“We Serve” is one of our core values here at Bay Life Church! Have you ever wondered why we place such a high importance on this value? We believe serving is important because Jesus did, and He showed us by setting an example for us by washing the feet of His disciples! Throughout the New Testament, we read how Jesus connected and interacted with the people he encountered. He spent time with them—sitting, talking, listening, and teaching. He saw firsthand their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs and was deeply moved. Jesus was not concerned about what society would think; he saw people struggling, had compassion, and met their needs. Just as Jesus set the example for us, Bay Life believes serving is important. Whether at home or in our community, we want to help meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those the Lord has brought into our lives.
In John 13, Jesus begins to teach his disciples about serving. Scripture tells us that on the evening of Passover Day, which would have been Jesus’ final night on earth, we read that Jesus set an example of serving by washing the feet of His disciples. As he finished, Jesus began to explain why his actions were so important for his disciples to understand, and then he told them they would be blessed by doing them.
When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
John 13:12-17
Learning how to serve others can begin early in our homes with our families. I learned about serving from my parents, but not how you might think. Perhaps you have heard the phrases “more is caught than taught” or “our actions speak louder than words.” Mom and Dad didn’t just say go out and help other people, nor did they sit me down and say this is how you must serve. My brothers and I learned by watching our parents serve those who were part of our lives, like immediate family members or close family friends. We also learned how to serve those people who we encountered in our day-to-day activities as we moved throughout our community. Perhaps it was easier this way since, as their children, we were often watching and listening to what our parents said and did. I observed my parents served in different settings when they were at home, with extended family members, at church, and in the community. We didn’t stop to consider how caring for people or helping them was actually serving, and it was just part of how we lived and loved the people in our lives.
Growing up, we learned how our mom had served her family as a single woman in her twenties. She moved from the community where she grew up out of state to care for her brother, who was paralyzed in a football accident. He was only 18 at the time of his injury and was hospitalized for two years as he went through rehabilitation. Mom worked a full-time job, and after work, she traveled two hours by train to visit her brother, help with his physical therapy, and encourage him. At times, serving our family members becomes necessary as we deal with catastrophic injuries or illnesses, but thankfully, we do not often find ourselves in those situations. Often, serving our family comes in the simple, day-to-day activities of life where we simply see or anticipate a need and take care of it without being asked. Serving each other during ordinary times is being obedient to what Jesus called us to do.
What about serving our friends or neighbors? Lately, it seems that we live in communities where people return home from work at the end of the day, drive their cars into the garage, and close the door. We might not know our neighbors as well as we could, which makes it difficult to serve them! When our family first moved to our home in Brandon, we noticed every evening around 5pm, our next-door neighbors would put their folding chairs at the end of their driveway and wave to everyone as they returned home for the evening! They invited anyone who stopped to chat to enjoy a cold soda from their garage fridge! Sounds crazy, right? Yet, this simple act of kindness allowed us to develop great friendships with our neighbors. We helped each other with difficult tasks, strenuous yard work, or heavy lifting, and they helped us learn how to be served joyfully! As our neighbors aged, the Lord gave us opportunities to care for them around their homes, bringing meals, tying hard-to-reach shoelaces, and sometimes just stopping by to chat.
Perhaps serving our friends and neighbors can begin by simply offering to feed a pet, mowing the lawn, or bringing in the mail when they are out of town. How we serve will meet people's needs differently. Connecting with people, paying attention to what we see, and listening will help us serve in the most needed ways.
In addition to serving family, friends, and neighbors, Bay Lifers also have the unique opportunity to serve the body of Christ at our church and in our community. Volunteering at church not only helps the services run smoothly but, more importantly, it helps our community encounter Jesus through us. From the parking team to our welcome team in the Worship Center and the nursery, preschool, elementary, and student ministry volunteers in the Student Center, our community engages with Christ followers!
Volunteering also provides the chance for us to model serving for the younger generation. Children are always watching and learning from those who are older. Over the years of working with kids at Bay Life, I have loved seeing families place their children in our ministry and then volunteer on Sundays. As kids see their parents serve, they learn it is essential, and when they are old enough, many of them begin volunteering, too! We love partnering with parents to help lay an enduring foundation of faith in the lives of kids. Serving the Lord is essential for us as Christ Followers. The overflow of a church that serves is seen as the Body of Christ; adults and youth carry the gospel out into their homes, schools, communities, and throughout the world!
