The Spirit of Service

Stories are everywhere...

I've passed this statue a number of times over the past year, and have always found it both elegant and intriguing. I privately entitled it Stepping Into Service, a story that emerges for me from the image. Standing as it does in the ruins of a church I assumed it to be a memorial to a clerical or theological school. The sculpture is in fact a commemoration of Christ's Hospital School's centuries-long presence in the City of London. Not a seminary, Christ's Hospital was established as a charity school to offer children from humble backgrounds a decent secondary education—and a very distinctive school uniform.

The school was founded in 1552 by Edward VI, son of Henry VIII, and continues to operate under royal charter. As a point of interest, Edward is the prince featured in Mark Twain's beloved story The Prince and the Pauper. He was nine years old when he ascended the throne, and died seven years later. Edward VI was the first protestant king of England, following his father's split from Rome in 1534—an act which we might consider the earliest Brexit. But I digress. Christ's Hospital operates in the tradition of an English public school, and is exceptional in that most students, still today, are from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds and receive some kind of bursary. So even though my original narrative was incorrect, the spirit of the story, service, is very much present.

It has me wondering though, exactly what is the 'spirit of service'. There are different perspectives we can consider. Most common is its lowly meaning: servitude, servant, server, the service industry; considering it thus creates a separation between the one serving (unimportant, low-income waiter, maid, cleaner) and the one being served (important, high-income banker, lord, captain of industry). Another aspect of service is charity. While this flips the roles of the server and served, it does nothing to affect the power dynamic.

A third way to consider service is from the perspective of the Greek word agapē. Agape is the term used by Paul in the oft-quoted 1 Corinthians 13, and is perhaps best described as the unconditional love of God for man and of man for God. In the earliest English translations of the New Testament the term agape is translated to 'charity'. In subsequent translations the more generic term 'love' is used. Neither term captures the true meaning of the original word—which says much about the paucity of the English language when it comes to love. In ancient Greece love was considered in four distinctly different ways: Storge, empathy; Philia, the bond of friendship; Eros, romantic love and Agape, unconditional love.*

Considering agape as charity, especially with our modern understanding which has reduced charity to "alms for the poor", with accompanying expectations of humble gratitude we lose the essence of unconditionality, and even more so of its two-way nature (man to God and God to man). Agape as service is interrelationship, it is a shift from self-centredness to other-centredness—but with caution. There are two quite different ways of being other-centered, one way being a fear response, which shows up as lack of self-awareness coupled with a need to despise and blame, and the other way being a faith response, one that seeks to embrace and connect. In faith we cannot center on the other as an object, an external entity, but only as a reflection, or perhaps even an integral part of oneself. Agape as service then is to be alert to both the needs and gifts of others, to offer and accept help in a balanced way. Unconditional service dwells in the receiving as much as in the giving.

The essayist/poet Lewis Hyde takes this idea even further, talking about circular gift-giving: "Circular giving differs from reciprocal giving in several ways. First, when the gift moves in a circle no one ever receives it from the same person he gives it to...its motion is beyond the control of the personal ego, and so each bearer must be a part of the group and each donation is an act of social faith." ** This recognises our place within a tribe or group, suggesting that service is an integral part of living in community. Our expectation when engaging in circular gifting is not to receive thanks, or even something in return, it is, in Hyde's words, simply to keep the gift moving. Thus service is movement of love and appreciation through a community, and often beyond.

* See for example The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis
** Quoted from The Gift: How the Creative Spirit Transforms the World by Lewis Hyde

October News

Rayna had a second study week in Bristol so once again I was home alone with our daughters. Indeed as a family we had very little time together in October. I spent rather too many days in London, and a few in Vienna. The autumn seems to be a busy time. I decided yesterday to plan a sabbatical for myself sometime in 2020. It's an exciting thought. Taking advantage of my time in London though I was able to attend a kintsugi workshop, a lecture on improving relationships and to enjoy dinner and conversation with good friends. My sister Juliette and I attended a new production of Lorca's Blood Wedding and I went alone to see the brilliantly funny, and now classic Noises Off by Michael Frayn. Good times.

November is here, that dank, musky month with its contrast of chill winds and bonfire blazes. I leave you with this beautiful imagery of naked woods and the thrill of anticipation.

But there is always a November space after the leaves have fallen when she felt it was almost indecent to intrude on the woods...for their glory terrestrial had departed and their glory celestial of spirit and purity and whiteness had not yet come upon them. — Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Windy Poplars

Until next month then,

Tobias


2nd November 2019, 7.00 am