member can bring us a word - we dare
not despise the service" (p. 139-40). As I know from personal experience, it is
"a fearful thing to proclaim [God's] words to each other" (p. 140). Sometimes our
words get mixed up with God's words and sometimes we may misunderstand what God was
trying to say, but this doesn't mean that we shy away from practicing the service of
speaking the word to one another "for it is desperately needed today" (p. 140).
May God assist you as you practice the Discipline of service.
Next month, we will be moving on to the Corporate Disciplines and looking at the
Discipline of confession.
Until next time, may the peace and grace of Christ be with you always.
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