Jesus washing the disciples' feet, detail of mural
Paynter, David, 1900-1975. Jesus washing the disciples' feet, detail of mural, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54318 [retrieved October 14, 2021]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trinity_College_Chapel_Mural_(2).jpg.
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Spiritual Practices: Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina, or Diving Reading, is a method of reading, reflecting on, and praying the Scripture that has been used by the church for centuries. It focuses on communing with God in Scripture rather than simply studying Scripture for intellectual understanding. Click here for more information on how to practice Lectio Divina. Here are some suggested verses in this passage that may lend themselves to conversation with God through the practice of Lectio Divina.
Suggested Verses
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)
Lectio Divina, or Diving Reading, is a method of reading, reflecting on, and praying the Scripture that has been used by the church for centuries. It focuses on communing with God in Scripture rather than simply studying Scripture for intellectual understanding. Click here for more information on how to practice Lectio Divina. Here are some suggested verses in this passage that may lend themselves to conversation with God through the practice of Lectio Divina.
Suggested Verses
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)
Spiritual Practices: Breath Prayer
Overview
In this passage Jesus contrasts what it means to be successful in the world with what it means to be successful as one of his followers. In the rest of the world you were a success if you had a position of authority and power. You could exercise your authority and make people do what you wanted. Success, or greatness, was determined by how much power you had and how much authority you could wield. Those people would frequently abuse their influence and power to harm others and promote themselves. In contrast, Jesus says that his followers would be measured not by their authority and power, but by their service. As followers of Jesus, our emphasis should not be on what we can gather for ourselves or how we can promote ourselves, but rather on how we can best serve others. Jesus says that even he came not to be served, not to amass authority and power, but to serve others and ultimately offer his life to ransom us back to God. If Jesus' focus was on serving others, ours should be as well. That is what this breath prayer is about.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, teach me to be a servant.
Overview
In this passage Jesus contrasts what it means to be successful in the world with what it means to be successful as one of his followers. In the rest of the world you were a success if you had a position of authority and power. You could exercise your authority and make people do what you wanted. Success, or greatness, was determined by how much power you had and how much authority you could wield. Those people would frequently abuse their influence and power to harm others and promote themselves. In contrast, Jesus says that his followers would be measured not by their authority and power, but by their service. As followers of Jesus, our emphasis should not be on what we can gather for ourselves or how we can promote ourselves, but rather on how we can best serve others. Jesus says that even he came not to be served, not to amass authority and power, but to serve others and ultimately offer his life to ransom us back to God. If Jesus' focus was on serving others, ours should be as well. That is what this breath prayer is about.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, teach me to be a servant.
Exploring the Text: Serving others
Think back to the teacher that has meant the most to you. What do you admire most about them? In many cases, it is not their ability to form a lesson plan, or lecture. Most of those admirable teachers were able to connect with us in a special way. They found an area that you needed help in and they met that need. They were there to help, they ministered to you in a special way.
In this passage, Jesus drives home this very concept. His disciples were expecting to be honored by being next to Jesus in eternity. They felt as though their address in heaven had to deal with how important they were here on earth. They were thinking in earthly terms.
In truth, our status here on this earth, means little in God’s kingdom. How much money you make, which neighborhood you live in, or what kind of car you drive doesn’t mean anything when it comes to God’s love for us. He may have blessed you with these things, but his love is still the same for all.
Instead of looking at the material things, God looks at the heart of men. He says that those that are the greatest in the kingdom are those that are servants to others. Jesus himself came to serve mankind.
Just as that teacher was able to minister to your specific need; what needs can you minister to? Your ministry doesn’t have to be something big like pastoring or preaching. You can talk to those who are discouraged, help the disabled get where they are going, take food to the sick, visit the elderly, or do a host of other things that need to be done. You can touch hearts and lives by being a servant to others.
Servant leadership is not popular in today’s “me” culture. Truthfully though, you will find great blessing by being a blessing. Ask God to help you find opportunities to be a blessing to someone else. Let’s all get to work!
Rick Heinrich
Think back to the teacher that has meant the most to you. What do you admire most about them? In many cases, it is not their ability to form a lesson plan, or lecture. Most of those admirable teachers were able to connect with us in a special way. They found an area that you needed help in and they met that need. They were there to help, they ministered to you in a special way.
In this passage, Jesus drives home this very concept. His disciples were expecting to be honored by being next to Jesus in eternity. They felt as though their address in heaven had to deal with how important they were here on earth. They were thinking in earthly terms.
In truth, our status here on this earth, means little in God’s kingdom. How much money you make, which neighborhood you live in, or what kind of car you drive doesn’t mean anything when it comes to God’s love for us. He may have blessed you with these things, but his love is still the same for all.
Instead of looking at the material things, God looks at the heart of men. He says that those that are the greatest in the kingdom are those that are servants to others. Jesus himself came to serve mankind.
Just as that teacher was able to minister to your specific need; what needs can you minister to? Your ministry doesn’t have to be something big like pastoring or preaching. You can talk to those who are discouraged, help the disabled get where they are going, take food to the sick, visit the elderly, or do a host of other things that need to be done. You can touch hearts and lives by being a servant to others.
Servant leadership is not popular in today’s “me” culture. Truthfully though, you will find great blessing by being a blessing. Ask God to help you find opportunities to be a blessing to someone else. Let’s all get to work!
Rick Heinrich