REAL TALK MONENT! If we think of the old sign on McDonald’s restaurants, six million served sounds purely transactional. You pay your money and you get a hamburger. Or, if we think of one group serving another, it can sound one up/one down and, depending on the circumstances, either the servers or those served can be the ones up or down. You are the housekeepers who don’t speak English and I am the employer; or you are the rich benefactor and I am the poor unfortunate person you are helping. Or, if we think of professionals providing services, it can sound like experts who have the answers and abilities imparting them to people in need of answers or assistance. You have a problem and the professionals take care of it. None of these ways of thinking about service implies partnership, mutual relationships, or empowerment. It is easy to understand why the language of service is getting mixed reviews these days. But, there’s another way to think of what it means to serve. God calls us to love and serve our neighbors. How about when: We think and act not only in our own best interests, but also take seriously life in community and our responsibilities to all of God’s people. We place others interests ahead of our own. We are knit into relationships of mutual care. We act with a focus on generosity, justice and inclusion. If we truly consider others’ interests, the ways in which we serve will reflect walking together, making decisions together, learning from one another, and respecting one another’s gifts and vocations. Language matters. Words that in any way discount the full humanity and dignity of another person are a disservice. And, we can reclaim and talk about serving in ways that reflect our faith-filled understanding that each of us is both needy and gifted and that all of us are called to share both our needs and our gifts with one another.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 02:23:45 +0000
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