Unprofitable Servants

Last night we went to Wednesday services. On the way into the building, I had two people stop me in the hall and thank me for my remarks the previous Sunday. I was asked to have a meditation or remarks ready to present at the communion service, which we do every Sunday in our church. I was surprised that they stopped me and told me of their appreciation. However, I was also surprised that several last Sunday stopped following services and told me the same thing.
I am no stranger to public speaking. It is something I actually enjoy. It was, however, my first attempt at it at this church, and that could be partly the reason why some visited with me. However, one of the elders (church leaders) stopped me Wednesday for the second time and explained why he was so grateful.
My meditation centered on Mary and her willingness to be God’s servant. She said (and I paraphrase here) “I am the Lord’s servant. Be it unto me according to your will.” I talked about how I was reluctant to do this meditation because I had grown complacent and lazy and was willing to let others do all the work in the church for me. I then said that I thought the better of that attitude, and that if Mary could do what she did, and if Jesus could do what He did in offering Himself as a propitiation (look it up, folks) in my place, surely I could do this little thing.
The elder said that there are many people in the church who have the same attitude as I. They are content to allow someone else to do all of the work. They take but don’t give. He said my remarks really hit home and he appreciated my effort and candor.
How selfish we have become, thinking that we somehow deserve special attention because we do this or that, or because we deal with this or that, or whatever. How selfish we are thinking that others can just wait on us…that we’ve put in our time and deserve to rest and relax while the rest of the world waits on us. How selfish of us to believe somehow that we’re special and that we deserve some kind of special treatment. We are, after all (and I paraphrase again) “just unprofitable servants doing what is required of us.”