SERVING

Many of us are going through this Growth Track to grow personally and to grow closer to God. However, there is one crucial ingredient of growth we can easily miss if we’re not careful. We often try to focus on personal goals, individual outcomes, and measurable success specific to ourselves. While there is nothing wrong with that, the Bible is a distinctly communal book. Jesus did ministry with disciples. The Israelites walked across the Red Sea as a group. Paul planted churches of people and traveled on ministry teams. From this, we can infer that if you want to grow closer to Christ, you need to grow closer to His family, too.

Airports bustle with activity all the time. For twenty-four hours a day and 365 days a year, they remain open and functional to help connect people to every corner of the globe. While most people would not consider air travel smooth these days, it’s still nearly miraculous how airports manage to keep moving at all times. Let’s look at one airport as an example.

Behind the scenes at Atlanta International Airport, 55,300 employees work around the clock to ensure flights take off, guarantee luggage is secured, and sell people their $10 bottles of Fiji water. Flight traffic controllers, janitors, flight attendants, gate agents, and security guards run this airport. The operation of an airport requires a diverse team working as one.

Why are we talking about airports in Growth Track? First, they’re interesting. Second, it proves the power of teamwork and collaboration to reach a specific goal. Jesus ran His ministry in the same way. There is something powerful about working hard on little details when you know it’s part of a much bigger picture. When everyone works together, it’s stunning. When it gets out of alignment, it’s stressful. Anything truly worthwhile requires teamwork.

When Jesus did ministry, He always built community, too. He wanted people to play a part in God’s work on earth. The story we are about to read proves it. John 2 sets up a pivotal moment in the ministry of Jesus. It’s time for His first public miracle. Where was it? In a church? On the city streets in Jerusalem? In front of Caesar? Nope. It was at a private party with friends.

Jesus was attending a friend’s wedding, and they ran into quite a predicament: they were out of wine. Let’s do a little background study. Wine was a big deal for Jewish weddings, as most of the sacred ceremonies involved it. What’s more, if the people tried drinking the water, they’d probably die of dysentery. Running out of wine meant the celebration was about to stop early. Someone reached out to Jesus to ask if he could do anything. Then, after some hesitation, he got to work. What did he get to work doing? He assembled a team of supernatural waiters to help serve his friends. Let’s explore Christ’s first miracle as a framework for the power of teamwork.

READ: John 2:1-11

On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realise where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Jesus could have snapped his fingers and produced wine. He could have just called down angels with their private-label wine. That’s not what he did, though. Instead, Jesus involved ordinary people to achieve the extraordinary. Jesus looked at some of the wait staff and said, “Fill these with water.” They listened and filled a bunch of jugs to the brim. Then they carried the water to Jesus. He blessed it, and they offered some of the water to the person throwing the party. When he sipped it, he announced that it was wine instead of water. Elated, he even said, “This is the best wine.” Not only did Jesus do a miracle, but he blessed people in the process.

I love thinking about the outcome of the servants’ obedience. All they did was listen to Jesus. That’s it. They didn’t ask questions or make excuses. There were no theatrics or gathering a crowd. They just tediously poured water into a jug. Notice I said tediously. This was not an easy thing to do. They didn’t have taps or Brita filters. They had to scoop the water in cup by cup and drop by drop. Then, they had to lug the nearly 100-pound jug across the room. It was not easy work. However, they did it. Little did they know that they were playing a crucial part in Christ’s first miracle. They had no idea they were getting this honour. They were just obedient.

We need to adopt the same mindset. Oftentimes, we can get so obsessed with outcomes when God is only looking for obedience. For instance, you cannot save your friends, but Jesus can. Simply be obedient in telling them about Him. You cannot heal your sick grandmother, but Jesus can. Simply pray with her often. You cannot feed every hungry person in the world, but you can certainly start with your city. Get out there and start with small steps of obedience.

Why should we serve?

This story gives us three benefits of stepping out to serve:

Serving Helps You Find Your People

Notice what Jesus did: he put people to work in a group. He didn’t speak to just one servant. Not at all. Jesus approached a group and gave them a collective goal. This is the heart of Christ. He knew that work was far more effective when people could see that they were part of something bigger than themselves. I am sure the servants carried on conversations while filling the jugs with water. Historically speaking, these jugs could weigh as much as 1,000 pounds, so I’m sure they worked together to lug them across the room. They grew closer to people while doing a project for Jesus.

Serving automatically shifts our focus from ourselves to other people. However, it also helps us see that we are a part of something much bigger than ourselves.

Serving Gets You Closer to Your Purpose

These servants were just doing a little project for Jesus, but they were stepping into their purpose. After tracking down water and lugging the jugs, they watched in awe as the water supernaturally transformed into wine. They got to see that God was doing something special right there in their city. Their purpose wasn’t just to get water; it was to set the stage for God to move. They were not recruited because of their skills or their impressive background. They were just willing.

The same is true for you. When serving, your process proves a collective purpose. When you serve the hungry, you are not just making plates of food. You are showing someone the love of God. When you volunteer at a children’s church, you are helping young people grow in their faith. When you stand up for the voiceless, you are directly representing the heart of God. When we do our part, God invites us to see the bigger picture.

Serving Invites You to Experience Power

The servants’ work triggered a miracle that everyone experienced. Ultimately, their dedication led to a celebration. We can easily get obsessed with God doing miracles for us, but what if God wants to do a miracle through us? 

The servants got a front-row ticket to God’s work. When you walk in God’s ways, you will get to see His wonders. Think of all the life-changing things God can do through you. God will use small steps of obedience to take you toward supernatural outcomes.

Truly try to put yourself in the place of these servants. Standing in awe, they witnessed water supernaturally turn into wine. They saw the joy on the faces of the wedding guests. They saw the smile go across Christ’s cheeks. They realised that they had been a part of something truly world-changing. How did it start? Serving.

Their mundane task of filling jugs with water had become an opportunity for God to display His power. Just like Jesus turned water into wine, God can take your mundane efforts and transform them into a miracle. So, what should you do? Get out there and serve Jesus. How do you do it? Serve the people He loves. When you serve in obedience, God moves in power.

Can you imagine how much confidence the servants had after they helped Jesus manifest wine out of water? Thanks to their hard work, they got to play a pivotal part in God’s purpose on earth. I want you to experience the same joy. This is how serving helps you grow on your journey with Jesus. Serving happens when God’s truth invades your heart and expresses itself through your hands. It’s when your heart’s worship becomes your hand’s work. Serving is like spiritual exercise. The more you commit to it, the more you crave it. Why? Because serving helps you grow stronger in your faith.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Go through these questions with your circle. Be honest. Be open. Talk through the tough stuff.

Ice Breaker: Go around your circle and share this week’s highs and lows. What was the best part of your week, and what was the lowest part of your week?

Q1: Tell the group about a time you worked with a group to accomplish something. How did the team dynamic help?

Q2: What does the story of Jesus turning water into wine teach us about teamwork?

Q3: What is one gift God has given you that you could use to serve others?

Q4: What’s one gift you’ve noticed in someone else in your group that they could use to help others?

Q5: In what ways was Jesus a servant?

Q6: How can being part of something larger than ourselves (serving the Church) cause a shift in our perspective?

Application: What are some practical ways you can involve yourself in God’s work around you this week?