It was a holy moment. One of the holiest in Scripture. Churches all over the world have reenacted it on a regular basis for the past 2,000 years. Leonardo da Vinci immortalized the moment in painting. We call it the Last Supper.
It was in this incredible moment that Jesus shared the bread and the wine, the bread symbolizing His body, the wine His blood. It was this holy moment when the full weight of what He was about to sacrifice was finally, slowly, starting to sink in to the 12 apostles’ heads and hearts.
It was at this sacred moment in time that it happened. “Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered the greatest” (Luke 22:24).
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At the moment that the Messiah’s great coming sacrifice was just beginning to come clear, the apostles began to argue which of them was the best.
Now before you start condemning them, take a step back and realize that they were doing what humans have done since time began: sizing each other up. It’s just human nature for us to want to be the best. And not just to be the best, but to be in charge.
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Not that there’s anything wrong with that! But Jesus has a curious reply: If you want to be the greatest, then serve. This concept flies in the face of logical thinking and the ways of our world. It surely doesn’t jive with what we see on reality TV. Jesus says: Don’t lord it over people; instead, serve, give, and love, and you will be great.
About 10 years ago I began attending NorthStar Church in Kennesaw. I joined the staff there after a short while. I had been on other church staffs before, but this church was different. What set NorthStar apart then, and still does today, is their heart for the community. NorthStar has served the community of Kennesaw, Acworth, and beyond in a way that is unusual.
They have provided clothes, food, and more for those less fortunate. They have served meals and washed laundry at MUST Ministries. They have served at concession stands so parents don’t have to and can actually watch their children play ball. And the list goes on and on. Virtually every day of the year, NorthStar volunteers are giving of their time and energy and making a difference in our community.
In a word, they serve. And as our senior pastor Mike Linch is fond of saying, we are never more like Christ than when we give and when we serve.
This is my first blog post on the Patch. What I’m going to be sharing with you in this blog is partly what NorthStar Church is doing in our community. Not to lift ourselves up and to be boastful about what we’re doing. But to invite you to join us. I believe there is a groundswell of people wanting to find deeper meaning through serving their fellow man and woman. The hard part many times is figuring out how and what to do.
That’s where we come in. I’ll be sharing some of the ways you can help us help others. Even if you never set foot inside one of our services, we invite you to join forces with us to help impact our community positively. I’ll be sharing more about the “how” in the future.
But for now, just know that NorthStar Church stands ready to join forces with you to serve our community, to make one of the best communities in our country even greater.
Because the greatest among us are the ones who serve.