Jesus Serves Others

INTRO Welcome to the Gospel Focused: Family Moment. I'm your host, Eric Novak. Each week, we pause as a family to remember what matters most — the good news of Jesus. This podcast is brought to you by GospelFocused.com OPENING LITURGY For our opening liturgy today, I'll be our leader and ask a question, and then you follow along and repeat with your family: Eric: "Christian family, what do we believe?" All: "We believe in God the Father, Maker of heaven and earth. We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. We believe in the Holy Spirit, Who gives us life and makes us one." SCRIPTURE READING "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” -Mark 10:43-45 This is the word of the Lord. MAIN STORY / REFLECTION There are many reason to serve other people—we know that it makes us feel good, it's rewarding, and science says it even helps us to live longer. But what about serving people you don't like, or people who are hard to get along with? Jesus repeatedly demonstrated the way that Christians should act, not only toward other Christians (like the time he washed the disciples feet) but also towards people who don't know Him, or even hate Him! One time he healed a servant's ear, when he was being arrested by a crowd of people who hated him. The world is a complicated place, and there are many opinions on how we should treat other people, even people who want to change our laws and make it harder for us to worship God, but Jesus isn't just an example that we should follow to be nice to people—He sacrificed everything for people who didn't love Him, and He changes our hearts to love our enemies. In Mark 5:44, Jesus says, "I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." This is the exact opposite of what the world says, and it's why our hearts have such a hard time grabbing onto this concept. The world says that we need to get even with people. If you brother hurts you, punch him back! But Jesus says to turn your other cheek—that means to do good to your brother instead of getting caught up in a big fight with him. This might sound like an easy thing to do, but give it a try and see how it works out for you. It's really difficult to do without the help of the Holy Spirit guiding us and reminding us to love each other. The world says that if someone hurts us, we shouldn't ever forgive them. It's alright to stay angry if they were in the wrong! But Jesus says, "I've forgiven you, so you need to forgive you brother." Who is your brother or sister? Anyone that Jesus has made and placed in your life. These words seem crazy, and they're very hard to live by. But Christianity is all about being followers of Jesus and being transformed by him into a new person—I person who does the unexpected: loves people who are unlovable. Think back on today, just noticing what happened together. Is there someone you can love, even if they were unkind? Where has someone in your family shown you kindness when you didn't deserve it? Remember the word of the Apostle John as you go today: "We love, because He first loved us." MEMORY VERSE "Whoever wants to be great must be your servant." — Mark 10:43 PRAYER Let's take a moment to pray together. Father God, thank you for showing love to us when we didn't deserve it. Soften our hearts, help us to learn to trust you, and help us to forgive, even when it's hard. Through the mercy of your Son, Jesus, we ask all of these things, amen. OUTRO Thanks for joining us for this week's Gospel Focused: Family Moment. I'm your host, Eric Novak. Until next time, keep your eyes on Jesus and your hearts focused on the gospel. BENEDICTION Go as a family in the peace of your Savior and closest friend, Jesus Christ. See you next week!