What small acts of service or love could you do this coming week to bless those around you? Here's Miriam, one of our newly appointed Curates, with her first blog post for St George & St Paul, Tiverton!
(Photo used with kind permission of the Diocese of Exeter)
Philippians 2: 5-8- 'Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.'
Charles and I have been reading through Philippians as part of our morning quiet time. I particularly have been struck by Paul's command to the people to imitate Christ's humility.
In the introduction to our ordination service at the beginning of July, the Bishop said of Deacons 'Theirs is a life of visible self-giving. Christ is the pattern of their calling and their commission; as he washed the feet of his disciples, so they must wash the feet of others.' We are called as Deacons to be servants. At a friend's ordination service, the Bishop washed the feet of the new Deacons as a sign of his servant leadership.
However, it is not just Deacons that are called to imitate Christ's humility, we are all called to do this. In chapter 2 verses 3-4, Paul reminds the church in Caesarea Philippi that they should regard others as better than themselves and that they should not look to their own interests but the interest of others. This is sometimes easier said than done. It can be hard when life is busy and we have our own family and work pressures to have an attitude of service to others. However, the passage in Philippians reminds us that God's Son who made the whole universe loved us so much that He was willing to step down from his throne in heaven, take the form of a slave and pay the ultimate price on the cross. When we know this deep love we have received from God, shown through the giving of His son, we are called to mimic this servanthood to those around us.
This week how can we find space to support and care for others? It may be as simple as ringing a friend that might be struggling or making a cup of tea for a stressed-out work colleague. It may be that we need to spend some time praying, to experience God's love so we are better able to show that love to those around us. My prayer for us this week is that we know God's self-sacrificial love, so we are better able to serve those around us. Blessings Miriam Curate