Creekside Church Sermon of March 13, 2005 "The Frame Work of Faith: Servants and Slaves" Micah 6:6-8 Matthew 20:25-28	Rev. David Bibbee
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The world works by a very different set of assumptions than the church. We are constantly pressured to conform to how the world works. We are told how things must function in "the real world." Christians have always been looked upon as out-of-step oddballs because of what we value and believe. We're chest deep in the river of life, leaning hard against its swift current, trying to live like Jesus and not be conformed to the world. Every day we go against the stream, holding on tight to each other, lest anyone be swept downstream.

The writer and editor, Heywood Broun returned to his college alma mater for a class reunion. All his classmates were there, many with abundant waistlines and thinning hair. They sat around, eating and drinking and sharing all their accomplishments in a version of, "Can You Top This?" The whole experience seemed phony and hollow to him. Writing about the reunion he said, "I hate to eat with dead people."

With so much emphasis upon getting and so little on giving; with so many shoving and shouting, "Me first!" and so few saying, "After you…" with so many insisting upon rights and entitlements and so few realizing that nothing is life free; with so much stress on competition and being, "King of the Hill," and no clue about the end result of life lived for self and self alone, it is all the more important that we live by the fifth mark of Christian discipleship-SERVICE.

To set the stage in the gospel text, Jesus is headed to Jerusalem. He gathers the disciples and tells them that when he gets there, he will be nailed to a cross. He no sooner said this than the mother of James and John, the Zebedee brothers, appeared. She knelt before Jesus and said, "Lord, I need a favor." "What's on your mind?" Jesus asked. "I want you to look after my boys. When your kingdom comes, I want Jimmy and Johnny to have the seats of honor, at your right and left. Is that asking too much for all their loyalty?"

As you can imagine, she created a big stink. The rest of the disciples caught wind of it, and they lost their tempers. There is a particular kind of ridicule and contempt reserved for mama's boys. Mrs. Zebedee was one of those mothers who put "Mommy loves you" notes in the boy's lunch boxes, and probably took their goulashes to school when it rained.

But before judging the Zebedee's, you should know that in Mark's version of this story, James and John do the asking, not their mother. An explanation for the difference is the fact that the gospel of Matthew was written twenty-five years after Mark. Over time, the disciples had acquired a revered status in the church. Matthew probably didn't want to portray James and John as men blinded by ambition and courting favor with Jesus for positions of power. It wouldn't be a bad reflection on them if their mother did the asking.

We also have to fight the impulse of thinking that if we were in their shoes; we would have understood what Jesus was saying. We wouldn't be salivating over status at a time like that. We see the error of their request, but deep faith in Jesus could also account for it. Why wouldn't they ask Jesus? They were with him from the start. They left the family fishing business to follow him. They had made considerable sacrifices-what was the harm in asking? James and John believed he was the Messiah and that whatever lie ahead, he would be the victor. They were committed to remain with him, come what may.

Jesus turned to them and asked, "Can you drink the cup I'm about to drink?" "Absolutely!" they replied, not knowing what was in the cup-scorn, scourging, suffering, and death. He told them they would eventually drink from it, but that seating assignments were up to God, not him. Then Jesus said, "You see how godless, power-hungry rulers throw their weight around. It won't be that way for you. If you seek greatness, you must be a servant. If you want to be in first place, you must be a slave. I didn't come to be served, but to serve and give my life away for those in bondage."

On several occasions Jesus caught the disciples arguing over who was the greatest. After he taught them otherwise, they probably argued over who would be the first to be last. They didn't get it.

On high school Career Day, did anyone talk to you about the advantages of being a servant? At the college job fair, did you talk to the recruiters in the slavery booth? In order to be successful, churches dilute aspects of Christian commitment. The emphasis is upon making Jesus "the best deal you ever had." The emphasis is upon what he will do for you-- not what he wants to do to you. They talk about the rewards of belonging, and not the costs of following. Jesus takes things like success and turns it upside-down. He re-arranges our furniture, but we push it back the way it was.

When John was a little lad, he would go into my office after Sunday school and sit at my desk. One Sunday, as people were leaving church, I was talking to someone and a member walked by my office and saw John behind the desk. Books were scattered all over the floor around the desktop. He assumed John had gotten them out and made a mess of things. Thinking he was doing me a favor, this well-intentioned soul told John to pick up the books and stack them on my desk.

When I walked in, John was stacking the last book on the desk. "Joe said I had to pick things up, but I didn't do it." I felt the sudden need to SCREAM. Those books scattered over the floor were there for a reason. I was working on a big writing project and had spent hours looking for resources. The books were opened to specific pages and were arranged on the floor in the order I would use them. All my work had been undone.

It's tempting to turn right side up what Jesus turned up side down. The Lord of all is servant of all. Servants and slaves are the real somebodies. I've been to my share of programs and banquets-you know, the ones where they feed you a fine dinner and you listen to a featured speaker who is an authority of some sort or another, or is famous for one reason or another. They sit at the head table with the mayor, business and community leaders, or dignitaries from the local religious community. The people in the audience are there because they are "somebody" of one sort or another.

I imagine I'm next to Jesus, pointing out who's who. He says, "There are a lot of great people here." But he isn't looking at the same people I am. He points to the waiters setting plates before the guests. He points to the women refilling water glasses and coffee cups. He says there are other great people back in the kitchen preparing food, and washing pots and pans. He says there are more who will take down tables and chairs after everyone has departed. Jesus says, "The great ones aren't the dignitaries. They are the servants and slaves." The Zebedee boys were looking forward to the victory celebration and sitting next to Jesus' throne. Jesus was concerned about giving his life for the sake of the world.

It's a wonder most of you are awake. You're Brethren, after all. You know all about service. You can recite Micah forward and backward-"God has shown you what is good. What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly before God." You've heard, "The last will be first," lots of times. You know that feeding the hungry and clothing the naked is your responsibility. You know that Christians lend a hand to people in need. Service is what makes our little denomination great. It is our business, so let us go back to sleep!

Servants and slaves in the service of Jesus. That's what we are. But it isn't the way the world works. The world would come apart if everyone suddenly started helping those in need. Our job is to dismantle the world by living on earth as it is in heaven.

The discipleship church provides two things for its people… expectation and opportunity. Service doesn't happen without the expectation that it will happen. Service to others isn't the responsibility of the Missions and Outreach Team. It's the calling of all who have been baptized in Jesus' name. Just as you can't be a Christian without worship, prayer, Bible study, and caring for others in the family of God, you cannot be a Christian without humbling yourself and following the footsteps of the "man for others."

Creating expectation for service is necessary, but there's no point of getting dressed up if there is no place to go. We are going to make more opportunities for service available to you. We want to provide a variety of opportunities for you to serve in areas where you can have the greatest impact. The opportunities must not be occasional. Serving meals at the mission for a night is good, but the need is present every day. Hospice needs volunteers to minister to the terminally ill. People in hospitals need the encouragement that visits from the family of faith bring. Meals on Wheels need drivers. Literacy programs need older adults to read to children. Church Community Services always has work for volunteers.

Don't think that the only valid service is done in the church. Jesus said we are the salt of the earth. The flavor of Christ's love permeates the world by our works. Anything done in the name of Jesus, whether in the church or any helping organization serves his purpose. Service starts close to home. Last week's text from Galatians last week said we should, "show kindness, especially to those in the community of faith." Whenever we help each other, it makes us more sensitive and aware of the need that is present everywhere.

There's a story that gets at the example Jesus gave us about service. It's about a man named Horville Sash. Horville had a humble job working in the largest corporate headquarters in the world. He was a go-fer who worked in the basement, doing what he could to help others do their jobs. He often wondered what went on in the floor above him.

One day, Horville spotted a cock roach scurrying across the floor. He was so low in the corporation that bugs were all he had to command. He raised his foot to squash the roach when it shouted, "STOP! I'll give you anything you want." A talking bug? Incredible! Horville thought a moment and said, "I want to be on the first floor." Granted! The next day the boss said he was promoted to the first floor. He wasn't there long, however, until he heard footsteps on the ceiling. There was a second floor. Moving up meant more wages and more power. He told the cockroach what he wanted, and the next day he became the second floor job coordinator.

Still, Horville wasn't satisfied. He knew there were other floors and more promotions to gain. He went to the tenth floor, the twentieth, and followed promotions to the seventieth floor. Horville made it all the way to the ninety-sixth floor where he sat by the indoor pool sipping exotic drinks. Horville eventually became the CEO of the corporation. One day he found a staircase. "Another story?" he wondered. He scrambled up the stairs and opened the door. He was on the roof. He was the highest. The most powerful. Orville at last was content.

That night, on his way home, he saw a boy sitting on a park bench with his eyes closed and head bowed. "What are you doing?" he asked the boy. "I'm praying." "To whom?" He pointed to the sky and said, "To God."

Horville was beside himself. Was there another floor? Was someone higher than him? He looked up and saw nothing but clouds. He began to pace. He found the wish-granting cockroach and asked, "Is there is an authority higher than me?" "There is," he replied. "It is God." "All right, then. Make me the highest. Make me God," he ordered. "Put me in the position that only God would have if he were on earth." "As you wish," the roach said.

The next day, Horville Sash reported for his new position as a go-fer in the basement!

If you're a Christian in hopes of escaping trials and troubles, or because you want to get on God's good side, or because you hope that by doing kind things you'll get a reward, or simply because you want a good seat in heaven, and it is not for the love of Jesus who told us that greatness means being servants and slaves, you're picked the wrong religion.

As we prepare for Holy Week, we would do well to remember it wasn't a kingly throne that Jesus sought. His desire was doing his Father's will. Men who thought they were the greatest nailed Jesus to his throne. It was a lesson not lost on James and John who were grateful it wasn't them on his right and left.

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