Brother, Sister Let Me Serve You

Brother, sister, let me serve you;
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

This week I shall meet many people – at church, in cafés, homes, clubs… friends, family… I’m not with them for my benefit, nor as some noble, controlling do-gooder, but in humility serving and allowing others to serve me.

We are pilgrims on a journey,
and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.

It’s a ‘together’ picture, not of acquaintances who keep their distance, but of travelling companions who climb steep hills and walk through dark valleys, sharing burdens, together for the duration of the journey.

I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.

This is commitment. ‘I will’… shine light in darkness… support the fearful… create peace for the troubled… bringing personal, practical help in the ordinariness of daily problems and needs.

I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow,
till we’ve seen this journey through.

It goes beyond practical help to emotional support. The time, care and closeness that leads to understanding and empathy. It’s whole life sharing, that may be costly or inconvenient.

When we sing to God in heaven,
we shall find such harmony,
born of all we’ve known together
of Christ’s love and agony.

It’s about daily concern and the needs of this week… pointing backwards to the love and suffering of Jesus… pointing forwards to God, heaven, and final resolution and destination

Brother, sister, let me serve you;
let me be as Christ to you…

The people that I will walk with this week are family, my brothers and sisters, and my motivation, example and mentor is Jesus. I’m seeking to serve ‘as Christ’…