Many people believe that Winston Churchill said “You make a
living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.” Apparently he never spoke these words. Whoever first spoke them should be applauded
for encouraging us to see that a great life is lived when we live our lives for
the sake of others.
10 October 1908 in Dundee, Scotland, Winston Churchill did
say the following words:
“What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble
causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in
it after we are gone? How else can we
put ourselves in harmonious relation with the great verities and consolations
of the infinite and the eternal? And I
avow my faith that we are marching towards better days. Humanity will not be cast down. We are going on swinging bravely forward
along the grand high road and already behind the distant mountains is the
promise of the sun.”
When we think of our Christian faith it is one that is
founded in selfless giving for the sake of others. The very fact of Jesus’ birth, life and death
were all for the sake of the redemption of humanity. Jesus did not need to put himself through any
of that. As our reading from Philippians
today tells us, Jesus knew the glory of heaven and intimacy of relationship
with God even before his birth in Bethlehem.
Yet, he humbled himself and offered his life for our sake so that we may
know the glory of heaven and intimacy of relationship with God. We are known as Christ’s disciples. Disciples are people who learn from their
teacher and replicate his life in theirs.
During November we want to celebrate the service that many
members of our congregation give. Some
give their service within the life of the congregation, others give it in areas
away from the congregation. This is
great, because it’s important to know that our discipleship to Christ takes
place in all aspects of our life, not just when we are on the church property.
As the year draws to a conclusion you may want to think
about the service that you can give next year.
Consider whether you are living a life lived for others and seeking to
make this a better world for those people that you share it with. To do this you may need to stretch yourself
in faith to step up to service in 2013, to step into an unfamiliar area of
service, or to step down from something.
As an act of discipleship and to grow you in your faith, please
prayerfully give consideration to where God would have you serve in 2013 so
that we can celebrate your life as it is lived for others.
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