Lent Talk 5 - The Spiritual Discipline of Service
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Matt’s Picture (to come)
The Talk
1. Matt’s Picture (to come)
2. The Talk
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Rooted in the Two Greatest Commandments
Introduction: The Second Commandment and the Life of Christ
“You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” — Leviticus 19:18
“The second commandment is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” — Matthew 22:39–40
In this session we are exploring (for the second week) what it means to live out the second great commandment—to love our neighbour as ourselves—through the discipline of service.
This isn’t a uniquely Christian idea. You don’t have to be a believer to care about moral excellence or human dignity. Plato and Aristotle can take you a long way down that road. People from all backgrounds can (and do) feed the hungry, visit the sick, or help the lonely.
But the Christian reason for doing so is unique—and it’s deeply tied to our story of salvation.
Because We Were Rescued
Why do we serve?
Because, just like the Israelites in Egypt, we were rescued.
This is the pattern all throughout Scripture—especially in the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 26, 24, and 16, God reminds His people again and again to care for the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, and the poor. Why? Because they were once slaves, once outcasts themselves. And therefore, they must act with compassion and inclusion.
“Do not forget. Remember you were once slaves. Remember you were once trash yourselves. So now—live differently.”
When they celebrated the harvest (Festival of Weeks), they were commanded to invite everyone—not just family and friends, but the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans and widows. Inclusion and dignity weren’t optional. They were central to what it meant to be God’s people.
And now, as Gentile Christians, this story is ours too. This is our whakapapa, our spiritual genealogy. We serve because we were rescued. We serve because God has made a claim on our lives. It’s part of the deal. It’s who we are now.
The Discipline of Service: Restoring Dignity
The discipline of service is about more than doing good deeds. It’s about recognising and restoring the dignity of others—especially those society overlooks or dismisses.
The homeless
The neurodiverse
The lonely
The elderly
The mentally ill
Those with Down's syndrome, autism, or addiction
Those who seem "worthless" to the world
It’s about seeing the image of God where others see inconvenience or burden.
When we serve these people—when we show up, offer presence, kindness, honour—we are participating in God’s own mission of restoration.
Jesus and the Story of Rescue
Jesus, too, relives the story of exile and rescue.
He doesn’t just preach dignity—He gives it:
In healing the blind man.
In speaking with the Samaritan woman.
In touching lepers.
In eating with tax collectors.
In calling His disciples “friends.”
His life is a long act of service, culminating in the cross—and beyond the cross, resurrection life, which calls us forward into His mission.
St Paul picks up the same theme: the slavery of the Fall, the redemption through Christ, and a new way of life in response. A life shaped by service and love.
And James, writing as a Jew to Jews, connects this story of rescue directly to practice:
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” — James 1:27
“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself,’ you are doing right.” — James 2:8
In James, theology is never separate from action. Belief is always embodied. Service isn’t an optional extra—it’s proof of faith.
A Life of Moral Formation
This is why service is a spiritual discipline.
We don't just “happen” to become loving. It’s something that forms in us over time, especially when we live in deep, vulnerable communities, where we are known, challenged, and encouraged.
Service trains us:
To be present.
To resist selfishness.
To open our eyes.
To give up comfort.
To become more like Christ.
And yes—it’s work. But it is good work. Holy work. Work that transforms the world and transforms us.
Conclusion: Our Story, Our Discipline
So why do we serve?
Because we were rescued.
Because this is our story.
Because God has poured out His love on us, and now calls us to pour it out for others.
This is what it means to love your neighbour as yourself.
This is why we need the spiritual discipline of service.
Suggested Readings:
Deuteronomy 26:1–19 – Offering the firstfruits with thanksgiving
Deuteronomy 24:17–21 – Justice and compassion for the vulnerable
Deuteronomy 16:9–15 – The Festival of Weeks and inclusive celebration
James 1:27; 2:8 – True religion and the royal law
Matthew 22:37–40 – The greatest commandments