Opening Game for Servant's Heart

Start this lesson plan by playing Silly Server. (See the complete instructions.)

Follow up with a few questions:

• Who was the fastest server?
• Who dropped the most balls?
• Which worked better for your team - slow and steady or fast and furious?

It is fun to pretend you are a server and seeing who is the best. But there is no pretending in real life. We are all called to serve God.

Scripture Reading for Lesson Plan on Serving God

Luke 17:5-10 (The Master and the Servant) - the Gospel Reading for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."

The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

"Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?

Would he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished'? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?

So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

Luke 17:5-10

Discussion for the Servant's Heart Lesson Plan

Imagine you and your friends go out to a restaurant for a meal together. The hostess seats you at a table. Then the waiter comes over and sits down at your table. He turns to you and says, "I'd like a burger and fries, and a drink." You would think that is backwards! He is supposed to bring you food, not the other way around.

That is what Jesus is explaining in this story of the master and the servant. No servant would expect to be served by his master. It should be the servant who does the serving. And when he does his job, he does not expect the master to reward him or pile on praises. He has only done what is expected of him.

We are here to serve God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us

God created everything for man, but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to him.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 358

We are not the masters here. We are the servants. St. Ignatius of Loyola put it this way:

God created human beings to praise, reverence, and serve God, and by
doing this, to save their souls. God created all other things on the face of the earth to help fulfill this purpose.

The First Principle and Foundation from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola

Sometimes we seem to forget this though. We want God to serve our purpose.

We reverse the role of servant and master when we ignore the Lord for long periods of time. Then when we want something, we expect the Lord to do it for us. We haven't been to Mass in weeks. We seem to have forgotten all about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Yet when we want to make the cut on the soccer team, we start bargaining. "God, help me with this and I promise I'll go to Mass every Sunday. "

While it is good to ask God for our needs, we must remember to add in a "thy will be done." If God wants something different for us, we should humbly accept that. And we should not only pray when we want something. It is important to spend time in prayer asking God what He wants us to do. This takes time and commitment.

There are other things we do which can make us wonder if we know who is the servant and who is the master. Here are a few examples:

We try to make God serve our ego by using our faith and religion to make us feel superior to those around us.

Or maybe we feel proud of our acts of service and forget that everything we have comes from God. We are only using our gifts the way God expects us to.

We bring a friend to Church and think we are the ones saving her even though God is the one who does the saving.

It is easy for us to become focused on our own needs and forget that serving God is our true purpose. By serving God, we grow closer to the Lord and allow Him to show us the path He wants us to take.

Reflection Questions for the Lesson Plan on Serving God

• Can you think of any other examples of how we reverse the roles of servant and master in our relationship with the Lord?
• What can we do do develop a servant's attitude in all that we do?
• Is there any particular part of your life where you need to let God be the master?

Challenge for the Servant's Heart Lesson Plan

This week, try to stay focused on serving God, especially when you pray.Don't make demands or try to bargain when you pray. Remember to ask God to show you what He wants for you.

Prayer for the Lesson Plan on Serving God

Get in a circle. Have each person offer a prayer of thanksgiving for something good they were able to do in the past week. Then have the group reply, "We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do."

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