THE MENIAL INTERN

“Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God.”
Exodus 24:13

In the summer of 1997, with almost all my classes out of the way, I set out to complete the mandatory 150 hours of church service required for my Bachelor’s Degree program. There were specific tasks that were needed, such as preaching on a Sunday, working with the church’s financial office in balancing a monthly budget, and both preparing and leading a worship service. But the rest of the hours were a collection of church related items. I found these hours being filled with such items as folding bulletins, serving at a soup kitchen, and working with the youth group. In truth, I pretty much lived at the church during the whole summer of 1997.
When I arrived back to the university, I turned in my signed papers from different leaders of the church. I also handed over a collection of sermon tapes and videos from the times I had been able to preach or teach in the church. The whole lot of items was reviewed by the Theology Department heads and a final grade was given. With my ‘A’ in hand, I thought I had served my time and was ready to become a pastor. Notice, I thought I was. God thought different.
Following graduation I was given an opportunity to serve as an intern in Kalispell, Montana. The terms were simple. In exchange for room and board and $200 a month, I would in essence become the youth pastor’s shadow. This sounded like a good deal to me straight out of college, so I loaded up my car and drove up the day after graduation. On arriving, I found about 20 youth, all at different stages in their spiritual walk, yet all still in need of wanting more.
Ready to serve and assist, I was given my first ‘youth intern task’ – watch them skateboard. Really? I am a babysitter? The church I worked for had their own half pipe open to the community. However, it was only open at certain times, and because of insurance reasons, only under adult supervision. So it became my routine to serve two hours three days a week as the supervision. You have no idea how many days I prayed for rain. I had come to Montana ready to preach, ready to pour out my years of college education to the next generation, and here I was serving as a chaperon.
My chance to preach finally did come a few weeks later in the mid-week youth service. I rehashed an old message from my sermon-prep class that had gotten me an ‘A’, but was now getting me nothing but blank stares. When the night was done, the youth pastor pulled me aside and said, “You have no relationship with them. To them you are just another adult telling them what to do. Fix the relationship by getting on their level.” Heeding these wise words changed everything.
Now I didn’t become a skateboard advocate, but I did spend more time with them. I began to attend their special events, began to drive them around town, and began to listen. I began to serve the youth pastor also, becoming a real intern, and seeing myself as not an answer to everyone’s prayers, but as a servant. With each new serving opportunity, God began to open a new door. Over the course of the summer I moved from the new kid on the block to a trusted friend. I would even venture to say that it was this internship that helped to sharpen some of the leadership abilities I have today. But notice, it all started with me getting past my personal pride and learning to serve.
The Bible tells us in Exodus 24:13 that Joshua was Moses’ aide. “Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God.” This word ‘aide’ is the Hebrew word SHARATH, meaning literally to attend as a menial. Joshua then in reality was Moses’ menial intern. The word also is used in scripture as contributor, servant, or one who waits on. Before Joshua ever became the leader we know him as in history, he was first a servant, doing menial tasks for Moses. Maybe HE-BREWed Moses’ coffee (get it, he-brew, Hebrew), or fetched Moses’ staff when it was forgotten in the tent. Perhaps Joshua served in other menial ways we do not know of. But either way, Joshua started out as Moses’ intern. In time, God raised Joshua up through the ranks, though, and into management.
Perhaps you want to be a leader. I know I do. If this is true, then how are we going about moving into leadership? Are we just born with the ability and should therefore be placed into this titled position, or should we allow God to promote us as we work the menial tasks of our internship? Even though we see in Joshua that he was Moses’ aide, perhaps our biggest clue in how to move into leadership comes from Jesus Himself, as He came not to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45). Are we willing to be a menial intern and serve others? That is where true leadership begins.