Do you know anyone whose life goal it is to become a better servant? 21st century America has all but eliminated the concept of being a servant from contemporary understanding. The waiter at your favorite restaurant may be called a "server," and we still speak about civil servants and public service; but for the most part, this language is a holdover from a by-gone era.

Today, we are obsessed by two things - power and celebrity. We care about power. Newspaper articles aren't written about servants, they're written about who may run for President in 2016 - who has the inside track, whose stock is rising and whose is falling. We care about celebrity - who is on the A-List for parties after the Academy Awards, who is Reality TV's hottest new star and who has the most followers on Twitter.

But being a servant is something that Jesus aspired to. We read in Mark 10:45, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." Christ is saying, in essence, "I came not to be a celebrity or a power broker; I came to serve."

Servanthood was a primary way the Apostle Paul, the great missionary, saw himself. Consider Romans 1:1, "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God-" Or Philippians 1:1, "Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus..." Or how about 2 Corinthians 4:5, "For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake." Jesus' mother, Mary, embraced this identity of servanthood when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary God's plan to bring the Savior of the world through her body. Mary responded to this stunning announcement by saying, "I am the Lord's servant, may it be done to me according to your Word" (Luke 1:38).

Why aspire to become a servant of the Lord? There are several incredible benefits to becoming the Lord's servant. The first is personal growth. Serve someone else and God will grow you. For example, if you don't know the Bible, one of the best ways to learn the Bible is to teach it to children. Serve in VineyardKids' Ministry, and as you read the children's lessons that we give you and study the verses that are in the lessons, you will grow in your understanding of the Bible.

Do you find yourself far from Christ? Are you struggling to connect with Christ? Jesus says He comes to us in the guise of the hungry, the thirsty, the immigrant, the sick and the prisoner. Jesus said:  

"'For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.' 'The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me'" (Matthew 25:35-36; 40).

My own personal experience confirms this. I always feel close to Christ when I serve at Vineyard Columbus' Food Pantry on Saturday mornings and talk to and pray with people who come there for food. I feel close to Christ when we welcome international students into our home at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Jesus always draws near to me when I visit someone in the hospital or pray for someone who is sick.

Do you find yourself struggling with a besetting sin? Certainly, we are called upon to repent. But don't wait until you are problem-free to serve. One of the ways that God frees us from our sins is by turning our focus away from ourselves and onto others in need.

Service also brings a great sense of personal fulfillment. Scripture tells us that God has a plan in mind for each of us. Life is about fulfilling God's assignment for you in this world. To miss your assignment is to live a wasted life. Life is not about creating your own dreams and then going after them. People who live with no sense of God's assignment continually drift from one experience to another, from one job to another, from one relationship to another - always discontent, always searching, always frustrated, never fulfilled.

But knowing that God has an assignment for each of us tells us that there are people and situations that only we can uniquely impact in the way that God has purposed the world to work. Here is the secret to personal fulfillment: Life is all about choosing for or against your assignment from the Lord. Sometimes the choice is huge. There is an obvious fork in the road and to take the wrong path is to miss God's best for your entire life. But embracing our identities as servants in small things brings a sense of fulfillment every day.

What if you went to your job each day saying, "I am here as a servant of the Lord. I'm not just here to draw a paycheck, or because nothing else better has come my way. I am called to uniquely impact people in my sphere today in a way that no one else can. As a servant of the Lord, I am on assignment to bring God's reign and rule into this place."

Christmas is a great time to live out your calling as a servant of the Lord. Find an organization that you believe in, that is working with the poor - in America or internationally - and give part of your Christmas budget to that organization. By doing so, you will be following the model of Jesus Christ, who came not to serve Himself, but to serve others. Parents, train your children to do this as well. Why not say to your kids, "This year, instead of buying five gifts for you (or whatever crazy number you buy for each of your children), how about if we together bought 20 chickens and gave them to a poor family through World Vision, or Heifer International?" Instead of buying another pair of leather boots, why not buy someone a few goats, or even a cow and feed an entire family for a year? From where do you think you will derive the most satisfaction? Knowing that you are responsible for feeding a family for a year, or giving another pair of boots to someone, who already has too many to wear?

As we close out our Gospel of God series, a great way to serve God's purpose is by inviting someone you are praying for to come to our Christmas Eve services. Our Christmas Eve service times are:

Cooper Road Campus:

3:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

11:00 p.m. (led by Joshua House)

Sawmill Campus:

4:00 p.m.

(Note: La Viña, our East Campus and our Lane Avenue Campus will not be hosting Christmas Eve Services, but will join together in worship at our Cooper Road Campus.)

‍