[Philippians 2:3-5] “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” 

Service Day Afterglow

“What’s in it for me?”

If everyone in the world were completely honest, this would rank among the most frequently asked questions. 

“What’s in it for me? What do I get out of this? My time is valuable; why should I be the one who has to give it up? What’s in it for me?”

Though we as sinners certainly can and do succumb to the temptation of asking these very questions, Paul tells us Christians in these verses just exactly “what’s in it for us.”

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). 

By the power of the Holy Spirit, because of the sacrificial death and victorious resurrection of Jesus, we have been given the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). 

Right before this, Paul describes exactly what that is. It is a mindset of “counting others more significant than yourselves.” It is not putting our interests, priorities, time, needs, or desires first, but putting those things of our neighbors first. So often we talk about being humble or praising humility that we can forget what it actually looks like or what it feels like. Here in this passage of Philippians, Paul tells us what it looks like.

Christians operate in humble service, not to receive an advantage. Quite the opposite. We humbly serve, meeting people’s needs wherever and whatever they are, because we are confident that we have already been given every advantage we need. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, every need of ours has been met, so that we are free to meet the needs of others. 

This past Wednesday was Crean Lutheran’s 7th Annual Service Day. Each member of our student body, our faculty, and our staff laid aside their normal day-to-day tasks of high school to instead go out into the larger Orange County community to serve. All of this was planned and executed in the hopes of fulfilling Paul’s charge in Philippians to meet others with the “mind of Christ.”

These projects were of a wide variety. Several of our sports programs traveled to various partner K-8 schools to teach their sports to elementary students during PE and recess. A large group of students and teachers visited the Double R Ranch, a ministry of OC Rescue Mission, to assist with fire abatement. Students helped with donations at both Second Harvest and OC Food Banks, so that those who are hungry can receive food. 

The list of projects is long, and listing them all would put us in danger of doing the opposite of what is described in our passage from Philippians 2. We do not seek to tout the accomplishments of the Service Day, as if we are worthy of praise. As our own Saints Values state about the value of Service, “We hinder service when we are selfish with our time and abilities and seek to glorify ourselves rather than God’s kingdom.” Rather, it is the Lord who is most praiseworthy and excellent. The Service Day, each year, is merely our response to that excellent Lord’s call to meet the needs of our neighbor. As our Saints Values express, we seek to “embrace service when we actively and joyfully serve God and others with servant hearts both on and off the campus.”

Each year, we send the students off campus, helping them by the Spirit to develop their servant hearts. The core of our annual Service Day is still education. We desire that, by the time they graduate, they will see that, when you’re a Christian, every day is a Service Day, not just the third Wednesday of November. By offering an event such as this, students are given the opportunity to embody humility and serve creation with the “mind of Christ.”

In all of this, we do so with great confidence that Jesus looked at our needs, met them on the cross, and raised us to a new life, where we don’t have to think “what’s in it for me?” anymore. 

May God bless you today, wherever you are serving. 

In Christ,

Vicar Ryan Fink, Campus Ministry

Crean Lutheran High School

ryan.fink@creanlutheran.org

Vicar Fink is in his eighth year at Crean Lutheran High School. He has worn various hats, including theology teacher, English teacher, boys basketball coach, and Missions Director. He is now on his way to ordination as a pastor through Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He continues to teach theology and lead the Missions program while assisting Pastor Unke with other Campus Ministry efforts.