11 Service: Availability

<p>Jesus lived a remarkably interruptible life. More than 30 stories in the Gospel of Mark alone hinge on Jesus’ ability to see an interruption as an invitation. And these are just the stories that were recorded from his life. We can never know just how many people received Jesus’ loving attention and service in these unplanned moments.This way of being in the world is about more than our personality — whether we consider ourselves more planned or spontaneous. It’s about practicing radical availability — to consider that seemingly annoying distractions in life may actually be holy disruptions.Some of the most beautiful opportunities for service pass us by unknowingly in the ordinary movements of our days, while our attention is fixed on our plans rather than the people God loves right in front of us. The invitation, by God’s grace, is for us to become the kinds of people who increasingly see the needs around us and stop to serve them.That, like the Good Samaritan in Jesus’ famous parable, we might be those who choose not to walk by on the other side but to cross over in compassion.Teacher: Brittni RatliffText: Various</p>