Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. (John 13:1)

When Jesus had one week to live, he chose to wash his disciples’ feet. He did the work of a common slave, ministering to those who were closest to him. He washed their feet (John 13), he comforted them (John 14), he encouraged them (John 15-16), prayed for them (John 17), and then he died for them. He spent the last week of his life fulfilling his purpose; he spent the last week of his life being a servant.

…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)

You and me, we have a week to live: this week — and probably hundreds more. I want to spend this week fulfilling my purpose, doing that which is most important in terms of eternity: serving Christ by serving others.  — SM

This phrase caught my attention: “My servants must be where I am.”

I realize that most of the time I’m asking Jesus to be where I am. Here, he’s asking me to be where he is … that is, to go where he goes.

Where does Jesus go? We learn from the gospels that he goes to the lonely, the hurt, and the oppressed. He’s with those struggling with defeat and yearning for victory. He’s with those who have nowhere else to turn.

And that’s where he wants us to be.

We are “where he is” when we encourage the discouraged. We go where he goes when we reach out to the disenchanted and the disenfranchised, when we express love, mercy and compassion to others. This is what Mother Teresa referred to as reaching out to Christ “in all his distressing disguises.”

Jesus reminded us, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

He is waiting to meet you today, sometimes in a distressing disguise. Look for opportunities today to express his love and to reveal his grace. — SM

One morning, as Andy was reading the daily news over coffee, he came across a story that shocked him. Joseph Prudente, a sixty-six year old man in nearby Beacon Woods had gone to jail for the crime of having a brown lawn. No kidding. A brown lawn. 

Joseph had received notices from the local homeowners association that his grass wasn’t green enough for community standards. Facing health problems and struggling financially, Joseph overlooked the notices. He can barely make his mortgage payment; lawn care is a luxury beyond his means. So the homeowner’s association did what was in their power: they filed a court order against him and had him arrested — without the option of posting bail.

Here’s where Andy comes in. He has troubles of his own. His business is failing, he’s on the verge of losing his own house, and he’s considering bankruptcy. But as he read Joseph Prudente’s story, Andy decided that something must be done. 

He began calling friends to help out. Soon the Prudente’s yard was full of working volunteers. During the day, others dropped off gifts. Another man came to repair the sprinkler. Andy borrowed some lawn equipment and convinced a nursery to donate sod. By sundown, their work was done: the yard was covered with new green grass, trimmed with red mulch, flowers, and the sprinkler was working again. 

At this time, the Tampa Bay paper reports, there was a sudden, thick downpour. Jennifer Prudente, Joseph’s wife, stood in the rain with her arms open wide. “Our luck is changing,” she said.

The next day Joseph was released from jail. Though he still faces fines and court costs, he is a free man today … as long his grass stays the right shade of green. (And I bet you thought your neighbors were picky.)

From my perspective, this story is more about Andy than it is about Joseph. Yes, it’s outrageous that you can go to jail in America for having brown grass, and I realize there are those who will see only this aspect of the story.

More impressive, however, is the fact that one young man, also down on his luck, put his own problems on the back burner long enough to make a difference in someone else’s life. This is an example of Paul’s words in Philippians being put into practice: “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4)

I’m wondering which of my worries I can put aside today, and how I can use my time and resources to change someone else’s life.