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Prayer: Now, O Lord, take my lips and speak through them;

Take our minds and think through them;

Take our hearts and set them on fire with love for Yourself, Lord Jesus. Amen.

THE CALL TO SERVANTHOOD2013 election is fast approaching and already we hear of different personalities

espousing programs of services to the people when they are elected to office. There

are the traditional politicians banking on the strength of their party machineries and

money and the reform-minded who wants to do away with the old methods of

clinging to power. Even if voters have gone cynical, we could elect our leaders

based on the standards of Christian servanthood. With Gods blessings, perhaps we

could influence the greater majority who are easily swayed.

The call to servanthood is a clear teaching of the Scriptures. The Hebrew word for

servants was first applied to slaves. Overtime the word was used for trusted

servants who did important things for their Masters. The Hebrew word was also

applied to those who served rulers. Kings and prophets were also called servants of

the Lord. Later the word was applied to anyone serving God.

The Bible has many excellent examples of godly servanthood. We have Joseph who

could have punished his brothers for seeking to harm him. Instead, he forgave

them. This allowed him to serve them and save his family from starvation.

Moses,who unselfishly led the Israelites to freedom. Daniel, Esther, and David

showed us how to serve the Lord in their respective ways. Dorcas who sewed

garments for the poor, and Martha who served almost to a fault, or Paul who gave

an entire life in service spreading the gospel of Christ whom He met years after He

had ascended to Heaven. These and many others showed what it meant to do good

deeds of kindness, sacrificing personal time and resources for others without everexpecting to be repaid. But it all started with the life of Christ - the one who has

shown us the meaning of a true servant. Jesus took the form of a servant, while

proclaiming the status as the Son of God the whole time, choosing to serve rather

than be served. This is the example that we ought to live our lives after; the

embodiment of Christian servanthood. When He washed the disciples feet, we saw

what a Christian attitude is supposed to be - humbling oneself, disregarding status,

and meeting the immediate needs of others.

During the present times, we still find people who practice true servanthood. We have the likesof Albert Schwietzer, a German-French medical missionary who built hospitals for the poor in

Africa. Mother Teresa of Calcutta who tended to the poor and sick and foundedTheMissionaries of Charity", whose primary task was to love and care for those persons

nobody was prepared to look after. Why is Magsaysay well-loved by the Filipinos during

his time? He was known for his simplicity and humility.The Ramon Magsaysay Award

established to honor his legacy is given to persons - regardless of race, nationality,creed or gender - who address issues of human development in Asia with courageand creativity, and in doing so have made contributions which have transformed

their societies for the better. Recently, we have Sec. Jesse Robredo whose passing was

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mourned by many. He was a humble, honest and hardworking person. It was only then known

when video clips of him as mayor of Naga showing him chatting with street vendors in T-shirt

and slippers only. He was seen helping the garbage collectors collect the garbage around the citystill in his T-shirt and slippers. He sought to inspire the ordinary people by honoring their

contributions. In his speech before the Ateneo graduates, he talked of the dreams of the Grade 6

pupils of a remote mountain barangay school in Naga. Like all of us, they too wanted to besomebody someday, he said. But, despite the deprivations and difficulties, theywere all for a noble purpose to be of service to others which is the theme of UCM.In a sermon early in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. quoted Jesus words from Mark 10about servanthood. Then he said, Everybody can be great, because everybody canserve. You dont have to have a college degree to serve. You dont have to makeyour subject and your verb agree to serve. You dont have to know about Plato andAristotle to serve. . . . You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.

When Jesus disciples quarreled about who would get the places of honor in heaven,He told them: Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Mandid not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many

(Mark 10:43-45).

In a world that values power, wealth, influence, and personal rights; it is not easy tobe a servant, when we are bombarded daily with the never ceasing commercialmessages that appeal to our desires. The messages ring clear: we deserve a breaktoday; we are worth it; we can be beautiful, athletic, or powerful. It is a simple, butconsistent message-that we should serve our own needs or the needs of those welove dearly. Servanthood-placing the needs of others (even our enemies) above ourown interests-is the opposite. Following in the steps of Jesus requires that we showunconditional love to all people, regardless of whether they deserve it, just as Jesus

demonstrated to us. In 2 Corinthians 12:14b-15a).

Notice what Paul's attitude is. He says, I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself aswell. If I love you more, will you love me less? That is, these Corinthians were not responding with love. Thenormal response of children to their parents' care is to love them. But even if the Corinthians do not, Paulsays, I am still going to pour out everything for you. And he indicates that his love is an unqualified form of love.Here is a story illustrating this point . A mother who went down to breakfast one morning found a bill from herson lying beside her plate. He had written it out for her:

Mowing the lawn P80.00

Drying the dishes P40.00

Raking leaves P120.00

Cleaning garage P160.00

Total owed P400.00

His mother did not say anything but went about her work. When the boy came home from school for lunch thatday, he found a bill lying beside his plate. It said:

Ironing clothes nothing

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Mending socks nothing

Cooking meals nothing

Bandaging cuts nothing

Baking cookies nothing

Love, Mother

That is the apostle's attitude. He does not expect anything in return. It would be nice if his efforts werereciprocated, but even if they are not, that is not going to stop him. That kind of selfless, unqualified love is themark of a true servant of Christ. You can use it to test the claims of many voices today to determine whetherthey are the servants of Christ, because it is the invariable mark of those who genuinely love that they lovewithout demanding something in return.

Matthew 23:11-12 But he who is greatest among you shall be yourservant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and he whohumbles himself will be exalted.

If you were to visit Paris, you could see the statues of two men, both named Louis.

The first is of Louis XIV, France's absolute monarch. He represents one of thesupreme achievements of greatness through power. His philosophy of life was thatthe whole nation and the world, should serve him.

A few blocks away is another statue. There is no uniform on this figure carved instone, no badge of office, no sword, no crown. It is a memorial to Louis Pasteur, aman whose life was unselfishly devoted to the research of immunization anddisease prevention.

The statue of the monarch, Louis XIV, is nothing more than a piece of sculpturewhoeven remembers what he did? But the statue of Louis Pasteur has become a placewhere pilgrims throughout all the world pay grateful homage for his great work; andevery time we drink a glass of milk, we remember his name. That milk we'redrinking has more than likely gone through a process called pasteurization, namedafter Pasteur's research.

It is the uncrowned servant of mankind who wears the real crown of men's love andhonor.

Let's ask the Lord to help us become more humble and available to serve both Himand others. It is then that we will wear the true crown of glory!

In conclusion, we should remember three important ideas for consideration 1)doing

good deeds of kindness involves sacrificing personal time and resources for others

without ever expecting to be repaid. 2)The Christian attitude is humbling of oneself,

disregarding status, and meeting the immediate needs of others. 3) Following in the

steps of Jesus requires that we show unconditional love to all people, regardless of

whether they deserve it, just as Jesus demonstrated to us.

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