May 12, 2025 • 19 mins
Have you ever wondered why the most fulfilling moments in life often come when we're serving others? This powerful exploration of "The Rhythm of Service" reveals how regular acts of service transform not just those we help, but our own spiritual lives as well.
Pastor Sonia Knutson shares her family's remarkable legacy of service, revealing how her parents' commitment to volunteering shaped her understanding of faith in action. Their calendar—color-coded with various service opportunities—became a testament to finding joy not in self-focus, but in building community through sacrificial love.
The message centers on Jesus washing His disciples' feet—a profound act of love knowing betrayal awaited Him. "Service is love," Sonia emphasizes, challenging us to see interruptions not as inconveniences but as divine appointments. When we're willing to put down our garden tools to visit an elderly neighbor or sacrifice our carefully planned schedules to meet someone's unexpected need, we experience the counterintuitive blessing that comes through inconvenience.
Drawing from Romans 12, we discover how our unique gifts work together within the body of Christ. Service isn't about building personal spiritual resumes but about becoming a community whose relationships tell a different story from the individualism dominating our culture. Studies confirm what scripture has always taught—regular service leads to lower stress, healthier hearts, and protection from anxiety and depression.
Ready to make service a rhythm in your life? Start small by serving alongside others in your church community, then expand to local organizations and global missions. As you do, you'll discover what Christians throughout history have found: when we wash feet like Jesus did, we experience transformation that no self-focused pursuit could ever provide.
Join us! Facebook | Instagram | www.clcelkriver.org
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I want you to pray with me this morning.
Father, I thank you for thisopportunity this morning to talk
about rhythms in our lives and,specifically, this rhythm of
service.
I thank you for Richard and hisserving heart and his beautiful
gift of reading and acting andperforming, but not for the
glory of Richard, but for theglory of you, god.
(00:22):
I pray that, as we hear thismessage this morning, that we
will receive it in a place inour hearts and in our minds,
that we are called to use ouracts of service to bless you and
the kingdom that you havecalled us to do.
We love our mothers, father.
Thank you for those in ourlives and for those who have
gone before us.
We love baptism, we lovechildren and we thank you that
(00:42):
we can be a place that welcomechildren into this place.
Us, we love baptism, we lovechildren and we thank you that
we can be a place that welcomechildren into this place and we
love on them as community and wehelp them grow in their faith.
Guide this talk this morning,jesus, and we love you.
In your name, we pray, amen.
Well, good morning.
My name is Sonia Knutson.
I'm the pastoral associate hereat Central and I've had the
honor and blessing to serve onthis staff for 18 years, which
(01:04):
is crazy Not in this capacitybut in other capacities, and it
really is a blessing to be apart of this community here at
Central.
We are in week three of ourseries called Rhythm and
hopefully, so far it hasprompted you to explore the
rhythms that you have in yourlife and how they grow you, how
they form you and how they moveyou closer to Jesus.
(01:25):
We all have rhythms in ourlives.
They're things that shape us aswe set rhythms, naturally,
around the things that we love,their routines and ways that we
do life, do life with ourfamilies, how we work, how we
play.
Their rhythms around hobbiesand interest and even our
spiritual space.
In week one, ryan introduced usto rhythms with Romans 12,
(01:47):
verse 2, which read do notconform to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by therenewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to testand approve what God's will is,
his good, pleasing and perfectwill.
This reading helps us torecognize that we have a choice.
We can fall into the rhythms ofthis world or we can fall into
the rhythms that God has for ourlives.
(02:09):
The first takes no effort.
Amen.
It doesn't take much to fallinto the ways and into the
rhythms of this world, but thelatter is a fight and a journey
and won't be easy.
Ryan also shared in that firstweek that rhythms don't save us,
but they turn our hearts to thecross when done well, and they
grow us and they form usspiritually.
(02:29):
Jesus followed rhythms that ledhim to have a balanced,
spirit-led life.
He prayed, he spent time withGod, he went to the temple, he
was around community, he wouldfast, he would rest and he lived
a purpose-filled life.
Last week, ryan introduced usto the first rhythm in this
challenge, which was fasting,and he challenged us to fast and
(02:53):
to feel hunger and to feelhungry.
How many of you tried it?
Oh, pretty good, good, how didyou feel while you were doing
that Hungry?
Right, the practice of fastingis to awaken us, in us, the
things that draw us away fromChrist.
If you haven't listened to thatmessage yet, I would encourage
(03:13):
you to go back online and followit and challenge yourself to
fast.
Today we kick off week three andwe're talking about the rhythm
of service, and what anappropriate topic for Mother's
day.
Amen, moms, because isn't thatwhat we do all day long, every
day of our lives.
We are here to serve you.
You're welcome.
Anna jarvis in 1905 originatedthis holiday to honor her mother
(03:40):
who had passed away, and tohonor what she had done all her
life, which was service andsacrifice in the community.
So you know, if you're going toWild Wings tonight for trivia,
there you go.
That's a freebie for you.
Some of you may be wondering whyservice is a rhythm.
To practice it sounds more likework, right, but service can be
an agent of redemption in ourlives.
(04:00):
Studies have showed thatservice can lead to lower stress
, to reduce pain, healthierhearts, protection from anxiety,
burnout and depression.
And I love, as I have read oreven heard, how many
corporations and workplacesoffer the rhythm of service in
their works, whether it's weeklyor monthly.
My son, my older son, actuallyworks at a company that goes out
(04:21):
once a month to servicecommunity organizations.
Last week he was at theMinnesota Zoo and his family
actually met him there and I'mlike how does that feel?
Like, does that interrupt yourwork?
He's like, no, I actually lookforward to it because it takes
some of the stress away from mywork.
So if we think about rhythm asredeeming our lives or growing
us spiritually.
It should then become a habitor a practice, even if our
(04:43):
culture tells us otherwise.
Now let's face it Westernculture generally emphasizes
individualism andself-expression rather than
primary focus on serving others,but some collective cultures in
countries such as Asia andAfrica often prioritize the
well-being of the group overindividual desires, leading to
strong traditions of helpingfamilies and communities and
(05:06):
those who are less fortunate.
Many religious cultures as well, such as Judaism for example,
try to live in the concept oftikam olam, which means
repairing the world, emphasizingsocial justice and service, and
Christianity, of course,encourages the teaching of Jesus
as he modeled selfless service,which changes our thinking from
being self-centered toother-centered.
(05:27):
This was the characteristics ofthe early church that set
Christians apart from the restof society.
Often Christians would risktheir own health to care for the
sick and dead.
Humility and compassion becamemore powerful virtues than
strength and wealth, and thiskind of humility showed itself
in sacrificial service above andbeyond the secular world.
(05:47):
But even as Christ followers,those methods can be difficult
to follow if we don't practicethem and make them rhythms in
our daily lives.
A few weeks back, I preached onMaundy Thursday and I shared the
scripture of John 13, and Ialso shared some personal
stories of my family and how weserved, and I shared that not
serving was not an option in myfamily.
(06:10):
My family was involved, to saythe least.
Growing up in my family, weserved in 4-H and junior
leadership and VFW, because mydad was a proud veteran.
We served at our church and thelocal food shelf and in the
schools and whatever my brotherand my sister and I were
involved in, my parents wereright there alongside of us
serving and volunteering.
When my siblings and I movedout, we thought that maybe my
(06:33):
parents would slow down a littlebit and take advantage of the
empty nest and start vacationingmore.
But they actually pluggedthemselves in even more and
their colorful, coordinatedcalendar was like a bright
rainbow that representeddifferent volunteer
opportunities that my parentsdid to keep them organized.
Now some of you may know that mymom recently passed away and
the local newspaper wrote anarticle on her legacy of
(06:55):
hospitality to the community andwe were asked the question why
do you think that your mom andyour dad served as they did?
Because they were very wellknown in the community for their
volunteer work.
My first answer would bepayback.
When my mom moved to Owatonna.
She was a single mom with thethree of us kids and the
community loved on her very well.
She got plugged into aworkplace and a church.
(07:17):
That was very healthy andpeople came around her and
served her and encouraged her toget plugged in so she could
know more people.
But I think their real reasonwas that they found great joy in
serving and volunteering butalso they felt called to do it.
If I'm being honest, we didn'talways love their giving hearts.
As a kid or a teenager, itwasn't fun to wake up on a
(07:38):
Saturday morning and go rake theneighbor's lawn or serve at a
food shelf or serve at the foodbooth.
And then, even as an adult, Iwould have to be honest and say
sometimes I didn't like sharingmy parents with the community.
We would go down and want tospend a weekend, but we actually
had to schedule ourselves intotheir calendar.
Or on special holidays theywere serving a thousand people a
turkey dinner and we weresitting at our home by ourselves
(08:00):
.
But then, when we startedserving more with them, we
realized the joy that they foundfrom this, not for themselves,
but what they found in communityand building community around
them.
Both my parents created rhythmsof service in our lives that
were authentic and life-givingand led through love.
They will be remembered intheir community as people with
servant hearts who humbly gavethemselves.
(08:21):
But, most importantly, theymodeled for me and for my family
who Jesus was and that he cameto serve, not to be served.
And in that act he shared love.
And that is what service is.
Service is love.
John shares this beautiful storyof love when Jesus washes the
feet of his disciples at theLast Supper as he's preparing to
(08:42):
go to the cross.
In John 13, we read Jesus knewthat the Father had put all
things under his power and thathe had come from God and was
returning to God.
So he got up from the meal,took off his outer clothing and
he wrapped a towel around hiswaist.
After that, he poured waterinto a basin and began to wash
his disciples' feet, drying themwith the towel that was wrapped
(09:03):
around him.
Jesus knew what the world hadin store for not only him, but
for his disciples as well, andin this act of love he was
telling them to love as I haveloved through service, through
caring and through seeing all ofthem.
He was saying to them itdoesn't matter who you are or
what you have done or whatothers have done towards you.
Just love, as I have loved.
(09:26):
Jesus knew he was going to bebetrayed.
He knew about Judas, he knewabout Peter and he said love
anyway.
Love the one who will betrayyou, love the one who will
betray you, love the one whowill deny you.
Love the one who will hurt youin any way and serve them with
love.
This reminds me of so many roadtrips as a child when my mom and
(09:46):
dad would pack us into this1974 Cordoba.
It was a two-door and there wasthree of us and we sat in the
back seat.
We were packed in like sardinesas we would take road trips to
Texas and New Mexico and Arizonaand Florida and, as you can
imagine, we didn't always getalong the best way and my mom
often would turn around.
Why can't you just love eachother?
As we were poking and proddingeach other and I'd be like mom,
(10:17):
he's touching me, mom, he'scrossed the line because we put
tape marks on the seat.
You know for our boundaries,mom, he won't stop staring at me
.
I can feel him breathing on myskin my dad's best punishment
when he would say don't make meturn this car around or stop,
because most of you would thinkhe's going to spank them, right?
Not my dad.
My dad would make us get out ofthe car and stand this close to
each other and stare at eachother until we told each other
(10:38):
that we loved us.
It was torture, but this istheir way of redirecting us into
love, and I think this is whatJesus is saying to his disciples
Just love one another.
It doesn't matter that someonehurts you or looks at you weird
or crosses your line, and whenyou do this, then the world will
know me.
Now go wash some feet.
(10:59):
He tells them.
What a beautiful picture of hisheart.
Amen, he sees them, he knowsthem, he forgives them and he
serves them in love.
And this is why we need thisrhythm in our lives, so we can
see the world as Jesus does, andwe can get our hands dirty with
yucky tasks like washing feetor serving meals to the hungry,
(11:21):
or cleaning homes, or bathingand caring for elderly people or
our parents, or just spendingtime with a stranger talking.
And some of you are thinkingSonia, I really don't like to
get my hands dirty.
I don't like mud under myfingernails, I just got a
manicure.
Or maybe you are thinking,sonia, I really don't like to
get my hands dirty, I don't likemud under my fingernails, I
just got a manicure.
Or maybe you're thinking I havemy own things to do.
You should see my to-do list.
It's going to be inconvenientand, yes, serving is
(11:45):
inconvenient and we do not liketo be inconvenienced in this
world or bothered by someoneelse and their needs.
I had a friend, pastor Larson,that used to say, well, washing
feet wasn't convenient for Jesus, and yet there he was, digging
into their grimy toes.
It was demeaning to him, it wasbeneath his status, and yet he
did it.
And so should we, even when itdoesn't fit into our schedules.
(12:09):
Recently I've been verytask-oriented and focused on a
list of projects in our yard todo and I noticed that our
elderly neighbor, rose, wassitting on her front porch
across the street from me and Iwas in our front garden and one
time I looked up and she waslike Hi, sonia.
I'm like Hi, rose, and in myhead I'm like Dang it, she's
going to want to talk, she'sgoing to want me to come over
(12:35):
and rake her leaves or something.
My husband and I adore Rose andwe often will snowplow for her
clean up her yard because shejust can't do it.
And honestly, I love doing it,I love being there.
But on that particular day myto-do list was this big and I
did not want to be interruptedor inconvenienced.
And there's Jesus in my head,or Pastor Larson or my mom
saying it wasn't convenient forJesus to wash his feet.
(12:56):
Now get over there.
So I put my shovel down and Iwalked across the street and I
had a visit with Rose whichfully blessed me.
And isn't that the truth?
Often, when we'reinconvenienced and when the
spirit of love and Jesus, we arefully blessed.
And I promised her I would getback and blow the acorns out of
(13:16):
her yard into the street and getrid of them.
She was blessed.
I was blessed because I wasbeing Jesus to her.
I was reminded in that, as Itook my walk of shame back
across the street, that if Iwant to be willing to serve like
God, then I have to be willingto openly serve and to be
interrupted.
I must live in a somewhatflexible calendar to be able to
openly serve and to beinterrupted.
I must live in a somewhatflexible calendar to be able to
(13:37):
put others first.
Serving is saying life isn'tall about me, life is about
others and giving back to themany gifts that we have all been
blessed with, and doing it witha humble heart, not one that is
boastful.
It's about living in myfavorite scripture, which is
Ephesians 2, verses 8 through 10, that we are crafted and we are
his workmanship and we have allbeen given gifts to build his
(14:00):
kingdom and we have been gracedto this.
Not to boast about it, not tosay look what I did and show the
world what I did, or build aresume, as Pastor Ryan will say,
my calendar can't be so fullthat I can't be interrupted.
We must be willing to say Lord,change my heart, teach me to
serve others, make it a routine,a rhythm that becomes a natural
(14:22):
love, and teach me, jesus, todo it with a humble heart.
In other words, be aware of thesin of pride.
It's an easy trap to fall into.
Don't serve to build a resumeand be boastful, but serve
simply to love and serve incommunity.
Our reading today that Richardso eloquently read shared that
we are one body, created toshare responsibility and to be
(14:45):
the power of the church.
We are set apart and the worldis watching.
Our clothes, our homes and ourcars may look like everyone
else's, but how we treat oneanother within the church should
show a way of living and lovingtogether that the world has
never experienced.
Serving is a way of beingtransformed into Christlikeness,
and we are not transformedalone.
(15:06):
Growing deeper in faith meansgrowing deeper in our lives
together.
It's about who we are becomingtogether.
It's about becoming a communityof people whose relationships
are telling a different storyfrom the story that we hear
around this world.
It's a story of grace, toldwith humility and love, using
the gifts that we've been givingto build one another as we are
(15:27):
each and together transformed byrenewing our minds.
This is why Peter and thischurch encourages you to be a
part of a house church or ajourney group so we can do life
together and build each other up, and this is why I love this
letter written by Paul that wasread today.
He was writing to the Christianchurch in Rome, encouraging
them and guiding them how tolive life together.
(15:49):
As Richard said and read, forjust as each of us has one body
with many members and thesemembers do not all have the same
function and read, paul issaying that we all have
different gifts, so use them tobuild each other up, to serve
(16:28):
those in need and to show thisworld who Christ is.
My husband and I used to belongto a house church for many years
and one of my favorite thingsthat they would do is in the
summer months.
Instead of doing weekly orbi-weekly studies, we would use
the month to serve the stranger.
So we would often look forpeople that we don't know and
say how can we come alongsideyou?
How can we love you?
Well, one summer there was awoman who had posted on social
(16:51):
media that she was looking forsomeone to come and remove a
tree, cut down a tree and removea tree and take it out of her
yard.
So we contacted her and we hada conversation and she's like I
just moved into this yard andthere's shrubs and there's
garbage, and her list was hugeand she lived there by herself.
So we showed up as a housechurch.
There was probably 20 of us,about 10 trucks, trailers, and
(17:12):
we had a great attitude and wehad dilly bars and we did in
probably an hour and a half whatit would have taken her days to
do.
And her number one question tous was why?
Why are you doing this?
We didn't charge her and wejust simply said we want to love
you like Jesus would love you.
We were showing her who Christwas, and in community, it wasn't
(17:33):
work, it was fun and it was ablessing and life-giving.
So, central, how do you serve?
What are the gifts that youhave that you give back and is
serving a rhythm in your life?
If not, it should be.
The rhythms.
Of service is an act of loveand, yes, it is inconvenient at
times, but when we do ittogether in community, it paints
(17:55):
the beautiful image of Christand the kingdom that he planned
for us to be, a world thatotherwise suffers in darkness.
So serve, go and wash some feet, get dirty, and make it a
rhythm.
How and where can you start?
Well, I would say let's starthere.
So many of us come on a Sundaymorning or even throughout the
week and they serve in thisplace, in this community, and
(18:18):
that's wonderful.
The ushers and the greeters andthe sacristy and the musicians
and tech people, everybody.
That's great.
But so many others come for onehour and you're filled with the
Word of God and that's ablessing.
But how about if we just startright here, look across the pew.
(18:41):
Maybe somebody that you'resitting with, who you're
interested in getting to know alittle bit better, could sign up
and work in a capacity here inthis building or on these
grounds to care for us.
You could also work for Sundayopportunities by being an usher
and a greeter.
You could volunteer for VBSwith kids.
You could volunteer withchildren's ministry.
I want to start a landscapeteam because I love landscaping
and so, if you've noticed, thisproperty is huge and we have a
couple people that do it forvolunteer.
(19:02):
What if we all put our hands inand once a month we came and
we're picking dandelions because, my gosh, it's dandelion season
and they're everywhere and it'shard to keep on top of that.
But what if we started here andwe got to know each other and
we built community amongst oneanother?
And then we went beyond thatand we started helping out in
the ministries outside of thisbuilding, the ministries that we
(19:23):
support CARE and Timber Bay,young Life, pilot, outreach,
faith in Action.
What if?
Wow, and what if?
Then we took the next step andwe went across the seas and we
started mission trips together.
We could be a church that isknown for the service of love,
because we're teaching ourselveshow to love through the rhythms
(19:45):
.
Amen.
I want you to pray with me this morning.
Father, I thank you for thisopportunity this morning to talk
about rhythms in our lives and,specifically, this rhythm of
service.
I thank you for Richard and hisserving heart and his beautiful
gift of reading and acting andperforming, but not for the
glory of Richard, but for theglory of you, god.
(00:22):
I pray that, as we hear thismessage this morning, that we
will receive it in a place inour hearts and in our minds,
that we are called to use ouracts of service to bless you and
the kingdom that you havecalled us to do.
We love our mothers, father.
Thank you for those in ourlives and for those who have
gone before us.
We love baptism, we lovechildren and we thank you that
(00:42):
we can be a place that welcomechildren into this place.
Us, we love baptism, we lovechildren and we thank you that
we can be a place that welcomechildren into this place and we
love on them as community and wehelp them grow in their faith.
Guide this talk this morning,jesus, and we love you.
In your name, we pray, amen.
Well, good morning.
My name is Sonia Knutson.
I'm the pastoral associate hereat Central and I've had the
honor and blessing to serve onthis staff for 18 years, which
(01:04):
is crazy Not in this capacitybut in other capacities, and it
really is a blessing to be apart of this community here at
Central.
We are in week three of ourseries called Rhythm and
hopefully, so far it hasprompted you to explore the
rhythms that you have in yourlife and how they grow you, how
they form you and how they moveyou closer to Jesus.
(01:25):
We all have rhythms in ourlives.
They're things that shape us aswe set rhythms, naturally,
around the things that we love,their routines and ways that we
do life, do life with ourfamilies, how we work, how we
play.
Their rhythms around hobbiesand interest and even our
spiritual space.
In week one, ryan introduced usto rhythms with Romans 12,
(01:47):
verse 2, which read do notconform to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by therenewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to testand approve what God's will is,
his good, pleasing and perfectwill.
This reading helps us torecognize that we have a choice.
We can fall into the rhythms ofthis world or we can fall into
the rhythms that God has for ourlives.
(02:09):
The first takes no effort.
Amen.
It doesn't take much to fallinto the ways and into the
rhythms of this world, but thelatter is a fight and a journey
and won't be easy.
Ryan also shared in that firstweek that rhythms don't save us,
but they turn our hearts to thecross when done well, and they
grow us and they form usspiritually.
(02:29):
Jesus followed rhythms that ledhim to have a balanced,
spirit-led life.
He prayed, he spent time withGod, he went to the temple, he
was around community, he wouldfast, he would rest and he lived
a purpose-filled life.
Last week, ryan introduced usto the first rhythm in this
challenge, which was fasting,and he challenged us to fast and
(02:53):
to feel hunger and to feelhungry.
How many of you tried it?
Oh, pretty good, good, how didyou feel while you were doing
that Hungry?
Right, the practice of fastingis to awaken us, in us, the
things that draw us away fromChrist.
If you haven't listened to thatmessage yet, I would encourage
(03:13):
you to go back online and followit and challenge yourself to
fast.
Today we kick off week three andwe're talking about the rhythm
of service, and what anappropriate topic for Mother's
day.
Amen, moms, because isn't thatwhat we do all day long, every
day of our lives.
We are here to serve you.
You're welcome.
Anna jarvis in 1905 originatedthis holiday to honor her mother
(03:40):
who had passed away, and tohonor what she had done all her
life, which was service andsacrifice in the community.
So you know, if you're going toWild Wings tonight for trivia,
there you go.
That's a freebie for you.
Some of you may be wondering whyservice is a rhythm.
To practice it sounds more likework, right, but service can be
an agent of redemption in ourlives.
(04:00):
Studies have showed thatservice can lead to lower stress
, to reduce pain, healthierhearts, protection from anxiety,
burnout and depression.
And I love, as I have read oreven heard, how many
corporations and workplacesoffer the rhythm of service in
their works, whether it's weeklyor monthly.
My son, my older son, actuallyworks at a company that goes out
(04:21):
once a month to servicecommunity organizations.
Last week he was at theMinnesota Zoo and his family
actually met him there and I'mlike how does that feel?
Like, does that interrupt yourwork?
He's like, no, I actually lookforward to it because it takes
some of the stress away from mywork.
So if we think about rhythm asredeeming our lives or growing
us spiritually.
It should then become a habitor a practice, even if our
(04:43):
culture tells us otherwise.
Now let's face it Westernculture generally emphasizes
individualism andself-expression rather than
primary focus on serving others,but some collective cultures in
countries such as Asia andAfrica often prioritize the
well-being of the group overindividual desires, leading to
strong traditions of helpingfamilies and communities and
(05:06):
those who are less fortunate.
Many religious cultures as well, such as Judaism for example,
try to live in the concept oftikam olam, which means
repairing the world, emphasizingsocial justice and service, and
Christianity, of course,encourages the teaching of Jesus
as he modeled selfless service,which changes our thinking from
being self-centered toother-centered.
(05:27):
This was the characteristics ofthe early church that set
Christians apart from the restof society.
Often Christians would risktheir own health to care for the
sick and dead.
Humility and compassion becamemore powerful virtues than
strength and wealth, and thiskind of humility showed itself
in sacrificial service above andbeyond the secular world.
(05:47):
But even as Christ followers,those methods can be difficult
to follow if we don't practicethem and make them rhythms in
our daily lives.
A few weeks back, I preached onMaundy Thursday and I shared the
scripture of John 13, and Ialso shared some personal
stories of my family and how weserved, and I shared that not
serving was not an option in myfamily.
(06:10):
My family was involved, to saythe least.
Growing up in my family, weserved in 4-H and junior
leadership and VFW, because mydad was a proud veteran.
We served at our church and thelocal food shelf and in the
schools and whatever my brotherand my sister and I were
involved in, my parents wereright there alongside of us
serving and volunteering.
When my siblings and I movedout, we thought that maybe my
(06:33):
parents would slow down a littlebit and take advantage of the
empty nest and start vacationingmore.
But they actually pluggedthemselves in even more and
their colorful, coordinatedcalendar was like a bright
rainbow that representeddifferent volunteer
opportunities that my parentsdid to keep them organized.
Now some of you may know that mymom recently passed away and
the local newspaper wrote anarticle on her legacy of
(06:55):
hospitality to the community andwe were asked the question why
do you think that your mom andyour dad served as they did?
Because they were very wellknown in the community for their
volunteer work.
My first answer would bepayback.
When my mom moved to Owatonna.
She was a single mom with thethree of us kids and the
community loved on her very well.
She got plugged into aworkplace and a church.
(07:17):
That was very healthy andpeople came around her and
served her and encouraged her toget plugged in so she could
know more people.
But I think their real reasonwas that they found great joy in
serving and volunteering butalso they felt called to do it.
If I'm being honest, we didn'talways love their giving hearts.
As a kid or a teenager, itwasn't fun to wake up on a
(07:38):
Saturday morning and go rake theneighbor's lawn or serve at a
food shelf or serve at the foodbooth.
And then, even as an adult, Iwould have to be honest and say
sometimes I didn't like sharingmy parents with the community.
We would go down and want tospend a weekend, but we actually
had to schedule ourselves intotheir calendar.
Or on special holidays theywere serving a thousand people a
turkey dinner and we weresitting at our home by ourselves
(08:00):
.
But then, when we startedserving more with them, we
realized the joy that they foundfrom this, not for themselves,
but what they found in communityand building community around
them.
Both my parents created rhythmsof service in our lives that
were authentic and life-givingand led through love.
They will be remembered intheir community as people with
servant hearts who humbly gavethemselves.
(08:21):
But, most importantly, theymodeled for me and for my family
who Jesus was and that he cameto serve, not to be served.
And in that act he shared love.
And that is what service is.
Service is love.
John shares this beautiful storyof love when Jesus washes the
feet of his disciples at theLast Supper as he's preparing to
(08:42):
go to the cross.
In John 13, we read Jesus knewthat the Father had put all
things under his power and thathe had come from God and was
returning to God.
So he got up from the meal,took off his outer clothing and
he wrapped a towel around hiswaist.
After that, he poured waterinto a basin and began to wash
his disciples' feet, drying themwith the towel that was wrapped
(09:03):
around him.
Jesus knew what the world hadin store for not only him, but
for his disciples as well, andin this act of love he was
telling them to love as I haveloved through service, through
caring and through seeing all ofthem.
He was saying to them itdoesn't matter who you are or
what you have done or whatothers have done towards you.
Just love, as I have loved.
(09:26):
Jesus knew he was going to bebetrayed.
He knew about Judas, he knewabout Peter and he said love
anyway.
Love the one who will betrayyou, love the one who will
betray you, love the one whowill deny you.
Love the one who will hurt youin any way and serve them with
love.
This reminds me of so many roadtrips as a child when my mom and
(09:46):
dad would pack us into this1974 Cordoba.
It was a two-door and there wasthree of us and we sat in the
back seat.
We were packed in like sardinesas we would take road trips to
Texas and New Mexico and Arizonaand Florida and, as you can
imagine, we didn't always getalong the best way and my mom
often would turn around.
Why can't you just love eachother?
As we were poking and proddingeach other and I'd be like mom,
(10:17):
he's touching me, mom, he'scrossed the line because we put
tape marks on the seat.
You know for our boundaries,mom, he won't stop staring at me
.
I can feel him breathing on myskin my dad's best punishment
when he would say don't make meturn this car around or stop,
because most of you would thinkhe's going to spank them, right?
Not my dad.
My dad would make us get out ofthe car and stand this close to
each other and stare at eachother until we told each other
(10:38):
that we loved us.
It was torture, but this istheir way of redirecting us into
love, and I think this is whatJesus is saying to his disciples
Just love one another.
It doesn't matter that someonehurts you or looks at you weird
or crosses your line, and whenyou do this, then the world will
know me.
Now go wash some feet.
(10:59):
He tells them.
What a beautiful picture of hisheart.
Amen, he sees them, he knowsthem, he forgives them and he
serves them in love.
And this is why we need thisrhythm in our lives, so we can
see the world as Jesus does, andwe can get our hands dirty with
yucky tasks like washing feetor serving meals to the hungry,
(11:21):
or cleaning homes, or bathingand caring for elderly people or
our parents, or just spendingtime with a stranger talking.
And some of you are thinkingSonia, I really don't like to
get my hands dirty.
I don't like mud under myfingernails, I just got a
manicure.
Or maybe you are thinking,sonia, I really don't like to
get my hands dirty, I don't likemud under my fingernails, I
just got a manicure.
Or maybe you're thinking I havemy own things to do.
You should see my to-do list.
It's going to be inconvenientand, yes, serving is
(11:45):
inconvenient and we do not liketo be inconvenienced in this
world or bothered by someoneelse and their needs.
I had a friend, pastor Larson,that used to say, well, washing
feet wasn't convenient for Jesus, and yet there he was, digging
into their grimy toes.
It was demeaning to him, it wasbeneath his status, and yet he
did it.
And so should we, even when itdoesn't fit into our schedules.
(12:09):
Recently I've been verytask-oriented and focused on a
list of projects in our yard todo and I noticed that our
elderly neighbor, rose, wassitting on her front porch
across the street from me and Iwas in our front garden and one
time I looked up and she waslike Hi, sonia.
I'm like Hi, rose, and in myhead I'm like Dang it, she's
going to want to talk, she'sgoing to want me to come over
(12:35):
and rake her leaves or something.
My husband and I adore Rose andwe often will snowplow for her
clean up her yard because shejust can't do it.
And honestly, I love doing it,I love being there.
But on that particular day myto-do list was this big and I
did not want to be interruptedor inconvenienced.
And there's Jesus in my head,or Pastor Larson or my mom
saying it wasn't convenient forJesus to wash his feet.
(12:56):
Now get over there.
So I put my shovel down and Iwalked across the street and I
had a visit with Rose whichfully blessed me.
And isn't that the truth?
Often, when we'reinconvenienced and when the
spirit of love and Jesus, we arefully blessed.
And I promised her I would getback and blow the acorns out of
(13:16):
her yard into the street and getrid of them.
She was blessed.
I was blessed because I wasbeing Jesus to her.
I was reminded in that, as Itook my walk of shame back
across the street, that if Iwant to be willing to serve like
God, then I have to be willingto openly serve and to be
interrupted.
I must live in a somewhatflexible calendar to be able to
openly serve and to beinterrupted.
I must live in a somewhatflexible calendar to be able to
(13:37):
put others first.
Serving is saying life isn'tall about me, life is about
others and giving back to themany gifts that we have all been
blessed with, and doing it witha humble heart, not one that is
boastful.
It's about living in myfavorite scripture, which is
Ephesians 2, verses 8 through 10, that we are crafted and we are
his workmanship and we have allbeen given gifts to build his
(14:00):
kingdom and we have been gracedto this.
Not to boast about it, not tosay look what I did and show the
world what I did, or build aresume, as Pastor Ryan will say,
my calendar can't be so fullthat I can't be interrupted.
We must be willing to say Lord,change my heart, teach me to
serve others, make it a routine,a rhythm that becomes a natural
(14:22):
love, and teach me, jesus, todo it with a humble heart.
In other words, be aware of thesin of pride.
It's an easy trap to fall into.
Don't serve to build a resumeand be boastful, but serve
simply to love and serve incommunity.
Our reading today that Richardso eloquently read shared that
we are one body, created toshare responsibility and to be
(14:45):
the power of the church.
We are set apart and the worldis watching.
Our clothes, our homes and ourcars may look like everyone
else's, but how we treat oneanother within the church should
show a way of living and lovingtogether that the world has
never experienced.
Serving is a way of beingtransformed into Christlikeness,
and we are not transformedalone.
(15:06):
Growing deeper in faith meansgrowing deeper in our lives
together.
It's about who we are becomingtogether.
It's about becoming a communityof people whose relationships
are telling a different storyfrom the story that we hear
around this world.
It's a story of grace, toldwith humility and love, using
the gifts that we've been givingto build one another as we are
(15:27):
each and together transformed byrenewing our minds.
This is why Peter and thischurch encourages you to be a
part of a house church or ajourney group so we can do life
together and build each other up, and this is why I love this
letter written by Paul that wasread today.
He was writing to the Christianchurch in Rome, encouraging
them and guiding them how tolive life together.
(15:49):
As Richard said and read, forjust as each of us has one body
with many members and thesemembers do not all have the same
function and read, paul issaying that we all have
different gifts, so use them tobuild each other up, to serve
(16:28):
those in need and to show thisworld who Christ is.
My husband and I used to belongto a house church for many years
and one of my favorite thingsthat they would do is in the
summer months.
Instead of doing weekly orbi-weekly studies, we would use
the month to serve the stranger.
So we would often look forpeople that we don't know and
say how can we come alongsideyou?
How can we love you?
Well, one summer there was awoman who had posted on social
(16:51):
media that she was looking forsomeone to come and remove a
tree, cut down a tree and removea tree and take it out of her
yard.
So we contacted her and we hada conversation and she's like I
just moved into this yard andthere's shrubs and there's
garbage, and her list was hugeand she lived there by herself.
So we showed up as a housechurch.
There was probably 20 of us,about 10 trucks, trailers, and
(17:12):
we had a great attitude and wehad dilly bars and we did in
probably an hour and a half whatit would have taken her days to
do.
And her number one question tous was why?
Why are you doing this?
We didn't charge her and wejust simply said we want to love
you like Jesus would love you.
We were showing her who Christwas, and in community, it wasn't
(17:33):
work, it was fun and it was ablessing and life-giving.
So, central, how do you serve?
What are the gifts that youhave that you give back and is
serving a rhythm in your life?
If not, it should be.
The rhythms.
Of service is an act of loveand, yes, it is inconvenient at
times, but when we do ittogether in community, it paints
(17:55):
the beautiful image of Christand the kingdom that he planned
for us to be, a world thatotherwise suffers in darkness.
So serve, go and wash some feet, get dirty, and make it a
rhythm.
How and where can you start?
Well, I would say let's starthere.
So many of us come on a Sundaymorning or even throughout the
week and they serve in thisplace, in this community, and
(18:18):
that's wonderful.
The ushers and the greeters andthe sacristy and the musicians
and tech people, everybody.
That's great.
But so many others come for onehour and you're filled with the
Word of God and that's ablessing.
But how about if we just startright here, look across the pew.
(18:41):
Maybe somebody that you'resitting with, who you're
interested in getting to know alittle bit better, could sign up
and work in a capacity here inthis building or on these
grounds to care for us.
You could also work for Sundayopportunities by being an usher
and a greeter.
You could volunteer for VBSwith kids.
You could volunteer withchildren's ministry.
I want to start a landscapeteam because I love landscaping
and so, if you've noticed, thisproperty is huge and we have a
couple people that do it forvolunteer.
(19:02):
What if we all put our hands inand once a month we came and
we're picking dandelions because, my gosh, it's dandelion season
and they're everywhere and it'shard to keep on top of that.
But what if we started here andwe got to know each other and
we built community amongst oneanother?
And then we went beyond thatand we started helping out in
the ministries outside of thisbuilding, the ministries that we
(19:23):
support CARE and Timber Bay,young Life, pilot, outreach,
faith in Action.
What if?
Wow, and what if?
Then we took the next step andwe went across the seas and we
started mission trips together.
We could be a church that isknown for the service of love,
because we're teaching ourselveshow to love through the rhythms
(19:45):
.
Amen.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.