TYCFM

After our week in American Samoa, we headed back to Upolu, via the skinny pencil neck plane which is so small you could reach directly into the cockpit from the front row and steer the plane if you wanted. We were picked up from the domestic airport and taken our place of residence - Piuala Methodist Theological College - for a few days.
My wife's uncle and aunty were, at the time teachers for upcoming students at the college. My uncle-in-law, Rev. Dr. Saunoa Sila is a leading Pacific Theologian who has does some great work in the history of Piula and Methodist History in Samoa. We were fortunate to be able to stay at their place on the campus for a few days. 

One thing struck me about my time at Piula, beyond the beauty of nature and wairua that was present the whole time. Whenever we had meals as a family, we would be served by training students of the college. These students, were all older than me and would always sit on the floor beside us when we ate, making sure our plates and cups were full and ensuring our hands were clean when finished. I was told that this is always done by first year students, as a way to remind them of the important aspect of ministry and Christian life in general - that we are called to serve. Up to the point of being told why this was done, I was very uncomfortable - imagine sitting at a table eating with someone sitting on the floor beside you and then being served by someone old enough to be your parent or grandparent! But once it was explained to me, it made perfect sense and what I saw as uncomfortable became a beautiful, powerful gesture that I will never forget.

Do we lose sight sometimes of the reality that our Christian journey is based on serving others? What good is our faith in God if we do not serve? We know serving others is important because simply put, scripture says -

If it's good enough for Christ, it's good enough for me. Sometimes in the midst of being loved by God, we forget that we are called to serve in response. As we head into the Holy Week, where the culmination of Gods love would take center stage, beginning in Palm Covered streets and ending at Calvary, let us show how we follow Christ, in the way we serve him. Ultimately, our ability to be here to read these words is made possible through a God who, in goodness and mercy, came into our world and didn't want to sit at, but rather serve those at the table. In the Kingdom, servants are honored. Servants follow. Let that be our prayer - as we embark on another Holy Week toward the Cross.