Serve Others
Understanding That You Were Created To Serve Like Jesus
Paul Basden
Aug 22, 2021 31m
Learning to serve like Jesus will help you become more humble, empathetic, and joyful. When we serve others, we are reminded that there is more out there than just ourselves. One of the things that makes everyday heroes heroic is their willingness to serve others. Video recorded at Frisco, Texas.
TranscriptionmessageRegarding Grammar:
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
Video
Paul:
The last year and a half has been challenging for all of us, hasn't it? As COVID spiked and then went down and spiked again, we have all had challenges. However, there's one group of people that has been so constant as they've served us all. We call them essential workers, and they have showed up at work every day, morning and evening, seven days a week. Unless of course, you work here (Chick fil A), and then you don't show up seven days a week, but six days a week because you don't work on Sundays.
Matt Bridges:
I'm Matt Bridges. I'm a Chick-fil-A operator here at Eldorado and Ridge.
Mary Beth:
And I'm Mary Beth, and I do a little bit of everything here.
Matt Bridges:
We opened this location in 2017, February of that year. On average, we have about 2100 orders a day.
Paul:
I know this last 18 months has been hard because of COVID. What have been some of the challenges that you all have faced, and that your employees have faced?
Matt Bridges:
Yeah, I think for me as a leader, is remaining true to your mission during that time. We will nourish bodies, hearts, and souls of those we serve. We're serving people, and there's a greater purpose there, to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that we're entrusted with, and have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A. And it's during those seasons that it can be very difficult.
Mary Beth:
The biggest challenge that we did not expect or prepare for, was the response of the guests to our team. We have team members that were still interacting with guests, and more than ever, they were yelled at, and they were blamed for things that were completely beyond their control. And we had a lot of conversations with them, people are feeling stressed and that's coming out in ways that maybe we haven't seen as much before, it's not you personally, this is our time to shine. It's our time to show that we really do care about our guests. We can love them through great service, great food, and being consistent, when there's a lot of inconsistency out there. We had some team members really embrace that and, and really demonstrate that love and care and that service, through interactions with guests and calming and showing that kindness.
Mary Beth:
One of those in particular, her name is Nina, and she loves to be the one taking out mobile orders to guests. And of course, with technology and with mobile, it can get a little dicey on a normal day. So in this COVID time, when lots of people are coming at one time and food might get mixed up, or it might get the order might get lost, or they can't sign in because the internet is acting funny, all of those things triggered responses from our guests, Nina made it her mission to bring a smile to every face. She has a heart of gold, and she really embraced showing love and care to our guests during that time. We would love for you to meet her.
Paul:
We'd love to meet her too.
Matt Bridges:
Yeah, and Paul, there's no better way to understand someone, than to walk a mile in their shoes. So, that's what we would love for you to do today.
Nina:
I'm Nina.
Paul:
Hey Nina. I'm Paul, how are you? Are you going to train me?
Nina:
Yes, sir. You got your gloves on?
Paul:
I got my gloves on.
Nina:
All right, jazz hands if you got them.
Paul:
Okay, jazz hands. Do I carry these or are you carrying these?
Nina:
Let me carry them, just to show you the ropes.
Paul:
I understand, you don't trust me. I don't blame you.
Nina:
All right. How are you guys today?
Guest:
Good. How are you?
Paul:
So, that looks easy enough.
Nina:
Okay.
Paul:
All right, so now you're a specialist at mobile orders. You want to show me how to do it?
Nina:
Absolutely!
Paul:
Let's do it.
Nina:
Let's do it!
Paul:
See you guys and girls (to a couple of small children sitting at a table). Happy anniversary!
Paul:
Any other tips for being a great mobile order taker?
Nina:
Well, definitely make sure that you actually care about them, and not just getting the job done as fast as possible. If you show, with your eyes, that you care about them then, you've definitely won their heart. And that is the most crucial thing.
Paul:
And that's how you encourage people, isn't it?
Nina:
Yeah.
Paul:
All right. Let's do this thing with a real order, okay?
Nina:
Yes, sir.
Paul:
(Putting on iridescent vest) You want me to put my arm through it like this.
Nina:
Other way.
Paul:
Come on. Like that?
Paul:
This is interesting, isn't it? Alright. Do we have something to take to someone now? All right.
Nina:
All right. Right over here.
Nina:
I do apologize for the wait, sir.
Graeme:
Paul?! What the dickens are you doing in a Chick-Filet outfit?
Paul:
I'm learning how to be an essential worker.
Graeme:
Sensational.
Paul:
All right, I see this is your order. Nina has been teaching me. Now tell me, is this everything that you want? Make sure that we got it just right—one of our specialties.
Graeme:
Any chance of getting some extra sauce, Paul?
Nina:
Absolutely.
Paul:
My pleasure.
End of video
Paul:
Wow.
I didn't know how to take it when Jim, after seeing this little video, said he thought I had a future, I don't know what that really means. But you have to ask the question, what would lead the self-respecting senior pastor to be willing to put on a Chick-fil-A team shirt, and his own name tag, and go do mobile orders. Well, first off, let me answer for Jim Johnson, who didn't give me permission to say this. Jim Johnson as one of the top Chick-fil-A fans in the history of America, would simply say, if you will give him an original sandwich and waffle fries, diet Dr. Pepper, and a chocolate chip cookie, he'll wear anything. I know that to be a fact. But let me say that for me, the story begins a little earlier. About five to six months ago, several of us on our worship team, began to recognize that there are certain people who made life better and easier for all of us during the COVID pandemic.
When the virus was at its worst, these people were at their best. They're often unnoticed, often taken for granted, and yet they just kept showing up and working. And all of us have been the beneficiaries. And we wanted to pause over several weeks this fall, to tell them, thank you.
And so, we began making a list of who we are thinking. And we came up with four big categories, 1. First responders - police, fire, paramedics, 2. Healthcare - medical, dental, pharmacy, therapy, 3. Educators, both traditional classroom educators and all of those who became online educators, not knowing that was going to be their job assignment. All of you parents who got drafted to be homeschool teachers, when you never had that in your plans. And then finally 4. Essential workers, who I think probably are the easiest to take for granted. And that's our focus today.
Now, if you're saying, “Paul, who exactly do you mean by essential workers, If they're not in the category of first responders, healthcare providers and educators?” Well, think of a typical day, if you will, about a year ago during those boring, numbing, days of COVID. Especially, when we were quarantined. You would get up and you would eat breakfast. The food that you ate, came from a grocery store that you either frequented yourself, or you had deliver food to you, or you went to a big parking lot and picked it up. If it was trash day, you heard the waste management workers, driving down the alley. If you have kids, you go on and you take them to daycare, if the daycare is open. You come home and you work for a couple of hours, but you're interrupted by the highlight of your day, which is, your mobile app has just told you that the Amazon order is almost at your front door. I have no idea why we ordered more Amazon packages during COVID than in the history of the world, but we did.
You work in another few hours, then it's lunchtime. Maybe you get out and get in your car, and you go to your favorite fast food eatery. While you're out, you make a deposit at the local bank, using the drive-through lane, chatting for just a second with the teller. Maybe you put gas in your car. Maybe you get an oil change. Maybe you stop by Lowe's and Home Depot to pick up some more flowers because rabbits ate this group over here, or maybe you just needed a new drill bit. Maybe you duck into Office Depot to buy a new ink cartridge for the printer, because again, only God knows why we printed more things during COVID than we ever had in our entire lives.
If you're a guy you might even decide to beat the crowd and get a quick haircut. If you're a woman, I have no idea how many things you have to cancel on your schedule to get a haircut, but I know it's not quick. On the way home, you can't help but notice yard workers, roofers, realtor signs, construction workers. You're back home, you do another few hours of work, and then your other big event for the day is, you go check the mail. Then it's dinner time. You cook what Walmart delivered, or you pick up your dinner at your favorite restaurant, or you order in using GrubHub, DoorDash, UberEats, sound familiar?
Now, your life worked because essential workers kept working. They couldn't work from home, they had to go somewhere. No work, no pay. And yet they kept showing up for work. Now, of course you could be pessimistic and say, well, didn't they just work to get paid? I mean, isn't that why they went to work? To which my answer would be, what's wrong with that. How many of you have ever said to your employer, do not even pay me because I love serving so much. No. Reminds me of the story of a mother who went in to wake up her son one Sunday morning, she said, “Son it’s time to get up for church.” He said, “I'm not going.” She said, “Why?” He said, “I'll give you two good reasons I'm not going. Number one, I don't like the people up there. And number two, they don't like me.” And she says, “Well, I'll give you two good reasons that you'd better get up and go.” He said, “Yeah, what?” She said, “Number one, you're 54 years old. Number two, you're the pastor.”
So, here's the truth, my mom never said that to me, but all of us sometimes work just for the money. And while I know that essential workers had to work, I believe that many kept working because they wanted to help others. About a month ago, I was in our local bank, where Denise and I do our finances, and I had to give something to the teller, and, while she's looking at my, whatever it is, debit card, and driver's license, and picture of my firstborn, I said to her, “Thank you. Our church is getting ready to honor essential workers, thank you for all that you have done, over the last year.” Silence.
And I'm thinking, “Why do you talk to people that don't know you? Your wife and kids always say it's embarrassing to them, maybe she's humiliated.” So I just pause, bite my tongue. She finally looks up, with tears, and she says, “I don't really know what to say, all I can say is, while I had to work, because I couldn't work from home, I kept working because I wanted to help people.” I have an idea that most essential workers had the very same spirit.
And so today we are going to celebrate essential workers, for all the ways they've served us. And I will give you a very specific moment later in the service, to express your deep thanks to them. But it's not just essential workers who are called to serve others. If you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you are called to a life of serving. And let me tell you, it's not as easy as it sounds. There's a fundamental problem with saying yes to becoming a servant for life. Here's the problem, serving means thinking of others—ouch. I mean, it's placing their needs above your own—ouch. It means willingly making them number one, while you become number two—ouch. And if that doesn't communicate with you yet, let me go biblical on you and show you how hard it really is to serve people.
Serving means denying yourself, as Jesus said. And it even means, as the Apostle Paul said, dying to yourself. Well, let's be honest, how many of us wake up every day and say, can't wait to deny myself and die to myself? Most of us, without thinking, naturally, say, can't wait to meet all my needs and do what I need to do today. My sinful flesh rebels against serving. Your sinful flesh, rebels against serving. We want to be number one. So, how do we overcome this problem? How do we curb our selfishness? How do we serve people all around us in the name of Jesus?
Well, I want to tell you that today, because I believe if we're going to take the posture of a servant, in all things in life, we're going to have to be convinced of two things. The first is this, we have to be convinced that Jesus came to serve. And you may say, serve? Jesus came to serve? I thought Jesus came to save. I thought Jesus came to heal. I thought Jesus came to teach. But when Jesus actually answered the question, "Why are you here?", here was his answer. "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." Let's break this down first. Jesus begins by talking about himself. He says son of man. Now, that's Jesus' favorite self-reference. He did not ever call himself the Messiah. He didn't call himself the King of Kings, or the Lord of Lords, or God in a bod, none of that. He called himself, over and over, the son of man.
Now, where do you get that idea? Well, it comes from a vision, that God gave to Daniel, back hundreds of years earlier, recorded in Daniel seven. “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.” Now, if you're coming with the clouds of heaven, you’re divine. That's the only person who gets into heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days, which is God, and was led into God's presence. “He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power.” Well, we know those things belong to God. And “all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.” Well, that belongs to God. So there's somebody in this vision, that Daniel got from God, who is in the presence of God, who is treated like God. Jesus went to that passage in Daniel and said, that's me. That's me. I'm the one, the son of man, who was in the presence of God, filled with divine glory.
So why did he come? Well, it says right there. He came not to be served, but to serve others. Now, first off, he should have been served. I mean, if you're God, you deserve all the glory and honor and praise anyone could give you, but he came not to be served. Instead, he came to serve. And, how far would he go? Well, it says it right there. “And to give his life, as a ransom for many.”
He would serve, and serve, and serve, until it killed him. Or until they killed him. Or until he gave his life willingly, for us. Ransom. It's a slave market term that means you're buying someone out of slavery. You're putting money on barrel head to save them from that life. Jesus died for us, to save us from slavery, and to take us into the Kingdom of God. So Jesus came to serve. He saw himself as a servant. Now, what in the world does that mean? Well, in one of his letters, the Apostle Paul, goes deep into the psyche, the mindset of Jesus, to show how Jesus' thoughts led him to a life of service.
The passage is in Philippians 2:3-11. The first two of those verses give us the context, where Paul's telling Christians how to live, as Jim said last week, “as a colony of heaven on earth.” Here are the two verses. “Don't be selfish,” Paul writes, “don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests but take an interest in others too.” If you read this carefully, you'll notice there are three contrasts. One side, opposite side. Number one, don't be selfish, opposite side, be humble. Selfish means it's all about you, humble means it's not all about you. That's it. Second contrast. Don't try to impress others, opposite, think of others as better than yourselves. Completely opposite. It's all about me, I'm the best, don't you think so? As opposed to, I'm not the best, I don't even care about that. Third contrast is don't look at it only for your own interests but take an interest in others too.
Our model for doing this is not just some ideal of being a servant, it is a person, Jesus of Nazareth. And in verse five, Paul makes the turn. He appeals to the life of Christ as a model for us to serve, and he appeals to Jesus' mind, which led him to his choices.
So, let's look first at verse five. New living translation says, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” I love the new living translation, but I don't like the word attitude, because attitude sounds like, you got a good attitude, you got a bad attitude, based on whether or not you had a good night's sleep. Right? “Don't cop an attitude with me, five-year-old.” You understand that language.
I prefer NIV translation. Have the same mindset. Have the same mindset. And let me tell you what a mindset is. A mindset is a thought pattern, that over time becomes fixed. It is a thought pattern that becomes settled, and you can't easily change it. Can I give you an example of a mindset? If you're a University of Texas alumnus or fan, here is your mindset. Your mindset is, we used to be king of college football. If by the grace of God, Nick Saban will retire or die, we will be the king of college football again. We're not down for the count, we're just biding our time. Okay? Thank you UT people, hope I didn't offend you too much. Aggies, you should be happy we didn't pick again on you. Here's the point. That is a settled mindset, that just comes over the decades, and you don't change it easily.
Jesus had a mindset. His mindset led him to serve. In verses six through eight, Paul goes through this. But before I read the verses to you, let me show it to you in terms of a graph, a parabola. Jesus' mindset, described in Philippians 2:5-11 shows Jesus doing this kind of action in his life, actually from all eternity. Because Jesus shared the glory of God almighty in heaven before the world was ever created. Father, Son, and Spirit, eternally interacting as a fellowship of love, serving, laughing, loving, caring.
Then God said to Jesus, one day, "Son, it's time for you to go to earth. It's time to go be a missionary. Those people are in a bad way, and Adam didn't get it right, and Moses didn't get it right, and Abraham didn't get it right, and David didn't get it right. But I've always had a plan, and I know you'll get it right." And so, Jesus entered this world on a downward descent, into the worst place to be born, the poorest family to be born into. And he began to serve everybody he met on earth. Now, how far did he serve? All the way to the bottom of the graph. All the way to the point of death. And not just any kind of death, but the worst death that anyone could even conceive of. Roman execution by crucifixion.
And because Jesus obeyed God, and because Jesus had the mindset that said, “I'm going to obey. I'm going to serve. I'm going to trust no matter what the cost.” Here's what God said, “Because of your obedience to me, Jesus, I will raise you up and you will ascend back to the heavens. And I will exalt you. And one day you'll come again to the earth, and you will grab up all my people, and we will all be together in heaven, Father, Son, Spirit, all the redeemed of all the ages.” That is what it means for Jesus to have a mindset that led him to service.
Let's look at the exact words. “Though Jesus was God, he did not think of equality with God, as something to cling to, or to be grasped. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges, he took the humble position of a slave, servant, and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God, and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor, gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus, that one name, representing that one person, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue declared that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father.” Do you see the mindset of Jesus? I'm going to serve, and you can't stop it. I'm going to serve, and you can kill me, but I'm still going to serve, because that is what God has called me to do, because that's the very heart of God.
So, the first thing you and I have to be convinced of if we're ever going to serve others, is that Jesus came to serve.
Second thing to be convinced of: Jesus calls you to serve, just like he did. Now, there are many things Jesus did he's not going to call you to do. For example, he died for the sins of the world. He did a very good job of that. He’s not asking you to do that. He came to bring the kingdom of God to earth. He did that. He's not asking you to do that. But he also came to serve, and he is asking you to do that. Simply to serve those around you. And he shows you how to do it. I love that Jesus always was into the “show and tell” routine. You watch him do it, and he goes, “Oh, by the way, you're supposed to do that too.”
On Thursday night of Passover week in 30 A.D., Jesus entered the home where he and his 12 disciples would celebrate the Passover. And as Jesus watched one after another of the disciples come in, he noticed that something was missing. And what was missing was the fact that all 12 of those disciples, should have had their feet washed by a servant in the home who simply was not in his place. And so they came in with hot feet, dusty feet, dry feet, stinky feet. And they're going to sit at the table where you're going to smell all that. And so Jesus served. Here's how the Scripture reads. “So, he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that he had around him.”
They didn't like it. And they didn't know what to do. And he just said, “Just be still, be quiet. I'm doing for you what a servant should do, I'm washing your feet.” And after he finished, he said, “Since I have washed your feet, (remember, show and tell), since I have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. I've given you an example to follow, do as I've done to you.” Now, if you say, well, Paul, are we really supposed to go around washing people's feet? Like, is that our calling? Is that what service means? No, no. Don't miss it. The secret in all of this, is that Jesus didn't look for a big thing to do. Jesus was willing to do something small, and that is always what God is calling you to do when it comes to serving other people. It's not something that's huge, that's massive, that's gargantuan, it's just something small that blesses others.
So let me ask you a very specific question. Who are you going to be with this afternoon? Get their faces in your mind. Who are you going to be with tonight? And then, who you going to be with tomorrow morning? That's enough, 24 hours. Do you have those people, their faces, in your mind? Okay. What small things can you do to make their life better? Remember, in a restaurant, sometimes great servers just fill your glass back up with water. In a grocery store, sometimes great servers just keep the shelves stocked. Don't look for something big. Look for something small. Then go do it. Jesus shows us, and then tells us, to serve. But he also knows it's going to take a lifetime for us to learn it.
Early in Jesus' ministry, he was very vague about his purpose. When people would say, "Is it time to tell everyone that you healed?" He said, "Not yet, my time hasn't come." But by the last two to three months of his life, Jesus got very clear about his purpose. Three times in the last month of his life, he told his disciples he was going to suffer and die. Three times, he said, "Therefore, I want you to serve like I have served." Three times, they said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." And three times, they forgot everything he told them, within hours.
The first time, he took them north of Galilee, up into an area of the Gentiles, called Caesarea Philippi. On their way, Jesus said to them, "Hey guys, is anybody figured out who I am? Is anybody getting this right?" And they said, "Well, we heard someone say the other day, that you’re John the Baptist." (Jesus knew John was already dead.) "Or maybe you're Elijah, or maybe you're one of the prophets." And I'm sure Jesus thought to himself, “Great, three dead people that I remind you of. Is that it? Is that your best?” So then, Jesus says, "How about you 12? Is anybody getting it right?" And Simon Peter got it right. As we say, he hit the nail with his head. And he said, "I know exactly who you are. You're the Messiah."
Watch what happens as soon as he says that. Then Jesus began to tell them that the son of man, his favorite phrase—he didn't even take the Messiah word Peter used—must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later, he would rise from the dead. As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. Did you catch that? Simon Peter, a cursing fisherman, takes the perfect spotless Son of God aside, and says, “You don't really know what you're talking about. You're talking about death—ix-nay on the eth-day. We're not interested.” And Jesus said, "Huh, I've heard that voice before. Get behind me, Satan."
Then calling the crowd, to join his disciples, he said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” Quit being number one and be number two.
The second time he tells them about his death is about a week later. Jesus is up in that same area, he takes his inner circle of three, Peter, James and John, high up on the mountain. It's like an electric light show, all of a sudden Jesus is in bright white clothes, Moses and Elijah, who've been dead for hundreds of years, show up and begin talking to him about his death. And Peter, and James, and John, hear the voice of God almighty, who says, "This is my son, listen to him." Everything normalizes, they go back down the mountain.
Jesus wants to tell them about this conversation he's had, about his death, with Moses and Elijah. But apparently, they're not interested because they're yipping about something else while they’re following him. When they get back to Capernaum, Jesus asks, "What were you guys talking about?" And the silence descends as the embarrassment rises. And finally they said, "Well, we were actually talking about which one of us was your favorite. We were really talking about who's the greatest of each one of us. That was the argument, each of us thought we were the greatest." And Jesus said, "Whoever wants to be first, must take last place, and be the servant of everyone else."
And a few weeks later, we're on the road to Jerusalem, to be there for Passover week, Jesus again, tells them about his betrayal, his mockery, his flogging, his crucifixion, his resurrection, all of which are almost there. But it must fall on deaf ears because James and John, the sons of thunder, find Jesus, and they say to him very clearly, but away from the other 10 disciples, "Jesus, when you come into your kingdom, we want you to do us a favor." And Jesus says, "I don't do favors without knowing what it is so, what is it?" And they said, "Make us number one, as in number one A. Actually you're number one, make us one A and one B, we don't care. Just make us the most important, honored people, in your new kingdom."
Now, the other 10 also wanted to come to Jesus, and they were mad that James and John got there first. So now they start bickering about who's best, who's Jesus' favorite, and finally, Jesus says, "Guys, there are two kingdoms. There's this earthly kingdom that we live in, and there's the kingdom of God. In this earthly kingdom, the whole goal is to have everyone serve you. In the kingdom of God, the whole goal is to serve everyone." Jesus spends three years with these 12 guys.
Three times he tells them that he is going to serve to the point of death. Three times they miss the point and want to talk about who's greatest. And I would say, what a bunch of slow learners. Then I read my journals or look in the mirror, and I say, "What a slow learner." And I look at all of you, and I say, "What a bunch of slow learners." We're all the same, but Jesus is patient. And when Jesus leans on you to serve, don't tell him to be quiet, don't tell him to leave you alone. His greatest act of grace is to patiently lean on you, like a power forward in the NBA, who just doesn't go away. That's Jesus. Always pushing on you to serve.
And so, I ask you a question today. Does serving become you, or is it beneath you? Does it become you, because it becomes Jesus, or is it beneath you because quite honestly, you'd still rather be number one. Well, it wasn't beneath Jesus. So look to him and learn from him. And of course, you know that servants almost never get recognized. Servants almost never feel valued. They almost never hear thank you, or get applauded, because after all, servants are just doing what they're expected to do.
And while that should be our attitude as we serve Christ in others, I don't need your applause, I just want to serve you in the name of Jesus. We also know, that when it comes to others who have served us, gratitude is a gift God gives us. And so today we've set aside time, to do for some servants, what they seldom experience. To recognize them, to value them, to say thank you, to some of the finest servants around, those who have served us as essential workers all over north Texas. To begin this time of Thanksgiving, several Preston Trail folks have prayed. They've put it on tape, and it's their way of representing all of us and saying, “Here is my prayer for all of those who are essential workers.” So in the spirit of prayer eyes open, if you want to or eyes closed and in a spirit of quiet, whatever you want, we're all in the spirit of prayer. Let's pray.
Recorded in Frisco, Texas.
Paul:
The last year and a half has been challenging for all of us, hasn't it? As COVID spiked and then went down and spiked again, we have all had challenges. However, there's one group of people that has been so constant as they've served us all. We call them essential workers, and they have showed up at work every day, morning and evening, seven days a week. Unless of course, you work here (Chick fil A), and then you don't show up seven days a week, but six days a week because you don't work on Sundays.
Matt Bridges:
I'm Matt Bridges. I'm a Chick-fil-A operator here at Eldorado and Ridge.
Mary Beth:
And I'm Mary Beth, and I do a little bit of everything here.
Matt Bridges:
We opened this location in 2017, February of that year. On average, we have about 2100 orders a day.
Paul:
I know this last 18 months has been hard because of COVID. What have been some of the challenges that you all have faced, and that your employees have faced?
Matt Bridges:
Yeah, I think for me as a leader, is remaining true to your mission during that time. We will nourish bodies, hearts, and souls of those we serve. We're serving people, and there's a greater purpose there, to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that we're entrusted with, and have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A. And it's during those seasons that it can be very difficult.
Mary Beth:
The biggest challenge that we did not expect or prepare for, was the response of the guests to our team. We have team members that were still interacting with guests, and more than ever, they were yelled at, and they were blamed for things that were completely beyond their control. And we had a lot of conversations with them, people are feeling stressed and that's coming out in ways that maybe we haven't seen as much before, it's not you personally, this is our time to shine. It's our time to show that we really do care about our guests. We can love them through great service, great food, and being consistent, when there's a lot of inconsistency out there. We had some team members really embrace that and, and really demonstrate that love and care and that service, through interactions with guests and calming and showing that kindness.
Mary Beth:
One of those in particular, her name is Nina, and she loves to be the one taking out mobile orders to guests. And of course, with technology and with mobile, it can get a little dicey on a normal day. So in this COVID time, when lots of people are coming at one time and food might get mixed up, or it might get the order might get lost, or they can't sign in because the internet is acting funny, all of those things triggered responses from our guests, Nina made it her mission to bring a smile to every face. She has a heart of gold, and she really embraced showing love and care to our guests during that time. We would love for you to meet her.
Paul:
We'd love to meet her too.
Matt Bridges:
Yeah, and Paul, there's no better way to understand someone, than to walk a mile in their shoes. So, that's what we would love for you to do today.
Nina:
I'm Nina.
Paul:
Hey Nina. I'm Paul, how are you? Are you going to train me?
Nina:
Yes, sir. You got your gloves on?
Paul:
I got my gloves on.
Nina:
All right, jazz hands if you got them.
Paul:
Okay, jazz hands. Do I carry these or are you carrying these?
Nina:
Let me carry them, just to show you the ropes.
Paul:
I understand, you don't trust me. I don't blame you.
Nina:
All right. How are you guys today?
Guest:
Good. How are you?
Paul:
So, that looks easy enough.
Nina:
Okay.
Paul:
All right, so now you're a specialist at mobile orders. You want to show me how to do it?
Nina:
Absolutely!
Paul:
Let's do it.
Nina:
Let's do it!
Paul:
See you guys and girls (to a couple of small children sitting at a table). Happy anniversary!
Paul:
Any other tips for being a great mobile order taker?
Nina:
Well, definitely make sure that you actually care about them, and not just getting the job done as fast as possible. If you show, with your eyes, that you care about them then, you've definitely won their heart. And that is the most crucial thing.
Paul:
And that's how you encourage people, isn't it?
Nina:
Yeah.
Paul:
All right. Let's do this thing with a real order, okay?
Nina:
Yes, sir.
Paul:
(Putting on iridescent vest) You want me to put my arm through it like this.
Nina:
Other way.
Paul:
Come on. Like that?
Paul:
This is interesting, isn't it? Alright. Do we have something to take to someone now? All right.
Nina:
All right. Right over here.
Nina:
I do apologize for the wait, sir.
Graeme:
Paul?! What the dickens are you doing in a Chick-Filet outfit?
Paul:
I'm learning how to be an essential worker.
Graeme:
Sensational.
Paul:
All right, I see this is your order. Nina has been teaching me. Now tell me, is this everything that you want? Make sure that we got it just right—one of our specialties.
Graeme:
Any chance of getting some extra sauce, Paul?
Nina:
Absolutely.
Paul:
My pleasure.
End of video
Paul:
Wow.
I didn't know how to take it when Jim, after seeing this little video, said he thought I had a future, I don't know what that really means. But you have to ask the question, what would lead the self-respecting senior pastor to be willing to put on a Chick-fil-A team shirt, and his own name tag, and go do mobile orders. Well, first off, let me answer for Jim Johnson, who didn't give me permission to say this. Jim Johnson as one of the top Chick-fil-A fans in the history of America, would simply say, if you will give him an original sandwich and waffle fries, diet Dr. Pepper, and a chocolate chip cookie, he'll wear anything. I know that to be a fact. But let me say that for me, the story begins a little earlier. About five to six months ago, several of us on our worship team, began to recognize that there are certain people who made life better and easier for all of us during the COVID pandemic.
When the virus was at its worst, these people were at their best. They're often unnoticed, often taken for granted, and yet they just kept showing up and working. And all of us have been the beneficiaries. And we wanted to pause over several weeks this fall, to tell them, thank you.
And so, we began making a list of who we are thinking. And we came up with four big categories, 1. First responders - police, fire, paramedics, 2. Healthcare - medical, dental, pharmacy, therapy, 3. Educators, both traditional classroom educators and all of those who became online educators, not knowing that was going to be their job assignment. All of you parents who got drafted to be homeschool teachers, when you never had that in your plans. And then finally 4. Essential workers, who I think probably are the easiest to take for granted. And that's our focus today.
Now, if you're saying, “Paul, who exactly do you mean by essential workers, If they're not in the category of first responders, healthcare providers and educators?” Well, think of a typical day, if you will, about a year ago during those boring, numbing, days of COVID. Especially, when we were quarantined. You would get up and you would eat breakfast. The food that you ate, came from a grocery store that you either frequented yourself, or you had deliver food to you, or you went to a big parking lot and picked it up. If it was trash day, you heard the waste management workers, driving down the alley. If you have kids, you go on and you take them to daycare, if the daycare is open. You come home and you work for a couple of hours, but you're interrupted by the highlight of your day, which is, your mobile app has just told you that the Amazon order is almost at your front door. I have no idea why we ordered more Amazon packages during COVID than in the history of the world, but we did.
You work in another few hours, then it's lunchtime. Maybe you get out and get in your car, and you go to your favorite fast food eatery. While you're out, you make a deposit at the local bank, using the drive-through lane, chatting for just a second with the teller. Maybe you put gas in your car. Maybe you get an oil change. Maybe you stop by Lowe's and Home Depot to pick up some more flowers because rabbits ate this group over here, or maybe you just needed a new drill bit. Maybe you duck into Office Depot to buy a new ink cartridge for the printer, because again, only God knows why we printed more things during COVID than we ever had in our entire lives.
If you're a guy you might even decide to beat the crowd and get a quick haircut. If you're a woman, I have no idea how many things you have to cancel on your schedule to get a haircut, but I know it's not quick. On the way home, you can't help but notice yard workers, roofers, realtor signs, construction workers. You're back home, you do another few hours of work, and then your other big event for the day is, you go check the mail. Then it's dinner time. You cook what Walmart delivered, or you pick up your dinner at your favorite restaurant, or you order in using GrubHub, DoorDash, UberEats, sound familiar?
Now, your life worked because essential workers kept working. They couldn't work from home, they had to go somewhere. No work, no pay. And yet they kept showing up for work. Now, of course you could be pessimistic and say, well, didn't they just work to get paid? I mean, isn't that why they went to work? To which my answer would be, what's wrong with that. How many of you have ever said to your employer, do not even pay me because I love serving so much. No. Reminds me of the story of a mother who went in to wake up her son one Sunday morning, she said, “Son it’s time to get up for church.” He said, “I'm not going.” She said, “Why?” He said, “I'll give you two good reasons I'm not going. Number one, I don't like the people up there. And number two, they don't like me.” And she says, “Well, I'll give you two good reasons that you'd better get up and go.” He said, “Yeah, what?” She said, “Number one, you're 54 years old. Number two, you're the pastor.”
So, here's the truth, my mom never said that to me, but all of us sometimes work just for the money. And while I know that essential workers had to work, I believe that many kept working because they wanted to help others. About a month ago, I was in our local bank, where Denise and I do our finances, and I had to give something to the teller, and, while she's looking at my, whatever it is, debit card, and driver's license, and picture of my firstborn, I said to her, “Thank you. Our church is getting ready to honor essential workers, thank you for all that you have done, over the last year.” Silence.
And I'm thinking, “Why do you talk to people that don't know you? Your wife and kids always say it's embarrassing to them, maybe she's humiliated.” So I just pause, bite my tongue. She finally looks up, with tears, and she says, “I don't really know what to say, all I can say is, while I had to work, because I couldn't work from home, I kept working because I wanted to help people.” I have an idea that most essential workers had the very same spirit.
And so today we are going to celebrate essential workers, for all the ways they've served us. And I will give you a very specific moment later in the service, to express your deep thanks to them. But it's not just essential workers who are called to serve others. If you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you are called to a life of serving. And let me tell you, it's not as easy as it sounds. There's a fundamental problem with saying yes to becoming a servant for life. Here's the problem, serving means thinking of others—ouch. I mean, it's placing their needs above your own—ouch. It means willingly making them number one, while you become number two—ouch. And if that doesn't communicate with you yet, let me go biblical on you and show you how hard it really is to serve people.
Serving means denying yourself, as Jesus said. And it even means, as the Apostle Paul said, dying to yourself. Well, let's be honest, how many of us wake up every day and say, can't wait to deny myself and die to myself? Most of us, without thinking, naturally, say, can't wait to meet all my needs and do what I need to do today. My sinful flesh rebels against serving. Your sinful flesh, rebels against serving. We want to be number one. So, how do we overcome this problem? How do we curb our selfishness? How do we serve people all around us in the name of Jesus?
Well, I want to tell you that today, because I believe if we're going to take the posture of a servant, in all things in life, we're going to have to be convinced of two things. The first is this, we have to be convinced that Jesus came to serve. And you may say, serve? Jesus came to serve? I thought Jesus came to save. I thought Jesus came to heal. I thought Jesus came to teach. But when Jesus actually answered the question, "Why are you here?", here was his answer. "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." Let's break this down first. Jesus begins by talking about himself. He says son of man. Now, that's Jesus' favorite self-reference. He did not ever call himself the Messiah. He didn't call himself the King of Kings, or the Lord of Lords, or God in a bod, none of that. He called himself, over and over, the son of man.
Now, where do you get that idea? Well, it comes from a vision, that God gave to Daniel, back hundreds of years earlier, recorded in Daniel seven. “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.” Now, if you're coming with the clouds of heaven, you’re divine. That's the only person who gets into heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days, which is God, and was led into God's presence. “He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power.” Well, we know those things belong to God. And “all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.” Well, that belongs to God. So there's somebody in this vision, that Daniel got from God, who is in the presence of God, who is treated like God. Jesus went to that passage in Daniel and said, that's me. That's me. I'm the one, the son of man, who was in the presence of God, filled with divine glory.
So why did he come? Well, it says right there. He came not to be served, but to serve others. Now, first off, he should have been served. I mean, if you're God, you deserve all the glory and honor and praise anyone could give you, but he came not to be served. Instead, he came to serve. And, how far would he go? Well, it says it right there. “And to give his life, as a ransom for many.”
He would serve, and serve, and serve, until it killed him. Or until they killed him. Or until he gave his life willingly, for us. Ransom. It's a slave market term that means you're buying someone out of slavery. You're putting money on barrel head to save them from that life. Jesus died for us, to save us from slavery, and to take us into the Kingdom of God. So Jesus came to serve. He saw himself as a servant. Now, what in the world does that mean? Well, in one of his letters, the Apostle Paul, goes deep into the psyche, the mindset of Jesus, to show how Jesus' thoughts led him to a life of service.
The passage is in Philippians 2:3-11. The first two of those verses give us the context, where Paul's telling Christians how to live, as Jim said last week, “as a colony of heaven on earth.” Here are the two verses. “Don't be selfish,” Paul writes, “don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests but take an interest in others too.” If you read this carefully, you'll notice there are three contrasts. One side, opposite side. Number one, don't be selfish, opposite side, be humble. Selfish means it's all about you, humble means it's not all about you. That's it. Second contrast. Don't try to impress others, opposite, think of others as better than yourselves. Completely opposite. It's all about me, I'm the best, don't you think so? As opposed to, I'm not the best, I don't even care about that. Third contrast is don't look at it only for your own interests but take an interest in others too.
Our model for doing this is not just some ideal of being a servant, it is a person, Jesus of Nazareth. And in verse five, Paul makes the turn. He appeals to the life of Christ as a model for us to serve, and he appeals to Jesus' mind, which led him to his choices.
So, let's look first at verse five. New living translation says, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” I love the new living translation, but I don't like the word attitude, because attitude sounds like, you got a good attitude, you got a bad attitude, based on whether or not you had a good night's sleep. Right? “Don't cop an attitude with me, five-year-old.” You understand that language.
I prefer NIV translation. Have the same mindset. Have the same mindset. And let me tell you what a mindset is. A mindset is a thought pattern, that over time becomes fixed. It is a thought pattern that becomes settled, and you can't easily change it. Can I give you an example of a mindset? If you're a University of Texas alumnus or fan, here is your mindset. Your mindset is, we used to be king of college football. If by the grace of God, Nick Saban will retire or die, we will be the king of college football again. We're not down for the count, we're just biding our time. Okay? Thank you UT people, hope I didn't offend you too much. Aggies, you should be happy we didn't pick again on you. Here's the point. That is a settled mindset, that just comes over the decades, and you don't change it easily.
Jesus had a mindset. His mindset led him to serve. In verses six through eight, Paul goes through this. But before I read the verses to you, let me show it to you in terms of a graph, a parabola. Jesus' mindset, described in Philippians 2:5-11 shows Jesus doing this kind of action in his life, actually from all eternity. Because Jesus shared the glory of God almighty in heaven before the world was ever created. Father, Son, and Spirit, eternally interacting as a fellowship of love, serving, laughing, loving, caring.
Then God said to Jesus, one day, "Son, it's time for you to go to earth. It's time to go be a missionary. Those people are in a bad way, and Adam didn't get it right, and Moses didn't get it right, and Abraham didn't get it right, and David didn't get it right. But I've always had a plan, and I know you'll get it right." And so, Jesus entered this world on a downward descent, into the worst place to be born, the poorest family to be born into. And he began to serve everybody he met on earth. Now, how far did he serve? All the way to the bottom of the graph. All the way to the point of death. And not just any kind of death, but the worst death that anyone could even conceive of. Roman execution by crucifixion.
And because Jesus obeyed God, and because Jesus had the mindset that said, “I'm going to obey. I'm going to serve. I'm going to trust no matter what the cost.” Here's what God said, “Because of your obedience to me, Jesus, I will raise you up and you will ascend back to the heavens. And I will exalt you. And one day you'll come again to the earth, and you will grab up all my people, and we will all be together in heaven, Father, Son, Spirit, all the redeemed of all the ages.” That is what it means for Jesus to have a mindset that led him to service.
Let's look at the exact words. “Though Jesus was God, he did not think of equality with God, as something to cling to, or to be grasped. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges, he took the humble position of a slave, servant, and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God, and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor, gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus, that one name, representing that one person, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue declared that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father.” Do you see the mindset of Jesus? I'm going to serve, and you can't stop it. I'm going to serve, and you can kill me, but I'm still going to serve, because that is what God has called me to do, because that's the very heart of God.
So, the first thing you and I have to be convinced of if we're ever going to serve others, is that Jesus came to serve.
Second thing to be convinced of: Jesus calls you to serve, just like he did. Now, there are many things Jesus did he's not going to call you to do. For example, he died for the sins of the world. He did a very good job of that. He’s not asking you to do that. He came to bring the kingdom of God to earth. He did that. He's not asking you to do that. But he also came to serve, and he is asking you to do that. Simply to serve those around you. And he shows you how to do it. I love that Jesus always was into the “show and tell” routine. You watch him do it, and he goes, “Oh, by the way, you're supposed to do that too.”
On Thursday night of Passover week in 30 A.D., Jesus entered the home where he and his 12 disciples would celebrate the Passover. And as Jesus watched one after another of the disciples come in, he noticed that something was missing. And what was missing was the fact that all 12 of those disciples, should have had their feet washed by a servant in the home who simply was not in his place. And so they came in with hot feet, dusty feet, dry feet, stinky feet. And they're going to sit at the table where you're going to smell all that. And so Jesus served. Here's how the Scripture reads. “So, he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that he had around him.”
They didn't like it. And they didn't know what to do. And he just said, “Just be still, be quiet. I'm doing for you what a servant should do, I'm washing your feet.” And after he finished, he said, “Since I have washed your feet, (remember, show and tell), since I have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. I've given you an example to follow, do as I've done to you.” Now, if you say, well, Paul, are we really supposed to go around washing people's feet? Like, is that our calling? Is that what service means? No, no. Don't miss it. The secret in all of this, is that Jesus didn't look for a big thing to do. Jesus was willing to do something small, and that is always what God is calling you to do when it comes to serving other people. It's not something that's huge, that's massive, that's gargantuan, it's just something small that blesses others.
So let me ask you a very specific question. Who are you going to be with this afternoon? Get their faces in your mind. Who are you going to be with tonight? And then, who you going to be with tomorrow morning? That's enough, 24 hours. Do you have those people, their faces, in your mind? Okay. What small things can you do to make their life better? Remember, in a restaurant, sometimes great servers just fill your glass back up with water. In a grocery store, sometimes great servers just keep the shelves stocked. Don't look for something big. Look for something small. Then go do it. Jesus shows us, and then tells us, to serve. But he also knows it's going to take a lifetime for us to learn it.
Early in Jesus' ministry, he was very vague about his purpose. When people would say, "Is it time to tell everyone that you healed?" He said, "Not yet, my time hasn't come." But by the last two to three months of his life, Jesus got very clear about his purpose. Three times in the last month of his life, he told his disciples he was going to suffer and die. Three times, he said, "Therefore, I want you to serve like I have served." Three times, they said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." And three times, they forgot everything he told them, within hours.
The first time, he took them north of Galilee, up into an area of the Gentiles, called Caesarea Philippi. On their way, Jesus said to them, "Hey guys, is anybody figured out who I am? Is anybody getting this right?" And they said, "Well, we heard someone say the other day, that you’re John the Baptist." (Jesus knew John was already dead.) "Or maybe you're Elijah, or maybe you're one of the prophets." And I'm sure Jesus thought to himself, “Great, three dead people that I remind you of. Is that it? Is that your best?” So then, Jesus says, "How about you 12? Is anybody getting it right?" And Simon Peter got it right. As we say, he hit the nail with his head. And he said, "I know exactly who you are. You're the Messiah."
Watch what happens as soon as he says that. Then Jesus began to tell them that the son of man, his favorite phrase—he didn't even take the Messiah word Peter used—must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later, he would rise from the dead. As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. Did you catch that? Simon Peter, a cursing fisherman, takes the perfect spotless Son of God aside, and says, “You don't really know what you're talking about. You're talking about death—ix-nay on the eth-day. We're not interested.” And Jesus said, "Huh, I've heard that voice before. Get behind me, Satan."
Then calling the crowd, to join his disciples, he said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” Quit being number one and be number two.
The second time he tells them about his death is about a week later. Jesus is up in that same area, he takes his inner circle of three, Peter, James and John, high up on the mountain. It's like an electric light show, all of a sudden Jesus is in bright white clothes, Moses and Elijah, who've been dead for hundreds of years, show up and begin talking to him about his death. And Peter, and James, and John, hear the voice of God almighty, who says, "This is my son, listen to him." Everything normalizes, they go back down the mountain.
Jesus wants to tell them about this conversation he's had, about his death, with Moses and Elijah. But apparently, they're not interested because they're yipping about something else while they’re following him. When they get back to Capernaum, Jesus asks, "What were you guys talking about?" And the silence descends as the embarrassment rises. And finally they said, "Well, we were actually talking about which one of us was your favorite. We were really talking about who's the greatest of each one of us. That was the argument, each of us thought we were the greatest." And Jesus said, "Whoever wants to be first, must take last place, and be the servant of everyone else."
And a few weeks later, we're on the road to Jerusalem, to be there for Passover week, Jesus again, tells them about his betrayal, his mockery, his flogging, his crucifixion, his resurrection, all of which are almost there. But it must fall on deaf ears because James and John, the sons of thunder, find Jesus, and they say to him very clearly, but away from the other 10 disciples, "Jesus, when you come into your kingdom, we want you to do us a favor." And Jesus says, "I don't do favors without knowing what it is so, what is it?" And they said, "Make us number one, as in number one A. Actually you're number one, make us one A and one B, we don't care. Just make us the most important, honored people, in your new kingdom."
Now, the other 10 also wanted to come to Jesus, and they were mad that James and John got there first. So now they start bickering about who's best, who's Jesus' favorite, and finally, Jesus says, "Guys, there are two kingdoms. There's this earthly kingdom that we live in, and there's the kingdom of God. In this earthly kingdom, the whole goal is to have everyone serve you. In the kingdom of God, the whole goal is to serve everyone." Jesus spends three years with these 12 guys.
Three times he tells them that he is going to serve to the point of death. Three times they miss the point and want to talk about who's greatest. And I would say, what a bunch of slow learners. Then I read my journals or look in the mirror, and I say, "What a slow learner." And I look at all of you, and I say, "What a bunch of slow learners." We're all the same, but Jesus is patient. And when Jesus leans on you to serve, don't tell him to be quiet, don't tell him to leave you alone. His greatest act of grace is to patiently lean on you, like a power forward in the NBA, who just doesn't go away. That's Jesus. Always pushing on you to serve.
And so, I ask you a question today. Does serving become you, or is it beneath you? Does it become you, because it becomes Jesus, or is it beneath you because quite honestly, you'd still rather be number one. Well, it wasn't beneath Jesus. So look to him and learn from him. And of course, you know that servants almost never get recognized. Servants almost never feel valued. They almost never hear thank you, or get applauded, because after all, servants are just doing what they're expected to do.
And while that should be our attitude as we serve Christ in others, I don't need your applause, I just want to serve you in the name of Jesus. We also know, that when it comes to others who have served us, gratitude is a gift God gives us. And so today we've set aside time, to do for some servants, what they seldom experience. To recognize them, to value them, to say thank you, to some of the finest servants around, those who have served us as essential workers all over north Texas. To begin this time of Thanksgiving, several Preston Trail folks have prayed. They've put it on tape, and it's their way of representing all of us and saying, “Here is my prayer for all of those who are essential workers.” So in the spirit of prayer eyes open, if you want to or eyes closed and in a spirit of quiet, whatever you want, we're all in the spirit of prayer. Let's pray.
Recorded in Frisco, Texas.
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