Deuteronomy 10:12-13

What does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees. . . ?

Response

Consider these questions:

• Moses spoke these words to the Israelites. It was a tall order for God’s people then, and it’s a tall order for us now. What spiritual practices help you grow in your ability to do these things?
• What does serving the Lord “with all your heart and with all your soul” mean to you?
• How would you know if you were indeed serving God with all your heart and soul? What might be different about your daily life? What might be the same?
• How would you describe this type of wholehearted service to a child?

Mark 10:42-45 (NLT)

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Response

Consider these questions:

• Do you know someone who is an example of a “servant-leader”? What do you think motivates that person?
• In what areas of life are you a leader? How can you also serve in those areas?
• How might you cultivate the heart of a servant in imitation of Jesus?
• How might your faith community pursue servanthood together?

John 13:3-5, 12-14

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. . . . When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.”

Response

Consider these questions:

• If you were one of the disciples, how do you think you would have felt when Jesus, the Son of God, began to wash your feet? Embarrassed? Unworthy? Awed? Other?
• In what specific ways can we follow Jesus’ example of servanthood, both individually and as members of a faith community?
• Have you ever participated in a footwashing ceremony? What was it like? How did you react?
• Whose “feet” might you need to “wash”?

James 2:14-17

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Response

Consider these questions:

• How can we avoid the trap of “works righteousness”—of thinking that doing good deeds can secure our salvation?
• Are you aware of how many people in your community struggle to obtain daily food? If not, find out. How might you help to address the root causes of food insecurity in your area?
• If you are white, have you grappled with the destructive impulse to act as a “white savior” when you serve people of color? How?
• Do you ever experience guilt feelings about not “doing enough”? How do you address those feelings? How do you balance service and sabbath?