Matthew 20:28 CEB: “The Human One didn’t come to be served but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.”

Luke 23:52-53 CEB: “[Joseph the council member] went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Taking it down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid it in a tomb carved out of the rock, in which no one had ever been buried.”

The spiritual gift of service enables you to identify tangible and practical needs and then work with urgency, care and thoughtfulness toward meeting those needs so individuals and communities can flourish. This gift reflects a quiet strength marked by humility, attentiveness and a deep sense of purpose in meeting practical needs. Because practical needs often lie in the mundane areas of individual and communal life, service is a gift that centers the small moments of daily living and daily needs rather than focuses only on grandiose, special needs that arise.

At its core, service is a humble gift that is attentive to the particular everyday needs of a community. Those with this gift often find fulfillment not in glory and recognition but in knowing that their efforts make it possible for others to flourish, for ministries to function and for communities to thrive. Service is an expression of love put into action through tangible care and consistent support. Those with this gift strengthen their communities through their regular engagement with the tangible and practical aspects of life and ministry.

Some ways in which the gift of service might show up in your spiritual and communal life:

• Noticing the full trash bin in the fellowship hall and taking out the trash so that people can continue to visit and be in community.
• Driving your neighbor to medical appointments because they live alone.
• Getting involved with Lutheran Disaster Response to help serve communities in need.

Looking for more opportunities? We encourage you to reach out to your local synod. Connect, collaborate and co-create with peers through the ELCA Leadership Network.