If your age begins with a 4 or higher you will most likely recall where you were and what you were doing 25 years ago on September 11th, 2001. For many of us that are younger in that age window, we were motivated to pick our profession based off what happened that day. 

Many of us picked a profession of service motivated by the feelings we felt the day we saw the buildings fall. We developed a strong desire to serve. Although that day was a meaningful and powerful day to many of us, the eagerness to serve others is not new. Or at least it shouldn’t be. 

Jesus Christ gave us two extraordinary examples of services that predated September 11th by more than 2,000 years. In John 13 we see Jesus wash the feet of his disciples. Jesus removed his outer clothing, wrapped a towel around his waist, and washed his disciples’ feet (John 13:1–17)—an act typically performed by servants. The foot-washing was shocking because it violated social hierarchies—the rabbi performed the work of slaves.

After completing this humble task, he explained that since he, their teacher and lord, had washed their feet, they should do the same for one another, having received an example to follow (John 13:1–17). 

This wasn’t mere instruction; it was embodied service that redefined leadership. Although important in the ministry and life of Jesus, washing of his disciples feet was not the most significant act of service our Lord and Savior committed. 

In the most obvious act of service was Jesus giving his life as a ransom for us all. Being born into this world to serve one purpose. A purpose that took 33 years to come to fruition. Jesus declared that he came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). His entire mission centered on sacrificial service—the ultimate act of putting others’ needs above his own. There is not a single more significant act of service than that of Jesus Christ dying for our sins so that you, me and everyone else can live eternally. 

Jesus Christ embodied the true meaning of service. True service means caring for those we disagree with, those who’ve hurt us, those society dismisses—not because they’ve earned it, but because we follow Christ’s example of unconditional love expressed through action.

September 11th, 2001 was a significant day in the life of us all. Most importantly to those that died that day serving others. We should be motivated to service by the actions of those that day, but someone of far greater importance showed us what service looks like more than 2000 years earlier. Today, on the 25th anniversary of a day that many of us remember all too well, let’s honor those that died that day, and He who died 2026 years ago, by getting back to an attitude of service for others.