Whom do I serve?
by Faye Schmidt
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Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10).
Read Galatians 1:1–17
There was a time when much of our language was ‘linked’ to that in Scripture, particularly in the legal world. There was a document entitled a deed of release, which was used to release a person from an obligation, usually a financial debt. The opening phrase was, ‘I hereby forgive and release …’. Sound familiar? Nowadays, the same document just reads, ‘I release …’. Forgiving a debt is no longer used.
Likewise, we used to refer to a person’s last will and testament – now just a will.
There was a time in Australia when being a servant of Christ was not questioned or challenged, and the country was regarded as a Christian country. Our laws, traditions, rituals and morals were based on Christian teachings.
Our government schools incorporated the teaching of the Christian faith in their curriculums by people of faith.
The separation of church and state, the disappearance of Christian language and ritual, including the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer at the commencement of Parliament or local council, are signs of a time when the distinction between what is ‘pleasing to people’ and being a servant of Christ is more and more obvious.
To not stand out from the crowd, to please others and not be different, can mean that we suppress our Christianity so that we remain popular and pleasing to people.
Holding fast to God’s word in our conversations and engagements with others can be challenging. The temptation is to keep silent, not to speak out. St Paul said, ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile’ (Romans 1:16).
Can we say the same? Do we witness for Christ and thus serve him? Or does our silence speak for us?
The good news is that God continues to serve us through his word, the sacraments and others in our Christian family.
Dear God, I pray that you send your Holy Spirit to strengthen my faith so that I may first serve you in gratitude and praise for the love you have shown to me through the service of your Son as my Saviour. Amen.
Faye Schmidt continues her diaconal calling through governance, having served on the Vic–Tas District Church Board, the General Church Board and currently as chair of the Standing Committee on Constitutions and her congregation, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide. Having lived and worked in many locations within Australia and overseas, Faye has a heart for the stranger and the newcomer and for being open to new ideas, learning from others and responding to needs.
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