Unprecedented. That is how the news describes Emma Raducanu’s appearance in the final of the US Open this year. She is the first person to ever make a final from qualifying. And to top it off, despite being born in Canada and having Chinese and Romanian parents, she is British. If she wins, the difficulty will be to find a suitable alliterated name for the ground near Wimbledon - possibly, 'The Raducau rise'?
In tennis, the players take turns to serve. It is expected that when you are serving, you will win the game. Sets are won normally when a player has managed to ‘break the serve’ of another player at least once – hold your serve, break theirs!
In Matthew 20, we read of another kind of serve. Jesus was reaching the end of his time on earth and was using a question from a disciple’s mother to teach his followers an important lesson about the kingdom of heaven.
Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favour of him.
“What is it you want?” he asked.
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
The Kingdom of heaven that Jesus taught and demonstrated on earth was different to the standard that had been set out by the religious leaders of the day. His idea of greatness turned everything upside down. For Jesus, greatness came from serving others, especially the lost and lonely.
Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
How is your serve? Take time to reflect on the words of Jesus and ask him to help you develop your serve. If you have found your serve has been broken and you need an extra help to break back, ask. Here are some scriptures to help you find your serve again.
In Philippians 4:6 it says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
In James 1:6 it says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
