Adele Ahlberg Calhoun may help us to see how service can take us beyond superficial activity,
“… many of us look right through others and never see them let alone care about what they need. When we are preoccupied with our own concerns, much of the world is simply invisible to us. Service is rooted in “seeing” – in seeing others as God does…. The Spirit of Jesus is a compassionate, serving Spirit that always works for the good of others. Jesus maintains that radical love for others demonstrates whether we know God or not.” (Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us, p 146)
What do you think? Does service done in the Spirit of Jesus, transform us into Christlikeness?