Sermon - 2018-09-23
Watching a football game or sporting event, many of the people are standing and shouting that their team is #1. Now keep in mind, every team does this. Even when they are not on top of the list. Even when they are the Cleveland Browns. Declaring for everyone that will listen that they support their team and their team is the best. These competitions take place weekly, daily and in our lives on an ongoing basis. Everyone strives to be the best. Now doing one's best is not a bad thing what is the problem is that is when we regard one another as competition and do not support one another. That people around us are to be feared, regarded as a threat and our focus becomes being over someone.
Jesus delivers a message to his disciples. While they are arguing who is the best among them, Jesus tells them to flip their idea of being the best upside down. To be the best among you, you shall be last and servant of all. Now, this is an important lesson that we as disciples need to be reminded of on an ongoing basis because the message of our society is that we need to be the best and compete against one another. It is at this time that we see that Jesus is calling us to reimagine what it means to be in this world but that we are not meant to be the greatest in this world.
Martin Luther takes this idea and puts this calling in his writing, “A Freedom of a Christian” with this message:
A Christian is a free man, lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a dutiful man, servant of all, subject to all
Luther is taking this idea that we need to be responsible for our own thoughts, ideas and our relationship with one another including our relationship with God. That when others influence us, we should also be aware of the ways that it impacts the other parts of our life. It is a calling that resonates with our own individual desires that we as a person can be yourself, who God has created us to be. However, in that same idea, that God has created us to be in a relationship, in a community, and when we are striving to be the best person that we can be, that we should never look down upon those around us.
Luther understands that it is a struggle for us because it is not our nature to think of others and serve others. This is something that we must learn. Going back over and over again, do we learn the value, importance and see that by being a servant, can we truly live the best life that we can. Last week, I talked about St. Francis of Assisi and Mother Teresa. Both of whom devoted their lives to helping others. I wonder, did any of you change the way you live? Did anyone actually think differently, act differently, or have any moment of change? The great struggle of many Christians today is taking their faith and actually doing it.
Now the other struggle that we have going on in the world today is actually being served. Within our nation, we are taught to be self-sufficient and when others help us that it can be a sign of weakness. So when someone serves you, your reaction is that you want to pay them for their work or you feel guilty that you are the one in need. However, in order to be a servant, someone has to be served.
Now stop and think about this for a moment. What if people around you were willing to help you, were striving to do their best to help make your life better. Imagine if we would actually care and love one another in such a way. This is the kingdom of God.
Image of Heaven and Hell. I was once told of an image of Heaven, in which, we were given new bodies. Yes finally bodies where we did not have to count calories or worry about what other people think of us. One of the key improvements was that we were created without ELBOWS. Yes, elbows. Not something that we normally think about, however, if you would image, not having an elbow, how could you eat or do many of tasks that you normally do in a regular day. Now with this new body without elbows, you would find yourself being welcomed to the Table of God. Yet instead of serving yourself, people would actually reach across the table to serve one another. Now really think about for a second, you would not have to worry about your own needs because the people around you would actually have your best interest in mind as they were living. Now the image of hell in this same light is that we are given the same new bodies without elbows but we are still trying to do everything yourself and unwilling to accept help from others. Having what it is you want and need right in front of you but never being able to get it.
I wonder, how are we as a church making the Kingdom of God here on Earth? How are we offering a glimpse of heaven in this community through our faith and love?
Jesus delivers a message to his disciples. While they are arguing who is the best among them, Jesus tells them to flip their idea of being the best upside down. To be the best among you, you shall be last and servant of all. Now, this is an important lesson that we as disciples need to be reminded of on an ongoing basis because the message of our society is that we need to be the best and compete against one another. It is at this time that we see that Jesus is calling us to reimagine what it means to be in this world but that we are not meant to be the greatest in this world.
Martin Luther takes this idea and puts this calling in his writing, “A Freedom of a Christian” with this message:
A Christian is a free man, lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a dutiful man, servant of all, subject to all
Luther is taking this idea that we need to be responsible for our own thoughts, ideas and our relationship with one another including our relationship with God. That when others influence us, we should also be aware of the ways that it impacts the other parts of our life. It is a calling that resonates with our own individual desires that we as a person can be yourself, who God has created us to be. However, in that same idea, that God has created us to be in a relationship, in a community, and when we are striving to be the best person that we can be, that we should never look down upon those around us.
Luther understands that it is a struggle for us because it is not our nature to think of others and serve others. This is something that we must learn. Going back over and over again, do we learn the value, importance and see that by being a servant, can we truly live the best life that we can. Last week, I talked about St. Francis of Assisi and Mother Teresa. Both of whom devoted their lives to helping others. I wonder, did any of you change the way you live? Did anyone actually think differently, act differently, or have any moment of change? The great struggle of many Christians today is taking their faith and actually doing it.
Now the other struggle that we have going on in the world today is actually being served. Within our nation, we are taught to be self-sufficient and when others help us that it can be a sign of weakness. So when someone serves you, your reaction is that you want to pay them for their work or you feel guilty that you are the one in need. However, in order to be a servant, someone has to be served.
Now stop and think about this for a moment. What if people around you were willing to help you, were striving to do their best to help make your life better. Imagine if we would actually care and love one another in such a way. This is the kingdom of God.
Image of Heaven and Hell. I was once told of an image of Heaven, in which, we were given new bodies. Yes finally bodies where we did not have to count calories or worry about what other people think of us. One of the key improvements was that we were created without ELBOWS. Yes, elbows. Not something that we normally think about, however, if you would image, not having an elbow, how could you eat or do many of tasks that you normally do in a regular day. Now with this new body without elbows, you would find yourself being welcomed to the Table of God. Yet instead of serving yourself, people would actually reach across the table to serve one another. Now really think about for a second, you would not have to worry about your own needs because the people around you would actually have your best interest in mind as they were living. Now the image of hell in this same light is that we are given the same new bodies without elbows but we are still trying to do everything yourself and unwilling to accept help from others. Having what it is you want and need right in front of you but never being able to get it.
I wonder, how are we as a church making the Kingdom of God here on Earth? How are we offering a glimpse of heaven in this community through our faith and love?
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