Did you know

that Jesus Christ said that He came to earth not that we would serve Him, but rather He would serve mankind (Mt 20:28)? So, if we are called to follow Him and be transformed by Him, does this not also mean that we should seek to serve others?

How can I serve?

The first thing you need to do is make time. There must be time to pray, time to come to church, and time to serve others. This means a lifestyle change for many of us. You cant do it all, so you will have to give up some things you like to do in order to do the things you need to do. There are lots of ways you can become a servant: Welcome newcomers to the parish and attend to them during the coffee hour. Volunteer to visit shut-ins, and help bring people to church. Be a good example of patience and generosity in your parish, and an active participant in Diocesan/Archdiocesan activities. Become a volunteer at a hospital or an institution that cares for people. Support FOCUS, an Orthodox charity centered on community service: http://www.focusnorthamerica.org Support IOCC, an Orthodox charity centered on disaster relief: http://www.iocc.org Support OCMC, an Orthodox charity centered on evangelization and ministry: http://www.ocmc.org If you commit yourself to doing good, God will strengthen you for the task!

Christians are supposed to be servants

If you are a Christian, then you are called to serve others. If Christ is saving you and has rescued you from the arms of eternal death and separation, then you are His servant. And so, if you serve Him, then you must serve those He seeks to serve: the Lost Sheep. If you are lost, then you will be served. But, are you still lost? Have you not found your way here? You are not lost if you are standing in the church as you read this. You know where you are. You are home. You are no stranger here. So, now is the time to prepare yourself to be the servant that you were intended to be, the one that Christ modeled for us. You may say, I am not prepared! I am very needy! Then you must begin the process of growing up to be an adult and to serve, rather than perpetually remaining a helpless child. We all must become good servants, because it is according to our service to others that God will judge us.

To serve Or to be served
We hear often that churches conduct services. Often, we do not specify who it is that is being served. Are we being served, or are we serving God? Modern people often will tell you that they come to church not to serve God, but to be served, or get their needs met. Yet, this is not what services are about. We come to serve God through our worship. We also come to serve others as a community.

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What about me ?
When we first come to the Church, we are spiritual infants. We do not have the life experiences of God to be able to help others. So, the Church then teaches us about God and the world around us. We learn and grow, and our spiritual growth translates into emotional maturity. A mature person is then able to care for others. He knows his basic needs, those necessary for a healthy life. But, he removes from himself all unnecessary neediness so that he can, in turn, become a complete human and care for others. Humans truly become human when they are able to take care of other humans. This is seen in our maternal and paternal instincts. If we are always thinking of ourselves and putting our own endless needs before others, then we are not merely immature, but we are no longer truly human. A baby in a mans body is not merely a joke, it is a tragedy. When we do not grow up, and instead live perpetually as spiritual infants, we lose out on the blessings of this life that God has given us, and we are also preparing the way for our own condemnation.

Avoiding spiritual narcissism!

If we always remain focused on ourselves, or perhaps just our parish, then we run the risk of becoming spiritual narcissists. This disease is in many of our parishes, where people think only of themselves and, when they feel like it, they will consider caring for the parish in terms of meager donations. How do we escape this trap of perpetual infancy? First, we must repent and start to live truly spiritual lives with Gods help. We ask for His mercy and the courage to change. We confess our sins and start receiving the Sacraments in a penitent manner rather than with an entitlement mentality. Second, we set out to serve others and that means we serve our neighbors and strangers. We find ways to bless those who have no hope other than God, and have no way to pay us back. Being a grown up means doing things not because we get instant gratification, but rather that we know they are the right things to do.

What is a narcissist?
Narcissism is a mental disorder that comes from immaturity. These are some of the symptoms*: An obvious self-focus in interpersonal exchanges Problems in sustaining happy relationships A lack of psychological awareness Difficulty with empathy Problems distinguishing the self from others Hypersensitivity to any insults or imagined insults Vulnerability to shame rather than guilt Haughty body language Flattery towards people who admire and affirm them Detesting those who do not admire them Using other people without considering the cost of doing so Pretending to be more important than they really are Bragging (subtly but persistently) and exaggerating their achievements Claiming to be an "expert" at many things Inability to view the world from the perspective of other people Denial of remorse and gratitude
*- Thomas, David. Narcissism: Behind the Mask (2012), ISBN 184624935X