Every year on Veterans Day, I hear about businesses giving away free stuff to current and previous members of the military. Free hotdog at 7-Eleven; free entrée at Applebee’s; free Grand-Slam breakfast at Denny’s; free donut at Krispy Kreme; free cup of coffee at Starbucks; etc. Why do so many companies treat servicemembers to free stuff on Veterans Day? The short answer: they want to show appreciation to those who have served us, and it’s beautiful.
We can say the same about what we do together on Sunday mornings. The Bible tells us that Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). So when we gather on Sundays, it’s primarily to show our appreciation to the One who has served us by giving his life as a ransom for us. We sing praises to him, offer up prayers of thanksgiving, remember him with grateful hearts through communion, humbly listen to his Word being preached, etc., all as beautiful, worshipful acts of appreciation. And then we keep showing our appreciation to him across the rest of the week.
How can you show appreciation to Jesus this week for being your Servant?