The Amazing Race: Service
John 13:2-17
Jim White tells the story of Pauline spending four months in Portugal. While there, she felt like God wanted her to teach a ladies’ bible study on Wednesday mornings. After awhile, she sensed they should begin feeding the poor. Pauline and the other ladies then began taking food to the poor in outlying villages where their houses were no more than shacks. While they were there, Pauline felt that every lady should feel like a lady and she began pampering these village ladies hands. She would take their hands and message them and rub lotions and give them a manicure. One particular lady was blind and her hands were blackened with dirt. She washed, massaged and cared for this lady’s hands dirty, dried and scarred. And then Pauline said, “I have never felt more fulfilled or satisfied or closer to Jesus than when I was doing that for those ladies.” Of the five disciplines that we will talk about this month, the discipline of service is our lifeline to Jesus. There is no time when we feel more connected to the presence of Jesus than when we serve. Jesus said, “Wherever I am, my servant will be also.” When we are serving, we are very much in the presence of Jesus.
In our Scripture today, Jesus gathers the disciples to celebrate The Passover, a time of remembrance and great celebration. Yet Jesus also knew it was his last night before he was to be crucified. Looming before him was the pain and agony of the cross he was about to face! But rather than focusing on himself and his predicament, he seeks to serve the disciples by giving them one last lesson, one which they would never forget, that of being a servant. He washes their feet, the most demeaning task of Jesus’ day that only slaves performed it. Why did Jesus do this? The disciples didn’t understand he was calling them to be servants. You remember that just prior to coming to Jerusalem, Jesus had caught the disciples arguing over who was going to get the seat of honor and authority at the side of Jesus. Jesus knew if they were ever going to fulfill his mission that they needed a serious attitude adjustment.
Servanthood starts with an attitude adjustment. Now in the midst of all the emotional turmoil of Jesus’ last night, what does he do but serve the needs of the disciples by preparing them through an example of service. In a simple but profound act, Jesus teaches them that this life is about service and is to be focused on others! Like the disciples, God needs to transform our attitudes so that we can become servants too. Contrast Jesus’ actions with the attitude we often have in our lives, focusing on our needs, our wants, our desires, our hopes and our dreams. We believe and live as if this life is about me. It seems like it has always been this way. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:21, “For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” From the day we’re born, our world revolves around us. Until there’s something else in our lives in control, we’re going to be controlled by selfishness. So for us to become a servant, we need an attitude adjustment. This life is not about us. It’s about serving God and others.
We are called to be servants. At Gretna UMC, we’re not going to use the word volunteer any longer. We’re going to use the word servant. Being a volunteer and being a servant are two different things. A volunteer only chooses to serve out of convenience or time they have left over after doing things for themselves. But the servant serves when the need presents itself. In fact, they don’t rest until the affairs of their Lord or Master are taken care of. There are no excuses. You cannot wait until you have time. Servanthood, unlike choosing to serve, is a lifestyle. It is not 9 to 5.
Service is the way we use our power. When I choose to serve or volunteer, I’m still in charge. I’m still in control. It’s really important to notice the play on words that Jesus used in verses 13 and 14. He said,” You call me Teacher and Lord, and you’re right. So I am.” But then he reversed it and said, “If I, your Lord and Teacher . . .” Servanthood is about your primary understanding of and relationship to Jesus. Jesus was saying: I am more than your teacher and example. I have to be Lord of your life.” Lord means absolute authority, owner. Everything I do is at his will and discretion, not my convenience. Mother Teresa puts it this way: “I belong to Jesus. He must have the right to use me without consulting me.”
A servant places the needs of others ahead of their own by using the power they have for the benefit of others. Everyone of us has some power. What we do with our power is what determines the contributions we make and the legacy we leave. Jesus is the perfect model for what it means to have power to use it to leave behind the fingerprints of faith. God had put all things under his feet, so he got up and washed the dirty feet of his disciples. We balk at the thought of service precisely because we are concerned about keeping our power. If I become your servant, you have power over me. You, or others, can take advantage of me. I become vulnerable, which is true. Service makes us vulnerable but so does humbling ourselves before God. We really have two choices; either live attempting to control our lives, or live them in order to serve other people. God never calls us to control. That’s his job. God calls us to serve. If God is ever going to use us as instruments of his power, it will only be because we serve.
Faith is demonstrated through action. There is no such thing as a non-serving Christian. It’s impossible. It’s an oxymoron. For Jesus said, “Wherever I am, my servant will be also.” You might be religious, but if you’re not serving with Jesus, you’re not following Jesus. There is no such thing as a non-serving Christian. Service is the evidence of the presence of Jesus in our life but also in the world. Service through Jesus’ followers is God’s response to indifference in the world. God is doing something - through his servants. This is why there is no such thing as a non-serving Christian. Followers of Jesus serve. The word says, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us.” Before God ever created you, he already had in mind what his service for you would be while you were here. That is best discovered in your S.H.A.P.E.
Spiritual gifts. “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant… There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-7 Spiritual gifts are special abilities distributed by the Holy Spirit to every believer according to God’s design and grace. Every believer has at least one gift. They are referred to as "gifts" because that is what they are. They are gifts given to us. They were not chosen by us, or earned by us. In fact, the Greek word translated as "gifts" is "charismata", which means "special gifts of grace." Spiritual gifts enable to experience God’s love, grace and power as we serve. The empower us to serve one another better because we are no longer drawing on our own abilities and power but rather are using God’s abilities in us and drawing upon the power of God as we minister in the name of Jesus. But they are not for our benefit. Spiritual gifts are given for the benefit of others, for the common good of the whole church that the will of God might be accomplished and the kingdom of God built.
Heart. Consider for a moment the following people and where their passion was. For Martin Luther King it was what? (Equal rights) For Billy Graham, it’s—what? (Evangelism) For Oprah recently, it’s what? (Schools for children in Africa) For Mother Teresa it was—what? (The Needy) For Jimmy Carter it’s what? (Habitat for Humanity) Passion is the God-given desire of the heart to make a difference somewhere. When you discover your passion, you become excited and exhilarated in serving God. Romans 12 tells us, "Never to be lacking in zeal." In other words, keep your spiritual fervor. The heart is the driving force within us that moves us to action and focuses our life in such a way that we have an impact on those around us. Your heart’s passion revolves around one of two areas: people or issues and causes. For example, you can have a passion for single parents, the elderly the abused or the homeless. Other passions relate to causes or issues such as prejudice, abortion, the environment, hunger, and so on. So passions help us to understand where God wants us to serve.
Abilities. Other people serve out of their abilities and learned skills. For example, a court reporter or secretary can transcribe the sermons for others to read on the internet. A woodworker can build things around the church. A school teacher can teach. A painter can paint. A wonderful cook can cook. These are not spiritual gifts but they all can be used in the service of God, for the benefit of others and His kingdom.
Personality. God has given you a unique personality to use for His kingdom work. There are two elements to your personal style. The first is how you are energized. This determines how you receive and focus your emotional energy and the way in which you prefer to interact with your environment. People fall into one of two categories: they are either task oriented or people oriented. Task oriented people are energized by doing things. People oriented people are energized by interacting with people. There’s a second element and that’s how you are organized. People are either structured or unstructured. If you are an unstructured person, you should have a ministry position generally described and have lots of spontaneity and flexibility. If you are a structured person, you need to have a ministry position clearly defined and have consistent relationships and responsibilities. God has given each of us a personality and thus a personal style which is the way we prefer to relate and deal with the world around us. God has made you the way you are by no accident. The world needs you the way you are. So maximize your personality. It’s how God made you.
Experiences. You have had experiences which not only make you who you are but can be used by God in His service, both good and bad experiences. Perhaps this is best illustrated by pain. Most of us try to bury or forget our pain but God calls us to embrace it. Don’t deny your pain. Don’t repress your pain. Embrace it. Your pain can become an instrument through which you can minister to others in their time of pain. When you speak and act out of your pain and brokenness, you become an instrument of healing grace and hope in other peoples’ lives.
Service is what we do while we still have time. Jesus knew his time was up. He had less than 24 hours to live and he chose to serve God’s purposes. Every one of us wakes up to what may be the last day we live. So serve. Don’t say, "I’ll become a servant one day, when I’ve achieved my goals or when the kids are grown or when I’ve taken care of my responsibilities or when I have tiome." You won’t. If you keep putting off becoming a servant, there will always be another good reason to delay taking up the towel. You’ll get to the end of your life having done everything you meant to do, except serve. Service is what we do while we still have time.
On 9/11, Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell had just stepped into a Pentagon hallway when the fireball from the hijacked plane hit him. After recovering from the initial shock, Birdwell realized he was on fire. "Jesus, I’m coming to see you," he remembers praying. When doctors finally attended to him at the Washington Burn Center, they found 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 40% of his body. To save him, they performed several skin graft operations. On September 13, First Lady Laura Bush visited Brian and spoke to him as if they were life-long acquaintances. She then turned to Brian’s wife, Mel, who had been at the hospital for about 2 1/2 days. She was dirty, grimy, and wore a bloodstained shirt. Despite this, Laura hugged her as if she was one of her closest family members. Laura then told Brian and Mel that there was "someone" there to see him. The President walked in. Standing by Brian’s bedside, the President told Lt. Colonel Birdwell that he was very proud of him both and regarded him as a hero. The President then saluted Brian. Brian slowly began to return the salute, taking about 15 to 20 seconds to get his hand up to his head because of his bandaged arms. During all of this, President Bush never moved. He dropped his salute only when Brian was finished with his. Birdwell now lives with renewed purpose. "I’m a walking miracle. Christ got me out of the fire. In him not taking me, that means I have a mission to complete." And it’s to serve Him while he still has time.
