Running head: SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT 1

6.7 Signature Assignment: How to Serve?

Ma. Elena Bush
ECD 104

Dr. Mike Spinelli

BIB 314 Online Class

Fresno Pacific University

Signature Assignment 2

How to Serve?

Homelessness is a growing problem in our community, according to the United States

Interagency Council on Homelessness, there are a total of one hundred thirty-four thousand two

hundred and seventy-eight people who are homeless in California (United States Interagency

Council on Homelessness, 2018). There are agencies such as the Poverello House in Fresno that

helps feed the homeless. If Jesus were to serve in the contemporary world, He will not limit his

service in an agency. He will model uncustomary service in order to change not just one person’s

heart but to rally the rest of the community into sincerely wanting to serve and help the needy.

This would happen not just by hand out but by empowering them to have a unified community

sincerely loving each other and lessening homelessness in the process.

Jesus said, “but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, whoever

wishes to be first among you must be your slave; Just as the Son of Man came not to be served but

to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28, New Revised Standard

Version). Jesus Christ modeled service to the poor and the needy even though He is God who did

mighty deeds such as feeding the five thousand men besides women and children; feeding the four

thousand men besides woman and children (Matthew 14:15-21; Matthew 15:32-38, New Revised

Standard Version). Jesus suffered under the hands of men and He gave his life as a sacrifice to

save us (Matthew 27:32-56, New Revised Standard Version). Kraybill, 2011, states that, “Jesus

is pointing to a new age, a time when a new offering will be made: a body. A permanent sacrifice

will be given. Each heart will become a vessel for the Holy Spirit.” (Kraybill, 2011, p. 152.). Jesus

is asking us to open up our hearts, so the holy spirit can live within us that we can foster God’s

work. Why does Jesus do these instead of just solving the problem with a flick of a finger?
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Jesus gathered twelve people to accompany Him in His journey of “fishing people” instead

of fish (Matthew 4:18-22, New Revised Standard Version). Being God Jesus is capable of

executing tasks by himself, but He chose to get other people involved in the process. Would it not

be easier and time saving to accomplish a mission focused and not distracted by company who

may or may not execute the mission properly according to plan? Jesus had to convince his

disciples to leave everything behind for His great mission, and that takes time and more effort.

Why get these people involved? According to Kraybill, 2011, “Joining the disciple band required

repentance and a change of loyalties…Now, political opponents are walking and sleeping

together.” (Kraybill, 2011, p. 210). Jesus wants His people to work together, unified, “one body

in Christ”, working together for the common goal of genuine love and compassion (Romans 12:3-

13, New Revised Standard Version). Jesus is showing us how it is done so we can do it on our

own.

In the Jordan River video on week two lesson about Baptism it was discussed that God

wants us to wholeheartedly trust in Him and his plans for us, that we need to take the leap of faith

crossing the high river so that God can deliver His promise of safety and abundance (Faith

Covenant ECC, 2010, 5:10-20). According to Wainscott, “Repentance doesn’t only mean turning

from inappropriate action, but also involves going in the direction you ought to be going. Jesus

aligns himself with God’s purposes” (Wainscott, n.d.). Jesus did not need to repent because He is

holy, but He accepted Baptism by John the Baptist and as He was immersed in water, He

committed His life to the will of God then He came out of the water bearing God’s purpose and

will; God was pleased announcing “This is my Son the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased”

(Matthew 3:13-17, New Revised Standard Version). This is the kind of commitment that Jesus

wants us to have because He experienced it and He accepted the challenge of God even though He
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knew that the road will be difficult and that this commitment requires His life. Jesus does not want

to fix the problem in an instant because He knows that it is a temporary fix, in the long run this

will not be beneficial to the people or the community. As human beings we tend to not appreciate

something that we did not work hard for. In the moment we would be thankful, passionate and

excited but once that moment has passed, we are back to our old ways of complaining and looking

for a quick fix of our problems.

Jesus’ ways of serving others is the not the usual way that we see done in the world. In

Kraybill, (2011), it states that “Jesus spends much of His time with the outcasts…Instead of

spitting on them, as most people do, Jesus touches them, loves them, and names them God’s

people.” (Kraybill, 2011, p. 212). In the world today, many have turned their gaze away from the

homeless, the poor, the people with disabilities, and those who could not fend for themselves.

These people are being treated as eyesores in our society. I am guilty as one of those people who

thinks the homeless are eyesores and I have judgements about them as revealed through my self-

reflections when I did my service project at Poverello House in Fresno. In driving to the unfamiliar

part of Fresno for the orientation, there are many tent villages and people who were roaming

around with their entire belongings carried in their backpacks that was seen. The thought I had

was, “this is ridiculous, it is America! The land of opportunities, there is no reason for these people

to be homeless and needy.” As an immigrant from the Philippines where poverty is the way of

life, this scenario seemed unbelievable. Almost eighty percent or more are poor in the Philippines

not because of lack of effort but because there is no opportunities or jobs. My family have lived

in poverty for generations, but they are hardworking people. The dynamics of how people become

homeless, poor, and helpless is different in America, and that is something that I have not

understood until I was enlightened by my service project. Seeing children getting breakfast with
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their parents made me realize that this choice was not theirs and the children are not to blame for

the situation (Bush, 2018, pp.3-4). Sometimes bad things happen to good people as how the

common saying goes.

The “Get Service” video showed how seeing other people with a more understanding lens

can make a difference in our attitudes towards them (Judahben05, 2007, 2:20-4:25). The homeless

may not like being given a hand out if they can help themselves because every person has an ego

and being helpless does not necessarily make one feel proud of themselves. If given a chance to

work and provide for themselves the needy can thrive too as everybody deserves a second chance.

According to Kraybill, 2011, “These are folks without hope…overwhelmed with suffering…Jesus

brings life to these who are as good as dead. He brings healing, hearing, walking, talking, sanity,

purity, and freedom.” (Kraybill, 2011, p. 212). Instead of looking away, we need to look at them

straight in the eyes and see God through their eyes looking back. Kraybill, 2011, states that “He

also invites us to see human beings behind the labels of stigma…God’s spirit can redeem our

attitudes and enable us to see the people behind the labels.” (Kraybill, 2011, pp. 212-213). In

Matthew 25:35-36 it states that, “for I was hungry you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave

me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me

clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”( Matthew 25:35-

36, New Revised Standard Version). There is no question that God wants us to help others, but

He also do not want us to enable others as they can be more helpless because it only becomes a

cycle that will never end or resolved.

As a community we are stronger together. In Ephesians, as a community of believers we

are called to, “Put away from all your bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander,

together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God
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in Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:1-32; Matthew 25:35-36, New Revised Standard

Version). Together as children of God we can pull each other up so those who have fallen can get

up in their own two feet that they may also help others that are on the path to destruction and

helplessness. Each one of us are designed by God for a higher purpose. Begging and laying around

in tent cities are not what God had intended His people to do in this Earth. According to Ephesians

4:11-13, “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists,

some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry…”( Ephesians 4:11-13,

New Revised Standard Version . It is okay to help because Jesus has showed time and again that

when necessary He heals the ill, he feeds the hungry, and casts out the demoniacs (Matthew 8:16-

17, Mt. 8:28-34, Mt. 14:15-21, New Revised Standard Version) but this is not all He wants from

us.

Jesus breaks social barriers according to Kraybill, that “The agape of Jesus reaches out to

boxed up people, tells them God’s love washes away their stigma, and welcomes them to a new

community” (Kraybill, 2011, pp. 212-213). There are plenty of segregation in our world: race,

religion, socio-economic status, gender, political views, age group, and the list could go on. This

divide is something that halts people to be generous, kind, and forgiving. We see others as a

category or they are placed in columns that lists their inequities and surpluses. People are focused

in their own bubble of problems, worries: financial, health, and relationships; hopes, dreams, and

aspirations. We have blinders that keeps us looking only in our own life. Yes, we go to church,

we occasionally give to charities or tithes in church, or perhaps we volunteer once in a while to

organizations, and at times we donate to thrift stores. Yet, our hearts are not truly and deeply about

caring for others except caring and loving for our immediate families and loved ones. In Jesus’

Kingdom according to Kraybill, 2011, states that “Agape is a norm of excess. It goes beyond
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reciprocity…We reciprocate our indebtedness to God by spreading the loving initiative to others.”

(Kraybill, 2011, p. 179). Others meaning people we do not know, strangers perhaps, people who

do not belong in our hierarchy. In the saying, “People of the same feather flocks together”

according to Kraybill, “Our natural tendency is to flock toward other birds like ourselves. The

good news of Jesus Christ, however, welcomes all, regardless of their feathers.” (Kraybill, 2011,

p. 217). Jesus is calling us to reach out to the unfamiliar; to be uncomfortable and yet

compassionate to others who we do not share commonality. We could be pioneers in extending a

hand to them. Through the examples that we show, we can also ignite compassion from others to

do the same. Through this snowball effect we will have a large group of people helping each other

igniting a genuine caring heart that will change the norm of society that we live in. These are small

steps that will yield big results.

Through our different gifts or talents, network of people we know, bigger institutions that

could help not just employ but provide mental, physical, or skill building rehabilitation of the

homeless; empowerment and positive change for the poor is possible. The churches could help

each other regardless of denomination to rally other congregations to pour out support for the

homeless not just feeding them but giving them skills that they could use to be a contributing

member of society. Without hidden agendas among the organizations who are helping, this change

is possible. According to John 17: 22-23, “That glory that you have given me I have given them,

so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that may become completely

one…” (John 17: 22-23, New Revised Standard Version). A generous, unified community, and

churches of God working together as one entity with one common goal for the glory of God.

Kraybill, 2011, states that the kingdom “…represents the ultimate lordship of Christ over all
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peoples, principalities, and powers. The church, the body of believers, embraces the rule of God.”

(Kraybill, 2011, p. 162).

Our contemporary world of today is filled with distractions such as technology and noise

of bickering among different factions in our society. The family has branched out into several

structures like step families, single parent families, or same sex parent families just to name a few.

According to Kraybill, “Jesus lived in a small rural village centuries away from computers, the

Internet, robots, satellites, nuclear weapons, and global corporations.” It is definitely a contrasting

image. The poor in “biblical context” according to Kraybill, 2011, has “three meanings. First, it

refers to materially poor—destitutes living in squalor with meager food, housing, and

clothing…Second...the oppressed…Third…the humble in spirit-- those who are poor toward

God.” (Kraybill, 2011, p. 110). The first meaning of poor in Jesus’ time is still the same description

of poor today. They are still lacking food, housing, and clothing. The face of the Earth may have

changed but the attitudes toward the needy is still the same. They are still being looked down upon

in our society. If Jesus is to serve in our society today, I believe that He will employ the same

methods He did during His time because it is still very relevant to this day and age.

Through my service project experience, I have identified that there are limitations with the

JCC service or similar agencies that help the homeless. The advantage of this type of service is

that it is convenient for the donors as well as the clients or the people that it is serving. People can

drop off their donations to the warehouses and they do not have to worry about sorting the clothing

or canned goods that they have donated plus they get to have a receipt for their tax credits on

donations. In a way the donors also get an incentive for donating. It also advantageous for the

helping agency because they do not have to seek the donations, the donors just come to their door
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and volunteers who they do not have to pay can do the work of sorting or physical labor like

kitchen duties, packing or serving food.

The disadvantage of this type of service is that it is limited to the amount of donations that

they get from donors. There will always be a need for more food, clothing, and services such as

medical, dental or grooming which they do at Poverello House. They are also limited to the

number of volunteers that would come to help. Unless it is mandated by school, church, or

government agencies, the number of people who are willing to donate their time and effort is

minimal. Even though the Poverello house is like a well-oiled machine when it comes to their

operation, it is still dependent on others. Another disadvantage is that the scope of their services

can only reach those people who knows about the service and who are living around the vicinity

of the institution. There are homeless and hungry people from other parts of Fresno who could

not get to the Poverello House because they do not have a ride. Although, I found out that the

Poverello house makes a round in Fresno to other tent cities or impoverished areas to distribute

food and clothing. It is still limited to the amount of information of where the homeless people

are located or concentrated.

In the time that I have spent in Poverello House, I have noticed the same faces who came

to get their meals for the day. In fact, in the three meals that I was able to serve there, I saw the

same people who came and ate. This means that those people are dependent on this service.

Without other resources for food, or ways for them to take care of themselves, it would be

disastrous if this type of agencies run out of resources. There is also a question of personal motives

and sincerity for those who donates or those organizations that require their members to serve. At

orientation they talked about permitting the social media postings of pictures of the service in the

agency. In Matthew 6:2, it states that “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before
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you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by

others.” (Matthew 6:2, New Revised Standard Version). Does this mean that they will not help

unless they get something in return? In the spirit of looking at other people with an understanding

lens, perhaps their motives for serving are good. There were also families there who came to

volunteer privately to teach their children the value of service. In Matthew 5:16 it states that “In

the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give

glory to your father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, New Revised Standard Version). We are also

called to be good examples of service to others, so they can also participate in the banquet of the

Kingdom of God through honorable, and genuine service.

In conclusion, I have discussed the characteristics of Jesus that leads me to believe that He

would employ others to work together in complete unity and love in empowering the homeless

and eradicating the source of homelessness in the process. I have also discussed the limitations of

the service agencies. Through selflessness, faith, and Agape love that Jesus has modeled for us,

we can see that humanity with all its faults can change to become the kind of people worthy of

Jesus’ sacrifice and death.

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References

Bush, M. (2018), 5.6 Service Project Response Essay: The Poverello House.

Coogan, M. D., Brettler, M. Z., Newsom, C. A., & Perkins, P. (2010). The new Oxford annotated

Bible: New Revised Standard Version with The Apocrypha: an ecumenical study Bible.

Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.

Faith Covenant ECC. (2010, October 6). "The BIG Story" - Week 5 - Joshua | God Provides

[VIDEO] [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/wlLc-IfNXik

Judahben05. (2007, March 27). Get Service [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://youtu.be/LfeXxkbgCVE

Kraybill, D. B. (2011). The Upside-down Kingdom. Harrisonburg, VA: Herald Press (VA).

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. (n.d.). Homelessness Statistics by State |

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). Retrieved December 20,

2018, from https://www.usich.gov/tools-for-

action/map/#fn[]=1500&fn[]=2900&fn[]=6100&fn[]=10100&fn[]=14100&all_types=tru

e&year=2017&state=CA

Wainscott. (n.d.). Wainscott's explanation of Baptism [Word Document]. Retrieved from

https://learning.fresno.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=1079414