June 9, 2020
Reversing the Roles
“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve..” Matthew 20:28
One of my greatest memories as a child was watching former President John F. Kennedy deliver a campaign speech in my hometown in September of 1960. Although my parents were both Republicans, my father thought it important enough to take his sons downtown to watch a perhaps once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There we stood on top of a mortuary roof overlooking a municipal parking lot watching Kennedy’s motorcade come down a hill leading into downtown and then delivering a passionate speech.
But the words delivered by the future president that day on a beautiful fall morning 60 years ago were not the ones I remember today. Instead they arefrom the frequently repeated words from his first and last inaugural address:
“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
Whenever our nation has faced a crisis there havealways been those who ask what they can do for their country instead of asking what their country can do for them. And the determination and faith that comes with that have made an enormous impact on the quality of the future of the American people.
Today we all need to ask ourselves: “What can I do to help move our great nation forward,” remembering Jesus’ words: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…”
Prayer: God of hope, deliver us from the temptation of relying only on others to solve the issues confronting our nation. May we all play an individual role in helping to solve our problems. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Special note: Below is a two plus minute link featuring the well-known words of President Kennedy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxa4HDgfWFs
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