Gratitude in Servant Leadership (UWF & Thanksgiving Sunday)
Acts
16:11–15
November 23, 2025
Stetson Memorial UMC
<살림 Salim
(Housework, Work that Gives Life)>
Last week we had a snowstorm. Because the very first snow
came as a storm, we were not able to gather for worship. So today we are
joining the United Women in Faith service that was planned for last week with
our Thanksgiving service. I believe there is no accident in God’s timing. God
is inviting us to pause, reflect, and remember many reasons for gratitude.
Among those gifts, we especially give thanks for the faithful women in our
church who serve God and serve all of us. Through their quiet and steady lives,
we see the servant leadership of Jesus. Today, I hope we can meet Jesus through
their example and offer our own letter of thanks to Him.
Last week, before the snowstorm came, many of us were busy
getting ready. Were you well prepared for it? Did you check the snowblower? Did
you take out the shovels? As a mother, I was very busy. We needed to clean the
garage and lift more than seven bicycles up to the top shelf so that our two
cars could fit inside when the snow came. I also had to put away all our summer
and fall clothes and switch out the drawers for winter coats, snow pants,
gloves, scarves, and boots. I laid everything out on the floor and had each of
the children try them on. It felt like a small battlefield in my house. Some
things looked fine on the outside but were torn in places that needed sewing.
Some coats had the inner lining separated from the outer layer. So I fixed what
I could, matched what belonged together, and organized everything so the
children could easily find what they needed.
While doing all of this, I suddenly thought of my own mother.
Now that I am a mother, I finally see her more clearly. I see how she served me
in ways I never noticed, how many hidden acts of love she poured out on me. My
heart filled with deep gratitude.
In Korean, the word sallim does not simply mean
“housekeeping” or “cleaning.” It also carries the meaning of “bringing life” or
“helping someone live.” At first glance, it may look like lowly work or
unnoticed labor, but sallim is holy work. It is the kind of work that
gives life to another person.
Before I understood this deeper meaning, I sometimes felt
abandoned by God. I wondered if I had no calling. I felt like I was only doing
small and meaningless tasks at home. I cried many times, thinking my life did
not matter. But as I learned the beauty of Sallim, I began to see Jesus
in it. While washing dishes, sweeping the floor, and doing laundry, I started to
meditate on Jesus, who washed away my sins with His own sacrifice. As I washed
and cared for my children, I remembered how Jesus washed His disciples’ feet
and served them. Jesus came not to be served but to serve. Jesus is the
greatest sallim worker — the One who gives life.
<Jesus’s Servant Leadership>
When we think about “leadership,” we often think of famous
people—those who appear in books or newspapers. But Ken Blanchard, a leadership
expert and the author of many well-known books, says something different in his
book Lead Like Jesus. He says, “If you influence even one person, you
are a leader.” Blanchard also says the greatest leadership model is Jesus
Himself. Jesus spent three years with twelve disciples who were often weak,
confused, and struggling, yet He patiently served them. His leadership was
humble and powerful because it was servant leadership.
Blanchard asks an important question: “Who influenced your
life the most?” Most people do not answer with the names of famous leaders.
Instead, they name parents, grandparents, teachers, or someone close to them.
He calls this “life leadership.” The people who truly shape us are the ones who
stand by us, guide us, and “give life” to us.
There is a man named Walt whose obituary could only fill two
lines. He never finished elementary school and was not famous at all. But one
of his Sunday School students, Howard Hendricks—who later became a
world-renowned Christian educator—said Walt was one of the greatest leaders in
his life. Walt taught thirteen boys in Sunday School. Eleven of them became
pastors. Through one humble man’s faithful service, God raised many leaders who
gave life to others.
<Lydia’s Servant Leadership>
We also see this in our Scripture today. Paul was planning to
go to Asia, but the Holy Spirit led him instead to Macedonia. They arrived in
Philippi, a city important for trade. On the Sabbath, instead of going to a
synagogue, Paul went to a place of prayer by the river. There he met Lydia, a
worshiper of God from Thyatira and a seller of purple cloth. She was likely a
Gentile who had already come to believe in the God of Israel. She became the
first believer in Europe.
Lydia was a woman, but she was also a leader. She had a
household, a business, and the means to welcome people into her home. Through
her faith, her whole household believed. She later became a faithful supporter
of Paul’s ministry. Acts 16:40 says that after Paul and Silas left prison, they
went straight to Lydia’s house. Even Paul’s letter to the Philippians shows how
much joy he had when he thought of this church. The Philippian believers helped
Paul when he was in trouble and supported his mission. This first church in
Europe began through one faithful woman. Through Lydia, God blessed believers
in Europe, Asia, and even America.
<UWF’s Servant Leadership>
I see many Lydias in our own church. Not only my daughter
Lydia, but so many women among us who show the servant leadership of Jesus.
Through tea parties, public suppers, the food pantry, school donations, mission
giving for Laos, and many other ministries, they open the door so God’s work
can continue. They show the love of a mother—not only to our congregation but
to our whole community. They serve through giving, praying, and living out the
love of Christ. They are women who “give life.”
I have been here for five months now. I thought I had learned
most of the ministries, but last week I discovered two new ministries that I
didn’t know about. I was amazed by the depth and reach of this servant
leadership. I pray that God gives our women strength to continue the wonderful
work He is doing through them.
Paul Tournier, a Christian doctor and writer, said in his
book The Person Reborn that women have a great mission in this world.
Half the population is women, and the other half is born of women. With their
nurturing heart, their compassion, and their willingness to serve, they reflect
the heart of Jesus. And of course, the men in our church are also wonderful
servant leaders. God has blessed all of you with hearts of service.
<Thank you cards to Jesus>
This Thanksgiving, I have been writing thank-you cards. I
mailed some and sent messages to others—people who shaped my life and served me
along the way. As I wrote, I realized how much grace I have received. I saw
Jesus in their lives, and it made me deeply grateful. It also made me want to
become a servant leader like them.
On Friday, I met a woman at the nursing home who said she was
writing thank-you notes to Jesus. She told me she had hardly left her room for
eleven years. She was angry when she first came to the nursing home because she
felt it was like a prison. But recently her heart changed. She began coming to
Bible study. Now she says she is happy—so happy that she keeps telling people
how grateful she is. When people ask why she is happy when she has so little,
she answers, “Because I met Jesus here.” I could not stop my tears. Her joy
came not from what she had but from Jesus, who came to serve her.
Yesterday I received a letter myself. Someone thanked me for
helping her grow closer to Jesus. Again, I cried. To think that God could use
someone like me—a person with many weaknesses—to lead someone closer to Christ…
it overwhelmed me with gratitude.
I am thankful to spend this Thanksgiving with you. Through
your service, I see Jesus. And now, in this moment, I want to offer my own
thank-you letter to Jesus, the One who gave His life for us and showed us what
true servant leadership looks like.
Let us take a moment of silence. Think of the people who
showed you Jesus through their servant leadership. Offer thanks to them. And
offer your thanks to Jesus, the true giver of life.
<Silence>
Gentle and loving God,
We thank You for showing us Your tender, fatherly, motherly love
through the many wonderful servants in our lives and in our church.
Bless their sacrificial love, hard work, compassion, and servant leadership.
As You strengthened Lydia and the faithful women who walked with Jesus and Paul,
help us follow their steps of faith and courage.
Let our lives shine like candles that carry Your light into the world, in Jesus’ name. Amen
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