Feb. 16, 2014
Eph. 4:7-13, Matt.
20:20-28
Prayer
We’ve been on this
journey of “Walking in the Way of Jesus, 6 Values of Followership” over the
past few weeks. These 6 values are important to the faith community because
they help ground you to living life closer to Jesus. These 6 values really
become the faith foundation of the faith community. And over the last few weeks
we have reflected on their importance. The importance of being a faith
community grounded in Prayer, Worship, and last week Life-Long Learning. In the
next couple of weeks we will reflect on Relationships and Generosity.
But today our focused value is “Serving”
I
want to start by saying, Thank You good and faithful servants.
Many
of you have stepped up during this transition time and served. Thank You for
being servants.
In our story today,
the mother of James and John, two of Jesus’ close friends, lobby’s for them to
be granted high status, she says, “Jesus,
when you come into your kingdom, let my sons sit one on the right and the other
on the left.”
Jesus then says, “If you want to be great,
you must be a servant.”
It seems a
competition happens when the others get a bit angry.
The “Living Lutheran
Blog” I read had an article titled, “Did God Create Us to Compete?” where it
referenced the Olympic Games. Anyone watching the games? There’s great
competition, counting the metals, there’s the speed of downhill skiing and
snowboarding, luge, hockey, and the grace of figure skating. And the
competition can be intense.
Norma Cook Everist
the author of the article asks, “Did Christ engage in competition? If so, with
whom or why? Jesus came not to overpower. He turned competition upside down,
saying that whoever wants to be great must be servant of all. He was
victorious, but not over human beings. He conquered death, but not for his own
sake. For ours. The core of the resurrection life is not competition, but
community.
Think about it… our
life is not a competition, but a community of servants.
What does it mean to
be a servant?
In our story many
translations say, “Slave”… of course the word “Slave” has negative connotation
to it for us. But a slave in Jesus’ day was not necessarily a bad or abusive
thing. Matter of fact, slaves we part of the household… part of the family. In
Jesus’ day slaves were the ones who did much of the work in society. Slaves
during this time were the lower and middle class populations. If you think
about it… this is still the case… what classes of people still do the largest
share of the work in our society?
What does this mean for us?
Some people have
just gotten a bit nervous about this question.
That work or
vocation is a gift from God and God equips and empowers us to use our gift and
passions for work and serving.
Paul tells us in Eph. That Jesus chose some
to be Apostles, Prophets, Missionaries, Pastors, and teachers so that people
would serve.
Paul
also tells us in Romans 12 & 1Cor 12… “That everyone has a spiritual gift
to serve.”
The
truth is… God has blessed each of us with a passion and a gift to serve in the
community…. Each of us has a passion that God empowers
Lutheran
Theologian David Lose states, “Vocation, at its best, helps people see the jobs
and roles and relationships they spend time on as worthy of God’s regard.
Simultaneously, a robust sense of vocation also helps each of us see those
around us as God’s children striving to live out their callings and as brothers
and sisters worthy of love, dignity, and respect.”
This Means….
We All Have Gifts & Passions
Slaves were chosen
in Jesus’ day by their giftedness… by what they could do best. Paul picks up on
this when he says Eph 4, “Christ chose some…” All of the disciples didn’t
decide to follow Jesus just for the sake of going with him… no… Jesus chose
them! Jesus chose them because he knew their gifts and passions. And, Jesus
knows your gifts and passions as well. You may not agree with this but you’re
not too OLD nor too YOUNG, nor if you think you’ve already done your time in
the Sunday School.
There is no
retirement system in God’s world.
I like to ask people… What are your passions?
They don’t have to
be churchly or religious. It’s probably better they’re not.
I met Frank at my first call congregation
when he came to church after his wife had died. She had died two years prior
and felt something was missing. He was a faithful church participant, but
couldn’t bring himself to go back to the church he and his wife belonged to.
So… he came to us… When I visited with Frank one day he shared his life and then
asked about his passion. He said follow me. Frank took me into a room, when he opened
the door I could tell he had no ordinary hobby. There were model airplanes
everywhere. Hanging from the ceiling, on shelves, airplanes were everywhere.
You could tell airplanes where Frank’s passion was.
Weeks later I talked with the principle at an
elementary school near the church I served and she asked if I knew anyone who
worked with model airplanes. She had 3 boys who were interested in airplanes.
It just happened that I did. I put Frank and her together. Frank didn’t realize
at first that his passion was indeed God’s work thru him. And… Frank was able
to share his faith experiences with 3 boys who may have never have heard about
God.
All of us have the
same opportunities to use your giftedness & passions to share the love and
grace of God. The question is… will we?
It works like
this…Our Gifts and Passion… Creates
Involvement IN Community
Serving IN community
is pretty comfortable for many of us. Serving in worship, caring for the
facilities, music, SS, and special projects are generally pretty easy for us to
participate in. Serving IN community is a good way to gain confidence and
connect with those you know. But this is not all there is…. Yes God calls us to
use our gifts and passions IN the community… But also…
Creates Involvement OUT in Community
You’re doing some of
this… The Warming Center, in the past you’ve done Habitat for Humanity, LSSM… These
are important opportunities to share your gifts and passions. These
opportunities also enhance our faith and give us a different perspective on
what others are dealing with in life. Perhaps… these and other mission
activities can be reignited to serve OUT in community in the near future.
Lastly, It Creates a Willingness to be the
Face of Jesus to Others.
God isn’t looking
for individual greatness, but he is looking for individuals willing to be the
face of Jesus to others.
I once met a young man who was struggling
with life. Nothing seemed to be working in his favor. I couldn’t fix the issues
he was struggling with, but I could listen to his story and invite him to come
be with the rest of us who were struggling to find God’s love as well. I
couldn’t fix his problems… but I could demonstrate God’s grace the best I
could.
That is really our
challenge today… to demonstrate grace in an ever-more judgmental world. If our
serving was more about serving with forgiveness and grace our churches would be
full. My friends… that is SERVING…
Closing:
I often ask
congregations… What are your dreams?
The usual answers
are… To Grow…. To have the seats filled in worship…. To have lots of kids and
young people….
At one congregation after all the usual
responses an older woman raised her hand and said, “Until we become a
congregation focused on being missional and serving others, we will not grow as
a congregation.” Growth is
measured in a variety of ways… furthermore my friends… I believe this woman is
right… if you as Cana Lutheran do not have serving as a value… you will not
grow as a congregation.
There is a favorite bible passage found at
the end of the Book of Joshua chp. 24. I pray that I’m able to live this out
and I pray you will as well… as Joshua states, “As for me and my family… we
will serve the Lord.”
