Jesus said that he "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). In his kingdom, greatness is measured by service.
These nine stories about servanthood, retold in our own words, include true accounts of ordinary heroes and some well-loved parables that preachers have used for years. Each ends with a takeaway for sermons or reflection.
Stories in this collection:
- Einstein's Pictures: From Success to Service
- Eynon Hawkins: The Sailor Who Swam Back Into the Flames
- The Man Who Couldn't Swim
- The Bamboo and the Master
- The Empty Box: A Boy's Gift of Love
- The Starfish: "It Made a Difference to That One"
- "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Son"
- The Rabbi's Gift: "The Messiah Is Among You"
- A Son for a Dying Man: The Stranger Who Stayed
Einstein's Pictures: From Success to Service
A popular illustration. The background facts are well documented, but we have not been able to verify the story about the pictures, so we share it as it is usually told.
Three of the towering figures of the twentieth century were Albert Einstein, Albert Schweitzer and Mahatma Gandhi.
Schweitzer was a brilliant German-born theologian, philosopher and organist. As a young man he felt called to serve as a missionary doctor in Africa. So the respected professor went back to university as a medical student. Family and friends thought he was mad and tried to talk him out of it. But Schweitzer was true to his calling. He began studying medicine in 1905 and spent the next seven or so years training, all with the goal of serving those who had no doctor.
In 1913 he and his wife, Helene, made the long journey to Africa and set up a hospital at Lambaréné, in what is now Gabon. For most of the next five decades they treated patients there, many of whom travelled great distances for help. Despite the remoteness of the place, Schweitzer became one of the world's most celebrated humanitarians, and he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1952.
Gandhi, of course, was the leader of India's non-violent struggle for independence from British rule, a man who chose simplicity and service over power.
The third man, Einstein, was the greatest scientist of his age, and perhaps of any age. Why does he belong in this company? The story goes that for much of his life Einstein kept portraits of great scientists, such as Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell, on the wall of his study. They summed up the passion of his life: scientific discovery.
Towards the end of his life, the story says, Einstein took down those pictures and replaced them with portraits of two great humanitarians, Gandhi and Schweitzer. He explained that it was time to replace the image of success with the image of service.
Whether or not every detail is accurate, Einstein did deeply admire both men, and the story points to something true: the people who inspire us most are often not those who achieved the most, but those who gave the most away.
Takeaway: Whatever gifts we have, the highest use of them is to serve others. The people we admire most are usually those who gave themselves away.
Source: Widely told sermon illustration, reported in Sheronna Price, The Pastoral Partner.
Eynon Hawkins: The Sailor Who Swam Back Into the Flames
You have probably never heard of Eynon Hawkins. Yet his story shows how much an ordinary, unknown person can do through simple courage and love for others.
Hawkins was a coal miner from Llanharan in South Wales, born in 1920. During the Second World War he served as a Royal Navy gunner aboard the British oil tanker British Dominion.
On 11 January 1943 the tanker was hit by torpedoes from a German U-boat in the Atlantic, south-west of Madeira. The ship exploded into flames and was soon burning fiercely. Many of the crew jumped into the sea, the only way they could hope to escape. But even the sea was dangerous, because oil from the tanker had spread across the water and threatened to set the ocean itself alight.
Hawkins was one of the men who jumped. He was a strong swimmer, and he kept his head. He gathered a group of survivors together and led them away from the flames. His example and encouragement, especially to the weaker swimmers, helped keep them going until they could be picked up.
Twice he left the group and swam back towards the burning oil to help other men who were struggling. Each time he risked being engulfed by the flames. He was badly burned on the face, but he brought his companions out of danger.
For his bravery he was awarded the Albert Medal, which was later exchanged for the George Cross. After the war he went back to Wales, played rugby league and represented his country. He died in 2001.
It was later recognised that without his courage and leadership in the water, many of the men from the British Dominion would probably have lost their lives.
His story reminds us that you do not need to be an admiral, or famous, to make a dramatic difference in the world. You simply start loving people where you are, as you find them, even when it means swimming back towards the fire.
Takeaway: You do not need rank or fame to change lives. Servanthood often means turning back towards danger for the sake of others.
Source: Biographical records of Eynon Hawkins GC.
The Man Who Couldn't Swim
On 2 July 1987, after heavy rain in Andover, Ohio, Ray Blankenship was at home when he looked out of his window at the drainage ditch that ran beside his house.
What he saw terrified him. A little girl was being swept along in the swollen, fast-moving water. Two-year-old Jessica O'Connell had fallen in. Ray also knew that further downstream, the ditch disappeared under the road with a roar.
He ran out of the house and raced along the bank, trying to get ahead of her. Then he threw himself into the deep, churning water.
He was knocked off his feet and tumbled beneath the surface, but he managed to grab hold of the child. The two of them were tossed about by the current. Close to where the water rushed under a railway bridge, Ray found his footing, braced himself and held on.
He did more than just hang on until help came. He carried the little girl out of the water to safety. Both of them had to be treated in hospital.
What made his act so remarkable was something few people knew at the time. Ray Blankenship was at far greater risk than anyone realised, because he could not swim.
He was recognised by the Carnegie Hero Fund, and sermon collections report that he also received the US Coast Guard's Silver Lifesaving Medal.
Takeaway: Love does not wait until it feels qualified. Ray jumped in because a child needed him, not because he was ready.
Source: Carnegie Hero Fund Commission; Los Angeles Times Syndicate.
The Bamboo and the Master
A parable; its author is unknown.
Once upon a time, in the heart of an ancient kingdom, there was a beautiful garden, and in the cool of the day the Master of the garden would walk there.
Of all the plants in the garden, the most beautiful and best loved was a tall and graceful bamboo. Year after year, the bamboo grew taller and more graceful. He knew his Master loved him and watched him with delight, yet he stayed modest and gentle. Often, when the wind came to play in the garden, the bamboo would dance, tossing and swaying, leaping and bowing in joyful abandon. He led the great dance of the garden, and nothing delighted the Master more.
One day the Master came close to look at his bamboo with eyes full of expectation. The bamboo, overflowing with love, bowed his great head to the ground in greeting.
Bamboo, said the Master, I want to use you.
The bamboo lifted his head to the sky in delight. This was the day of days, the day he had been made for, the day he had been growing towards, the day when he would find his purpose. Master, he said softly, I'm ready. Use me as you wish.
Bamboo, said the Master gravely, to use you, I would have to cut you down.
A shudder of horror ran through the bamboo. Cut me down? he said. Me, whom you have made the most beautiful plant in your garden? Not that. Use me for joy, use me for glory, but please don't cut me down.
Beloved bamboo, the Master replied, more gravely still, if I do not cut you down, I cannot use you.
The garden grew still. Even the wind held its breath. Slowly the bamboo bowed his proud head. Master, he whispered, if you cannot use me any other way, then do your will and cut.
Bamboo, said the Master, I would also have to cut away your leaves and your branches.
Master, spare me that, pleaded the bamboo. Cut me down and lay my beauty in the dust, but must you take my leaves and branches too? If I do not cut them away, said the Master, I cannot use you.
The sun hid its face. A butterfly that had been listening fluttered fearfully away. Trembling, the bamboo whispered, Master, cut them away.
Bamboo, said the Master, I would have to split you in two and cut out your heart. If I do not, I cannot use you. And the bamboo bowed to the ground and said, Master, then cut and split.
So the Master of the garden cut the bamboo down. He hacked off his branches and stripped off his leaves. He split him in two and cut out his heart.
Then he lifted him gently and carried him to a spring of fresh, sparkling water in the middle of his dry fields. He laid one end of the broken bamboo in the spring and the other in the channel that led into the field. The spring sang a welcome, and clear water raced down the channel of the bamboo's torn body into the thirsty fields. Rice was planted, the days went by, the shoots grew, and the harvest came.
On that day the bamboo, once so glorious in his stately beauty, was more glorious still in his brokenness and humility. In his beauty he had been full of life, but in his brokenness he became a channel of life to his Master's world.
It is a hard parable, and it is not about God enjoying our pain. It is about the way that surrender, letting go of our pride and our own plans, can make us channels of his life to others.
Takeaway: Jesus said a seed must fall to the ground and die before it bears fruit (John 12:24). God often uses us most when we let go of what we thought made us great.
Source: Traditional parable; author unknown.
The Empty Box: A Boy's Gift of Love
A traditional story told in the voice of a schoolteacher; its author is unknown.
Mark was an eleven-year-old orphan who lived with his aunt. She was a bitter woman who resented having to bring up her dead sister's son, and she never let him forget that, without her generosity, he would have nowhere to live. Yet despite all the scolding and coldness at home, Mark was a sweet and gentle boy.
His teacher had not particularly noticed him until he began staying behind after class each day to help her tidy the classroom. She later learned that he risked his aunt's anger by doing so. They worked quietly and comfortably together, not saying much, but enjoying the peace of that hour. When they did talk, Mark mostly spoke about his mother. He had been very small when she died, but he remembered a kind, gentle and loving woman who always had time for him.
As Christmas drew near, Mark stopped staying after school. His teacher had come to look forward to his company, and when day after day he hurried out of the room as soon as class was over, she stopped him one afternoon and asked why he no longer helped her. She told him how much she had missed him.
His large grey eyes lit up. Did you really miss me? he asked. She told him he had been her best helper. I've been making you a surprise, he whispered. It's for Christmas. Then, embarrassed, he ran from the room, and he did not stay after school again.
At last came the final day of term before Christmas. Late in the afternoon, Mark crept into the classroom with his hands hidden behind his back. I have your present, he said shyly. I hope you like it. He held out his hands, and there in his small palms lay a tiny wooden box.
It's beautiful, Mark, she said. Is there something in it? She opened the lid and looked inside. The box was empty.
Oh, you can't see what's in it, he explained, and you can't touch it or taste it. But Mother always said it makes you feel good all the time, warm on cold nights and safe when you're all alone.
The teacher looked into the empty box. What is it, Mark, she asked gently, that will make me feel so good?
It's love, he whispered. And Mother always said it's best when you give it away. Then he turned and quietly left the room.
Takeaway: Even those who have received little love can give it. Serving others is often simply giving away the love God has given us.
Source: Traditional story; author unknown.
The Starfish: "It Made a Difference to That One"
A modern parable, adapted from an essay by Loren Eiseley, "The Star Thrower".
A man was walking along a beach after a storm. Thousands of starfish had been washed up on the sand. Left behind by the tide, they were sure to die as the sun dried them out.
Further along, the man saw a boy picking up starfish one at a time and throwing them back into the sea.
Wanting to teach the boy a lesson in common sense, the man walked over to him. I've been watching what you're doing, son, he said. You have a good heart, and I know you mean well. But do you realise how many beaches there are around here, and how many starfish are dying on every one of them every day? Surely a hard-working, kind-hearted boy like you could find something better to do with your time. Do you really think what you're doing is going to make a difference?
The boy looked up at the man, and then down at a starfish by his feet. He picked it up, and as he gently tossed it back into the ocean, he said, It made a difference to that one.
Takeaway: We cannot meet every need, but that is no excuse for meeting none. Service is done one person at a time.
Source: Adapted from Loren Eiseley, "The Star Thrower" (1969).
"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Son"
As reported in the press in 2002; we could not locate the original article online.
In 1972, a two-year-old boy in Taiwan named Hu Jen-chuan fell from a table and went into a coma. When he woke up six days later, he could neither speak nor move.
Like any parent, his mother, Liu Kuei-lan, was devastated. Her distress was made worse by the fact that the family could not afford to place him in a care home.
So she cared for him herself, and her care revealed the astonishing depth of a mother's love. Because her son could not move, he was at constant risk of painful bed sores. So, day after day, for some thirty years, she did something almost unbelievable: she carried her son on her back.
By May 2002, according to the report, she was sixty-five years old and weighed about forty kilograms. Her son, by then a grown man, weighed around twice as much. More than once she had fallen and broken bones while carrying him. Yet she kept on carrying him.
When she was asked how she could possibly do it, her answer was simple. In effect, she said, he is not heavy, because he is my son.
Takeaway: Love turns a burden into a privilege. Paul tells us to "carry each other's burdens" (Galatians 6:2), and some people carry them for a lifetime.
Source: Reported in the Taipei Times, 11 May 2002.
The Rabbi's Gift: "The Messiah Is Among You"
A parable, best known from the prologue of M. Scott Peck's book The Different Drum. We retell it in our own words.
Deep in a forest stood an old stone monastery. For many years people had gone out of their way to visit it, because the peaceful spirit of the place brought healing to their souls.
But in recent years, fewer and fewer visitors came. The monks who remained had grown old, jealous and petty with one another, and anyone who visited could feel the coldness between them.
The abbot was distressed by what was happening, and he poured out his heart to an old friend, a wise Jewish rabbi who lived nearby. The rabbi listened sympathetically. He had no easy advice to offer. But as the abbot was leaving, the rabbi said one strange thing: the Messiah, he said, was one of the monks.
The abbot was astonished. One of his own monks was the Messiah? Who could it be? He knew it was not himself, but who? He hurried back to the monastery and told the others what the rabbi had said.
The monks fell silent and looked at one another's faces. Could it be this brother? Or that one? Surely not the grumpy one. And yet, perhaps…
From that day the mood in the monastery began to change. Two brothers who had not spoken in years began talking again, neither wanting to risk insulting the Messiah. Others let go of long-held grudges and asked one another's forgiveness. The monks began to serve each other, looking for chances to help and seeking to heal old wounds.
Gradually, visitors began to notice the warmth of the place. One traveller found their way there, then another, and word spread about the remarkable spirit of the monastery. People began to come again, to bring their friends, and some young men even asked to join. They left renewed and transformed, all because the monks had begun to treat one another as though Christ himself were among them.
Takeaway: We serve one another best when we see Christ in each other. Jesus said that whatever we do for the least, we do for him (Matthew 25:40).
Source: Traditional parable, popularised in M. Scott Peck, The Different Drum (1987).
A Son for a Dying Man: The Stranger Who Stayed
A story widely told in sermons and inspirational collections; its original source is unknown.
Late one night, a nurse led a tired, anxious young man to the bedside of an elderly patient. Your son is here, she whispered to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before his eyes opened. He was heavily sedated because of the pain of a heart attack, and through the oxygen tent he could only dimly see the young man standing beside the bed.
The old man reached out his hand. The young man took it and wrapped his fingers tightly around it, squeezing gently in encouragement. The nurse brought a chair to the bedside, and the young man sat down.
All through the night he stayed there, holding the old man's hand and speaking gentle words of comfort and hope. The dying man said nothing, but he held on tightly.
As dawn approached, the old man died. The young man laid the lifeless hand gently on the bed and went to tell the nurse.
While she did what had to be done, he waited. When she had finished, she turned to him and began to offer her sympathy.
But he interrupted her. Who was that man? he asked.
The nurse was startled. I thought he was your father, she said.
No, he wasn't my father, he replied. I'd never seen him before in my life.
Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him? she asked.
He explained that he had realised straight away there had been a mistake. But he had also realised that the old man needed his son, and his son was not there. When he saw that the man was too ill to tell whether or not he was his son, he knew how much the man needed him. So he stayed.
Takeaway: Jesus washed his disciples' feet and said, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you" (John 13:15). Sometimes serving means simply staying with someone who has no one else.
Source: Traditional story; author unknown.
Final thoughts
A scientist's portraits, a sailor in burning oil, a man who could not swim, a broken bamboo, an empty box, a beach of starfish, a mother's back, a monastery reborn and a stranger at a deathbed. Each shows that service is the shape love takes in action.
For further reading, Sopranu reviews Simon Sinek's Start With Why and John Maxwell's The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, both of which touch on leading by serving others.
Where could you serve someone unseen this week?
More stories you may like:
These stories are retold in our own words for teaching and reflection. Sources are credited under each story.