Fuente de Amor

            Matthew 20:20-28

            Here’s a wonderful picture from my freshman year of college, 12 years ago.  MNU Picture  That was homecoming weekend and I had been voted freshman class prince and Andrea was freshman class princess.  Big deal, let me tell ya’. 

            But this was a pretty big shock to me.  I certainly never got voted for something like that in high school.  Even though it was a surprise, I liked the attention.  So much so that I spent the next summer wondering whether I’d be voted sophomore class prince.  I worked this exciting factory job that summer where I stuck Vienna sausages into cans, which gave me plenty of time to obsess over what it would take to get voted in again.  I didn’t know that there was a policy that you can’t be nominated two years in a row.  Who was going to get voted Sophomore class prince that fall?  Was it my friend Robby?  Lots of people like Robby.  Or maybe it would be Keith?  Everyone loved Keith.  Sure enough, it was Keith (scary I remember that).  My senior year Keith was one of my roommates and we were both nominated for homecoming King and he beat me in that, too.  Not that I’m bitter or anything…

            But there’s something addictive about attention.  There’s a rush that comes with affirmation.  At least for an immature, insecure kid like I used to be, 10 or 12 years ago.  I’ve grown past all of that…

            Seriously, I’m admitting that need to be validated because I can understand where these two disciples were coming from.  They figured there were only two spots at the top, on Jesus’ right and left and they wanted to make sure they were elected to those top positions.  You’ve gotta give them credit.  They could tell Jesus was going places.  They wanted to hitch their wagon to Jesus’ star.  And they were two of Jesus’ closest friends.  So, I cut them some slack but then I realize they had their mom ask rather than do it themselves.  That’s kinda weak.  And what’s really weak is the reaction of the other 10 disciples.  When they hear what James and John asked, they’re worried they’re going to miss out.  You know they’re just mad they didn’t think to ask it first.  But they’re pushing each other around, trying to make sure they position themselves in the center of the spotlight. 

            The disciples were the ones who told the stories that eventually made it into book form.  Some scholars believe that one of the ways we can know these stories are authentic is just how bad the disciples look.  If you were making up stories, wouldn’t you make yourself look a little better?  It’s good to know that even when Jesus was still on earth, even then his followers couldn’t get it right.  So we should expect that we’ll screw it up sometimes, too.  Except for TFC…

            But it’s important for us to remember that whenever you read the term “disciples” in one of the four books about Jesus, the author isn’t only referring to the first disciples of Jesus but anyone else who is a follower of Jesus.  Just like the group 2,000 years ago, we often miss what Jesus’ Kingdom is all about.  They had a high view of Jesus, but they also had a pretty high view of themselves.  They’re looking for glory and prestige and attention.  Jesus came with a little different purpose in mind. 

            Just to show how far off they were, think about their question.  Vs. 22 When does Jesus come into his Kingdom?  At the cross.  The cross is the epitome of the Kingdom.  Kingdom life is about giving away your life for other people.  They don’t get it now, but they’ll eventually get it.  Some church tradition says both James and John were put to death by King Herod in the year 44.  Another tradition says John was exiled to the island of Patmos.  But either way, their commitment to Jesus cost them their lives.  They learned about giving up their lives.  But at the moment they asked this question, they didn’t know what they were getting into.

            I’ve found that’s usually the way it goes in our commitment to Jesus.  We make the initial commitment, “I’m going to live for Jesus.  I’m going to do what’s right.  I’m going to serve others.”  But 1, 2, 3 years into that commitment we realize, “man, this is a lot harder and costing me more than I ever dreamed it would.”  But you also find that God gives you a strength you weren’t expecting.  You also find that while difficult, following Jesus is the greater than anything else you could’ve ever imagined.

            I say this because our church is full of people new to a life of following Jesus.  Or who have come back after a long absence.  6 months or 1 year into your new life you’re wondering, “is it really worth it?  Wouldn’t it be easier to just give up?” 

            Let me assure you, YES.  It would be easier to just give up.  It would be easier to just follow the crowd and do what feels good at the moment.  Everyday you’re faced with the choice, do I live my life for me or for Jesus?  While it may be easy at the moment, a life focused on your self is trading away the complete life Jesus has for you.  So, hang in there!  If you need to pick yourself back up, brush off the dirt, it’s okay.  Just keep taking steps.

            One of the most important ways in which we honor Jesus is in our relationships.  That’s why we’re going through this series.  If serving others came naturally to us, there would be no need for a series like this.  But Jesus knows that the predisposition of the human heart is to look after our own needs first.  Vs. 24b 

            Now we try to pretty this up.  People running for positions of great power talk a lot about serving.  “I’m running to serve you.”  We want to believe them, but we sense they’re just using nice terms to cover up their own ambitions.  To borrow a line from Obama, it’s like putting lipstick on a pig.  It’s human nature to look after our own interests first. 

            But I love how direct Jesus is, vs. 26-27.  No, “it could be different.”  No, “it might be different.”  Nope, “It will be different.”  “As my followers, your interests and your needs take a back seat to the needs of others.”  We could all get along if we really understood this.

            Imagine the vitality in your marriage if you were to decide your spouses’ needs came first.  Imagine a work environment where coworkers were looking out for each other.  Or the security your kids would feel if they knew you had their best interests at heart.  If a church could really get this, people would be beating down the doors to be a part of a community like that.  Which may explain why we’ve been attracting some new families.  Marty and Lindsay Mothersbaugh could tell you that after experiencing what might’ve been the worst week of their lives.  Those of you who volunteered to help with their kids while they were with family at the hospital, helped them move furniture and provided meals.  We’re a church that serves. 

            As I was praying over this passage, letting it work on me, God reminded me that while I’ve grown some in this area of serving others, I’ve still got some room for growth.  I’m a pretty scheduled guy, so it’s hard to give up what I’d planned to do to serve others.  But that’s part of service, to drop your agenda and become open to someone else’s needs.  I’ve been able to grow some in that area.

            Since I’m smarter than the average bear, I’m usually right about stuff.  It’s hard for me to see the world from another person’s perspective.  But that’s pretty important to service and just getting along in general.  Erin and I went through counseling awhile ago to get some tools that would help us better understand the other person’s perspective.  I’ve grown some in that way. 

            But where I still struggle is serving people that are really different from me.  If I really get along with a person or we share a lot of the same values, it’s a lot easier for me to drop what I’m doing and serve them.  Reading this passage on Tuesday afternoon, God reminded me that he doesn’t play favorites. 

            It’s also easier to serve if you know in some way or another, you’re going to get something back.  Even if it’s simply affirmation.  But Christ-honoring service is to attend to the needs of another person even if you know you’ll never receive anything in return. 

            Vs. 27  Slave is a harsh term.  Jesus is telling us to give up our own rights, our own freedoms and enter into a life where we’re bound to the needs of other people. 

            Following Jesus is hard work.  It’s good work. 

            I’ve tried to help you think through what this looks like in relationships.  Heather Tinker, who oversees our discipline of serving others, is going to share how we do this as a church.  The 5 Slide

            Heather            Pictures when Heather is talking about each ministry

            Vs. 28

            Our model of what a servant looks like is Jesus.  Who gave up his entire life for our own sake.  Willingly took on pain and suffering so we could be made new.  Jesus refers to his death on the cross as a “ransom.”  A ransom was money paid to buy back prisoners of war. 

            We were POW’s in our own struggle with sin and selfishness.  Jesus died on the cross as a ransom to provide the way out of that old life and to lead us into a new life.  The cross is so we can be reunited with the love of our Creator.

            And that’s what motivates us to serve as well.  Our service allows us to point people toward God’s love.  When you serve in the nursery, you’re communicating God’s love to that infant while also the parents to experience God’s love in the worship service.  You show up at 8:00 to help build a worship environment where people encounter the love of God.  You put together gift bags and hand them out to the employees at the two Gentleman’s clubs to help them know the love of Jesus in a tangible way.  You join us on our service projects to help these non-profit organizations that are working to make the kingdom a reality in their corner of the world.  We serve for the same reason Jesus went to the cross.  To show people God’s love.  I strongly encourage you, very strongly, to join a ministry team.  Sign up after worship.

            We’re going to take communion in a moment but I want to share a final picture of what it looks like to give your life away in service.  Henri Nouwen was at the top of his game.  Popular speaker, professor at Harvard, successful author.  He had a big name in Christian and academic circles.  But he came to believe something wasn’t right.  Though he’d gotten older over the past 25 years, he didn’t believe he’d grown closer to Jesus.  He boldly started praying, “Lord, show me where you want me to go and I will follow you, but please be clear and unambiguous about it.”  God spoke clearly to Henri through a man named Jean Vanier.  Vanier was the founder of the L’Arche communities for the mentally handicapped.  God told Henri, “go and live among the poor in spirit and they will heal you.”  Nouwen moved away from a community of the best and brightest in Harvard to a community of the forgotten and broken at L’Arche.  He moved from being renowned to being hidden.  From being free to do what he wanted to living by the daily routines necessary for those living in L’Arche.  For the rest of his life, Nouwen lived out Jesus’ command to be a slave.  I want to share with you some thoughts from a book he wrote not long before he passed away. 

            Page 16 and 24

            People need Jesus.  That’s it.  They’ll meet Jesus when we choose to serve them. 

            As we continue worship, we’re going to celebrate what Jesus did for us on the cross.  Communion and offering

            Philippians 2:3-11