SERIES 3 ENTHUSIASTIC SERVICE
SERMON 4 "Why Serve?"
(Rod Harding) September 16, 2012
1 Peter 4:7-19 Mark 10:35-45
What a great introduction to the first Bible reading today … 'The end of all things is near.'
(1 Peter 4:7). This actually IS the end … not the 'end of all things' to which Peter was
referring, but something way more simple and immediate than that … just the end of this
sermon series, which has kept us occupied and engaged as a church for the past three
months, and the end of my season of ministry here at St Aidan's. It's been fun, and I
have enjoyed myself immensely … but we'll talk more about that stuff later (over lunch).
For now, it's the subject matter of the vision which has been our preoccupation during
these sermons, as we've focused together on being passionate about God, cultivating
vibrant relationships, and enthusiastically serving others … and today is the last offering
that I will make in relation to that extended conversation.
On Thursday this week, I found myself in what was for me a brand new context. I had
been asked by the General Secretary of the United Services Union (a union with a
membership of 30,000, and a General Secretary whom I had met just a couple of
months earlier at a Sydney Alliance two-day workshop where I had been one of the
trainers) to facilitate a time of discussion and feedback after a presentation by an
independent panel of three people who have been examining the future of local
government in NSW. There were probably about 100 delegates in the room, and there
appeared to be more than just a little angst in relation to these so-called 'experts' telling
the grass-roots personnel how they should better be doing their jobs for the next 25
years. I was just a little nervous before the session started but it all worked amazingly
well in the end.
At the end of the session, one of the union leaders summed up in an amazing way. He
thanked the delegates for their participation in the discussion, then commended them for
the extraordinary parts they played in making their communities better places for all to
live. 'You yourselves walk the hard road so that others can walk more easily. Without
thought to yourselves, you have committed to being there for others, selflessly giving
yourselves, your time, energy and devotion, to serve the needs of others and to help
them to be able to enjoy better facilities, better conditions, better lifestyles than would
otherwise have been possible. I am very proud of you.' As it was my job to wrap up the
session, I was able to respond in conclusion by saying that if I qualified (which I don't),
I'd want to join this union!
Right there, in that little speech, delivered by a hard-core union leader, probably without
an ounce of faith or godliness or the slightest acknowledgement of spiritual awareness,
lies the fundamental basis of servant-heartedness. THAT's what we have to 'get'!
It is the very attitude that Peter commended to the church in his first letter … and the
passage we read as today's first reading, from 1 Peter 4, which begins with the words,
'The end of all things is near. Therefore …' (1 Peter 4:7). That's kind of like saying, 'This
could be the last year of your life … what are the things you really want to do, because
NOW is the time for you to do them!' The very fact that life is short changes our
priorities, and causes us to rethink the things that are actually important to us, and that
we might want to achieve before it
is too late. It's the 'bucket-list' principle inaction … most of us have that list of things that
we want to do before we die.
But for Peter, it's not just about the end of my life, or the end of yours … it's the end of
ALL THINGS! No-one gets any further opportunity
after this … there are no further chances for any of us to make a difference or to change
outcomes … God will usher in the end of the age, and life as we now know it will be
over! And if Peter could say the end is near in the first century AD, how much nearer and
more urgent is this message in the twenty-first century? If the end of all things is near,
we really need to sit up and take notice. There is not much time left.
So what follows the 'therefore'? What are the priorities that Peter suggests the church
should take up in these short and urgent times?
'Be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.' (v.7). Prayer (which lies at the heart of
a passionate relationship with God) is the first thing that Peter's mind turns to. Don't get
sidetracked, he says, hold on to your focus, maintain your direction, keep your mind
clear … and be sure to keep praying, because as breathing is to life, so is prayer to
relationship with God.
'Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.' (v.8).
That should probably be no surprise … the priority of love is abundantly clear in the life
and ministry of Jesus, and in the response of the early church. Love is the essential
character of God himself, so it needs to be very clearly the essential character of God's
people … Jesus said, 'By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love
one another.' (John 13:35) … love is the 'mark' of a Christian, and the means by which
we develop and maintain authentic and vibrant relationships with each other and all
those we love.
'Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.' (v.9). Now that might come as
something of a surprise … who would have thought to put hospitality right up there
amongst the most important priorities of life? But sharing with others, both those who are
part of the community of faith and those who are not, opening up our homes and our
lives to them in genuine friendship and joyful inclusion, is one of the most significant
ways we can show love and care for others. This is a practical extension of the
command to love … it takes it to a deeper and more tangible level.
'Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful
stewards of God's grace in its various forms.' (v.10). So here's the crunch for us today,
as we come to the end of this sermon series … and it seems to also be the 'crunch' for
Peter, as it is this theme which he continues to develop in this section of his letter. Right
up there amongst the most important priorities of the Christian life and experience, the
things that mark us as to who we are, and which are the things we need to focus on in
desperate times, is the requirement to serve others! This is not just an optional extra for
those who wish to become 'super-Christians', this is standard equipment for everyone,
and lies at the centre of how we need to live as followers of Jesus, both individually and
as the church. Because we are the grateful recipients of God's grace (in all its forms), we
need to respond to that by being conduits of his grace to others in the way we serve
them with enthusiasm and a desire to love.
Who does God intend to benefit by giving 'gifts' to his people? We often get this wrong,
both in our thinking and in our attitude and action. When Paul said in 1 Corinthians
12:31, 'Eagerly desire the higher gifts,' we have taken that to mean that we should desire
the spiritual gifts for ourselves, so that we might be seen to be a highly gifted person,
who is critical to the church and community, around whom programs and people are
centred and without whom the whole thing would collapse. Our human sinfulness has
turned the distribution of spiritual gifts into a competition for greater significance and
recognition from others, as if there is something to be gained by being more 'gifted' than
anyone else. But that was never God's intention … rather, the beneficiaries of the gifts
are those who are served by the gifts … those for whom the gifts are exercised. Who
benefits from the spiritual gift of teaching … the teacher (the one with the gift) or those
who are taught (the ones served by the gift)? Who benefits from the gift of hospitality …
the hospitable person (the one with the gift) or those who are invited and included (the
ones serves by the gift)? Spiritual gifts are only given so that we might use them to serve
others, who will then benefit from the gifts that God has given to us … but it will only
happen as we are committed to use our God-given abilities to build up the church and to
serve the needs of others rather than ourselves.
This is the nature of service, and why we are encouraged to serve enthusiastically …
because only when we do so does the church really become the church … the 'body of
Christ' … the arms, legs, hands and heart of Christ to his world. 'If anyone serves, they
should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised
through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.'
(v.11). Oh that Jesus should receive the praise and glory and recognition through our
enthusiastic service of others.
This passage in Peter's letter then goes on into an area which is hard for us to grasp,
and cuts right across the belief we have in our culture that we have a basic right to be
comfortable, secure and protected. Peter raises the issue of 'suffering' … but he is not
here talking about suffering in the form of an accident or disease, some natural
occurrence which somehow causes us pain (though of course, there is more than
enough of that in our lives and experience). Rather, Peter is talking about suffering as a
result of our faith! And that is not something we know much about in our current social
context … we may not be a majority group in our culture, but there are enough of us
around, and the Christian gospel has had sufficient impact over many centuries on our
history, such that we can now live faithful Christian lives and never have to be
confronted by issues of persecution or suffering for the sake of being a follower of Jesus!
As a result, our expectations of living well have become for us an essential 'right' that we
feel is ours, and if that right happens to be disturbed by others, we react with outrage
and indignation … how dare they upset my pleasant and comfortable existence!
Christians had no such rights in the first century. They were a very definite minority
group in their culture … the church was new and misunderstood by their communities;
their life and lifestyles were radically different from those around them; and sometimes
the overt preaching of the Christian gospel and the personal claim of allegiance to Jesus
as Lord could cause an extremely adverse reaction from those amongst whom they
lived. And Peter tells them they should not be surprised! 'Dear friends, do not be
surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something
strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the
sufferings of Christ, …' (4:12-13). This is normal, he warns them, this is what you should
expect.
Please be aware of what I am trying to convey here, as we try to relate this word to our
own experience in Longueville, 2012. It's not that we should be attempting to do things
which arouse such a violent opposition from our community that we can rejoice when
they egg our houses in the early hours of the morning, or fire-bomb the church building.
No … rather it is about developing the attitude that says we are not here to promote our
own comfort and well-being, rather we are here to do everything we can to promote the
well-being and comfort of everyone else - especially those who need to see in us the
amazing grace of God extended not just to us but to them as well.
Sometimes, serving others enthusiastically will be hard. It might not be comfortable for
us; it might cause us to feel used or even sometimes abused by others; it will cost us,
again and again … and again! But hear what Peter says … 'If you suffer as a Christian,
do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.' (v.16). And again, 'So
then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful
Creator and continue to do good.' (v.19). The call of God is to keep serving, regardless
of what it costs, or how uncomfortable we may become. It is an essential part of our
commitment to God as his church!
Jesus himself established the mind-set of serving others by hos own example (as we
have seen). And as I come to the end of all this (for me), it is to Jesus and his call on our
lives to which I return, and on which I conclude. At a time when two of his closest
friends, both of them not only amongst the 12 disciples, but also two of the three from
the 'inner circle', James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were trying to convince Jesus
that they deserved a higher place in the pecking order because of their privileged
position … they wanted their position cemented and secured, so they could have a
clearly recognisable prominence … to them (and the others) Jesus made what for me is
one of the most profound statements of the new Testament. "You know that those who
are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise
authority over them. (This is 'normal' … the way it is. Jesus then turns everything upside
down …) 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must
be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. (The following
statement is then made by the One who is the Creator God, Lord of lords and King of
kings, who rules over everything he has made … Jesus, who spoke a word and death,
disease and evil spirits simply obeyed because he spoke.) 45 For even the Son of Man
did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
(Mark 10:42-45).
When all else is said and done, and there is nothing left to add, these words continue to
challenge and call us, as the church of Jesus. If that's what Jesus himself says of his
own mission, then that's the mission I want to be part of (like my response to the United
Services Union during the week). Like Jesus, I do not want to be served … but to serve,
and to live my life in the service of others. I want to be a genuine follower of Jesus … to
be like him, to model myself on his example, to develop and demonstrate the same life
principles … and as members of his church, I urge you to do the same.
'For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as
a ransom for many.'
1 Peter 4:7-19
The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may
pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9
Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever
gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various
forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.
If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things
7
God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever
and ever. Amen.
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you,
as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you
participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is
revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the
Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or
thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a
Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time
for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the
outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And,
12
"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the
sinner?"
So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their
faithful Creator and continue to do good.
19
Mark 10:35-45
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we
want you to do for us whatever we ask."
35
36
"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
37
They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be
baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
38
"We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be
baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me
to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."
39
When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus
called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the
Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so
with you. Instead, whoever wants to become greatamong you must be your servant, 44
and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not
come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
41
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