This past weekend over 500 people served across the city with our seven partner organizations. This equates to over 2500 service hours!
Part of why this is so huge is that the Bible tells us that we are created in God’s image and one aspect of that image that we were created to bear is called, Ezer.
Ezer means helper—one who comes alongside and gives necessary strength and protection to serve those who lack the strength to protect themselves.
Over and over throughout scripture, we see God as Ezer for us:
Psalm 30:20: Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.
Psalm 70:5: But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!
Psalm 124:8: Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 146:5: Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.
When God gives the Israelites miraculous victory over the Philistines in 1 Samuel 7, Samuel celebrates by erecting a large stone altar that he names Eben-ezer: Stone of help. It’s a reminder that God is our helper. God comes alongside and serves His people.
God is a God who serves. It’s a fundamental aspect of His character. Every day, every moment, God is holding creation together; He’s providing for, loving, forgiving, encouraging, and pursuing His rebellious, sinful, broken image bearers.
Colossians 2 says that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. He perfectly reflects who God is. So it’s no surprise that when Jesus shows up He says. “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
We were all made in the image of God. We were made to reflect His image. When we serve, we align ourselves with what we were made for. We align ourselves with reality in the universe. We are discovering part of our designed identity. We are reflecting the God who serves: Ezer.