Mariners Church Weekend Messages

Episode: Nov 9 - Servanthood: Thinking Big and Acting Small – Eric Geiger

Date: November 10, 2025
Speaker: Senior Pastor Eric Geiger

Episode Overview

This episode, led by Senior Pastor Eric Geiger, centers on the theme of servanthood—specifically, the paradox of “thinking big and acting small.” Using the leadership example of Nehemiah from the Old Testament, Eric explores what it means to live and lead with a servant’s heart. He draws on contemporary business leaders, biblical history, and practical wisdom for both personal growth and community impact, ultimately pointing listeners toward the transformative servanthood of Christ.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Celebrating Generosity & Church Mission

• Eric opens by celebrating the congregation's generosity in their recent “Seek the Good” campaign, having raised over $1 million to serve vulnerable communities (00:26).
• He emphasizes ongoing opportunities for outreach: military, refugee, foster family, and special needs Christmas parties (03:00–04:30).
• Quote: "Every penny is going towards the outreach hubs that we have to serve vulnerable communities in those cities. And so I'm so thankful for your generosity." (02:40)

2. Defining Servanthood and Servant Leadership

• Servant leadership is both a business and biblical concept. Eric references Dan Cathy (Chick-fil-A) and Cheryl Bachelder (Popeyes) as real-world examples (06:30–09:00).
  • Dan Cathy parks far away at church and picks up trash, demonstrating servant leadership in small, humble actions.
• The distinction:
  • Leader first: Sometimes serves as an action.
  • Servant first: Serves from their core identity.
• Quote: "Someone who is a servant first always serves because it is their identity. It's who they are. And... the most effective leaders are those who are servants first." (08:20)

3. Thinking Big and Acting Small: The Nehemiah Model

• Nehemiah’s leadership rooted in the combination of large vision and humble action (10:45).
  • He starts as a cupbearer, becomes a builder, then a governor—rooted always in servanthood.
  • “Servanthood is the intermingling of thinking big and acting small.” (11:20)
• This is a staff value at Mariners—core to hiring, reviews, and culture (20:00).

A. Thinking Big

• Serve God, Serve the Vision, Serve the Future:
  • Nehemiah’s burden comes from a passion for God’s name and glory (14:00).
  • He dreams of rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall—a task previously failed, seemingly impossible (16:30).
  • He coordinates people across silos and across the city, knowing big visions require broad participation (17:30).
  • He plans not just for present needs, but to repopulate and revitalize the city for the future (22:00).

B. Acting Small

• Serve People, Serve the Team, Serve Today:
  • Nehemiah values every person as made in God’s image, leaving privilege in Persia to work for his people (23:50).
  • He draws a diverse team: religious leaders, craftsmen, families, volunteers (25:30).
  • Everyone is assigned where they are most passionate—often repairing the wall opposite their own house (28:00).
  • Celebration and Accountability: Nehemiah names and honors diligence (“Baruch diligently repaired...”), but also calls out apathy (the Tekoite nobles), emphasizing both affirmation and accountability (29:50).
  • Quote: "He celebrates the diligence because he's trying to lift up the value of zeal and fervor and diligence... He brings affirmation but he also brings accountability." (30:10)

4. Servanthood as a Spiritual Identity

• The sermon pivots—Christians are uniquely able to live as servant leaders because Jesus first served us (31:30).
  • The heart must be “overwhelmed that Jesus has served you”—the foundation for sustaining servanthood.
  • Jesus is the greater Nehemiah: He left the ultimate palace to enter humanity, to serve, to sacrifice, to change our identity.
  • Quote: "The only way you can be a servant leader is if your heart is overwhelmed that Jesus came here to serve you." (33:00)
• The Great Exchange: On the cross, Jesus trades his righteousness for our sin, transforming our identity (34:15).
  • “God the Father looks at you as if you were perfect... because when God the Father looks at you, he sees Jesus covering all of your sin.”
  • Before knowing Jesus, we’re “spiritually dead, blind, lost... Jesus enters this world to serve you, and then you are found.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Eric Geiger on Servant Leadership’s Roots:

  • “Servanthood is the intermingling of thinking big and acting small.” (11:20)

• On Nehemiah’s Practical Wisdom:

  • “Where would you place people if you wanted them to be most passionate [about rebuilding]? ... Nehemiah places them opposite their own house.” (28:00)
  • “People don’t exist for leaders; leaders exist for people.” (24:10)

• Jesus and the Power to Change:

  • “He doesn’t love a future version of you. He loves you right now, and he wants you to be His.” (34:45)
  • “The message is not, ‘You find God.’ ... The message is that God the Son, Jesus came here to find you.” (35:00)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------|-------------| | Celebrating generosity & outreach | 00:26–04:30 | | Introduction to servant leadership | 06:30–10:00 | | Nehemiah as model of servanthood | 11:00–13:30 | | Thinking big—vision, future, coordination | 13:30–22:00 | | Acting small—people focus, team care | 23:30–30:00 | | Affirmation and accountability | 29:30–30:50 | | Why Christian servanthood is unique | 31:30–35:00 | | The Great Exchange and call to respond | 34:00–35:08 |

Tone & Style

Eric speaks with warmth, humility, and clarity. The tone is practical but spiritual—always aiming to inspire action grounded in the gospel. His storytelling (about Chick-fil-A’s Dan Cathy, business leaders, and Nehemiah’s strategic genius) blends seamlessly into scriptural teaching and personal challenge.

Closing Challenge

The episode ends with an invitation for listeners to place their faith in Jesus—the ultimate servant—and embrace a changed identity. The challenge:

• Engage in “Seek the Good” opportunities.
• Live as servant leaders by thinking big but acting small in your sphere of influence.
• Remember your worth and capacity to serve are rooted not in your effort, but in Christ’s self-giving love.

For more outreach opportunities and details, visit MarinersChurch.org.
“Go in peace. Have a great week.”