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What shapes the service?

March 22,  2009  - Dale

One of the most devastating critiques of church life occurs in Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. There were lots of tensions between the Corinthians and Paul, and his letters include quite a lot of heartfelt appeals to them to change their attitudes. He encourages them to stop being proud of the wrong things, to look after those who don’t understand much, and to leave behind the values of their background culture in favour of the values of the gospel.

The Corinthians were a resourceful and able group of Christians. They knew how to take initiatives, they were talented and full of enthusiasm. They were great on service. They knew they had been “shaped for serving God”. But some had not yet learned that building a church and serving brothers and sisters did not start from gifts or enthusiasm.  

It starts with love.  Paul’s devastating critique of church life has been turned into a sentimental poem by modern people. It is popular at weddings. But it does not seem to have come to life as a manifesto of relationships in church.

Paul’s view was that all Christian service without love gained nothing – no advance, no help. The person who serves without love is a nothing.  It is easy to misunderstand this and to think that Paul is saying we should add love to our service. “Service with a smile” kind of thing.  To have a positive feeling towards those we serve.

But Paul’s idea is more radical I think. Love is the foundation. Love is the soil from which the service grows. Love is what starts the service in the first place. Serving others because we love them.

It is always easy to start with the task, to start with the service, to start with the program. We are part of a program culture, a system oriented world. We have goals and check lists and outcome statements and criteria.  

The Dell advertising for their new Adamo laptop (thinner that the MacBook Air they say) has got the idea: “Love. Life begins with it”. And so does service and ministry.

But where does the love come from? It comes from people who are loved. Loved by God. Who know that they are precious and cherished by God himself. People loved by God know that God puts no conditions on his love. They do not need to serve him to win his love – or to keep it. He has forgiven them, and accepted them because he loves them.

Only the people loved by God can serve, because they are free to serve for the love of others.

Dale