We are grateful for every Greenhouse Builder who prays, provides, and promotes. Yours is a vital role in the ongoing work of this ministry.
Our annual spring fundraiser, Flourish, will be held on April 27. I want to invite you to surround this event with your prayers. Kindly pray that the various student musicians and presenters will participate with joy and confidence. Pray that Dr. Root’s keynote address will be encouraging and thought-provoking. Pray that many will want to attend and be blessed in doing so. Pray that invitations will be warmly received. Pray for those helping behind the scenes. Pray that there will be robust giving and prayer support for the mission of Greenhouse.
There are many ways to misstep when organizing a fundraising event. One can substitute manipulation for invitation, self-reliance for godly dependence, fear for faithfulness. Being aware of our unsanctified propensities is a gift. From our post-Resurrection vantage point 2,000 years after Christ, it is easy for us to find fault with Jesus’ disciples. For example, when we read about James and John asking for places of honor, we wonder how they missed the point.
Mark 10:41-45 (NIV)
When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
In his shocking humility, Jesus upends our notions of greatness. If you want to be great, then pick up your towel and basin and start washing feet. Christ Himself is the greatest example of a servant, who not only serves but sacrificially lays down His life for the sake of others. As we pass through Holy Week and into Eastertide, consider those places where you resist serving, and invite the transforming presence of the Risen Christ to soften and strengthen your heart. May we rush headlong into the greatness that comes only by habitually serving the people around us, trusting in the power of God’s Spirit.