“In the end it will be the servants who save us all”

I’m reading Mark Shriver’s excellent tribute to his father “A Good Man,” and just came across this sterling passage, from a 1986 speech Sargent Shriver delivered to Peace Corps Volunteers.

It could be a rallying cry for diakonia:

“Stay as you are…be servants of peace…work at home as you have worked abroad, humbly, persistently, intelligently.  Weep with those who are sorrowful, rejoice with those who are joyful. Teach those who are ignorant. Care for those who are sick. Serve your wives…serve your families…serve your neighbors…serve your cities…serve the poor. Join others who serve.

Serve, serve, serve! That’s the challenge.

For in the end it will be the servants who save us all.”