When I (Cody) was a senior in college I interned at a church in Pittsburg. It was a great church and the guy I interned under was a great guy that I still respect a great deal to this day. However, after one late event at church, me and my supervisor were stacking up chairs that had been set out for the event. He was a smart guy and he knew I liked all the nerdy stuff about faith (Greek words, Roman history, primary sources, etc.). He said, as we stacked dozens and dozens of chairs, “You probably didn’t think you’d go to college just to stack chairs huh?”

       Actually, I did. I give a lot of credit to my dad for this. As long as I can remember, he was always the pastor at a church too small for staff or very many volunteers. Dad always did whatever needed done. He cleaned the church, set things up, and tore things down. And he never once complained. It was just a part of serving Christ in the church. I think something from that instilled in me a sense that service is what the Christian faith is about. There isn’t a higher calling than stacking chairs.

       Jesus says in Matthew 23:11, “11 The greatest among you must be a servant.” The greatest in the Kingdom are those who serve because that’s exactly what Jesus did. He came to serve. When we serve, we imitate the King.

       Thank you for being the greatest this week. Thank you for serving. And thank you for inspiring others to do the same thing. Trust me, there are others watching you, as I watched my father, and realizing that great faith serves others. Thank you!