Hands & Feet of Jesus

Hands & Feet of Jesus

This last week I was given the privilege of speaking at the Johnson Christian School chapel service. 

They have an amazing group of young people that love the Lord and showed a wonderful attitude toward God’s Word. 

As I attempted to prepare for the service ~ I simply had no peace on what to talk about.  Usually I have lists of things that are so exciting that I can’t wait to get started.  But this time ~ God was making me work for it. 

BACKSTORY: My wife and I are both EMT’s with the local ambulance and 1^st Responders with our Fire District.  This is something we get to do together and gives us a wonderful sense of community service. 

I ended up covering an EMT shift with the ambulance service right before I spoke in chapel ~ and the good Lord nudged me and suggested that I should talk to the kids about opportunities for ministry in community service. 

I was pretty uncomfortable with this because I get criticism from people who do not believe a pastor should be an EMT.  I’m not clear on their reasoning but God opens many doors for my wife and I to minister to people that need our help ~ both physically and spiritually. 

I decided to go forward with the Spirit’s nudge and wore my EMT uniform to chapel and brought my “jump bag”.

I began the service by talking about a lady last winter rolled her SUV on the ice and ended up hanging upside down by her seatbelt.  I responded with the ambulance along with the fire department and Team Rescue.

The lady was very shook up and due to her injuries ~ we couldn’t get her out until Team Rescue disassembled part of her car and made it possible for us to get our equipment in where she was at. 

At some point in our conversation ~ while she was hanging there ~ she asked me if I worked for the ambulance “full-time”.  I explained that I work “full-time” as a pastor and my service as an EMT was only a couple days a week and was more “community service”. 

At this she started crying and asked me to pray with her.  My ministry continued all the way to the hospital. It was truly an opportunity to be the “hands and feet of Jesus”.  

I pulled my stethoscope out of the jump bag and asked the young people if they knew what it was.  A 3^rd grader in the front row explained that it was used to listen to people’s hearts.  I told him that God listens to our hears ~ insuring that our spiritual heart is healthy.  We talked about what can make our spiritual heart sick and what God wants us to do about it. 

I then pulled out my blood pressure cuff and again asked the young people if they knew what it was.  Another 3^rd grader in the front row explained that it is used to squeeze his arm. He let us know that blood pressure cuffs have been used on him and they hurt his arm.  I told him that God sometimes has to bring stuff into our lives that cause pressure in an effort to test us and build our faith. 

Last of all I grabbed my pen light and shined it in the eyes of a little girl in the front row.  I asked her if she knew why I would want to look in her eyes with a bright light.  She had no idea ~ so I explained that the light allows me to look for problems with her eyes.  And that God’s Word is a light that shines in our hearts and will shine onto the path we walk.  God’s Word is a light that impacts our decisions and relationships. 

By the time we got done, the young people were responding quickly to my questions about God working in their lives and their responsibility to help those God brings into their lives on a daily basis. 

It was one of the most rewarding chapel services I have been privileged enough to minister in. 

Mark 2:1-17 NLT

¹⁵ Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests,

along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners.

(There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.)

¹⁶ But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”

¹⁷ When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

PRAYER:

“Heavenly Father, I desire to follow the example of Your Son, Jesus Christ by putting myself in places to serve those You love.

Please guide me to where I can serve as Your “hands and feet” to those in need and in need of Your love. 

May my attitude toward serving be one that pleases You.

I ask that my faithfulness in serving those you bring into my life bring you honor and glory.  I ask this in Your Son’s name, Amen.”