SERVANTS AND MASTERS

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.  Romans 1:1a

There was once a master of a great kingdom.  He was wealthy beyond measure and needed to hire servants to take care of his estate.  He sent a foreman to the streets to hire whomever was needed to keep his house in order.  He would never get to know them personally however. Most of them would long for their freedom. They would know that their master’s only interest in them would be in their ability to take care of what he owned.  They would strain under the workload and despise their lowly status.

There was once a Master of a different kingdom.  He was also wealthy beyond measure and needed no one to maintain His kingdom.  He was all-sufficient.  He loved to create though and, over the course of seven days, made the world, made man and woman, and gave them the privilege of ruling this paradise.  They rebelled against their Creator though, declared mutiny, and were banished from His lovely estate but He forgave them and made a way for them to come home.

How? This kind Creator sent His Son to live among the fallen for a while.  He assumed the role of a servant and taught people many things; that His Father loved them dearly, longed to forgive and restore them, and give them back their role in his kingdom. To turn things upside down, the Son even served the fallen ones by giving them the ultimate gift; His life.  Love fueled this unthinkable sacrifice and since then, the desire to become a servant like this crucified Son has spread like wildfire.  Radical love calls for a radical response.

The Apostle Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and ever since that encounter, he walked in the Son’s footsteps.  He identified himself as His servant, a bond-slave of the very One he once thought a fraud.

To be a servant of an earthly master is to labor, often in anonymity.  To be a servant of Christ is to whisper “Savior” and “Friend” and enjoy an intimacy that is not of this world. Martyrdom has been the portion of many servants, even the Apostle Paul, who went to his death feeling that such an end was his privilege, not twisted fate.

Never could I serve a Master such as You.  I am Your servant and I love my calling.  Amen