Simplicity and Service

Does anyone else kind of wish that their lives were less complicated and busy?

How we complicate things

1) We over-extend ourselves financially - adding stress just to keep up.

2) We over-program our calendars, leaving no room to breathe or relax

3) We keep comparing ourselves to other people and feel guilty if we don’t do what they do (they took all their kids to Disneyland and stayed in Cinderella’s castle and the rat from Ratatouille cooked them breakfast every day - our kids will be scarred if we don’t do the same thing).

Sometimes, I think the Amish have it right (until its like minus 25 and they are open carriage horse and buggy to church on a Sunday)

How do we deal with this ever present sense of busyness and the stress that comes with our complicated lives?

For many of us, the busy-ness and the complications in our lives is because of our idolatry. An idol is anything you turn to for security or significance other than God himself.

Some people look to their savings account and their investments to give them a sense of security.

1 Timothy 6:17 (NLT)

17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.

Some people have to prepare for and plan for every eventuality in order to feel safe.

Some people find their sense of security in their relationship to others. They think that others will save them, or protect them.

Jeremiah 17:5–7 NIV

5 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. 7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.

Idolatry also tries to find our sense of significance in places outside of God.

Significance from your family role (mom, dad, first born, baby)

Significance from your job, title or even your salary.

Significance from how other people perceive you.

Am I preaching to anyone today?

Whenever we complicate our lives by pursuing our sense of security and signficance in things other than God, we produce anxiety and we become enslaved.

But there is a better way. There is freedom available through Jesus Christ as we practice the spiritual discipline of simplicity

Simplicity is when you have a singular purpose that informs, determines and shapes every choice you make.

Look at what Jesus says:

Matthew 6:25–33 NIV

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Biblical simplicity is about seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness over everything else and trusting the details to God. It asks the question “How can I best honour God with this choice, this action, in this relationship?

Now, let me add a warning to this. Of all the disciplines, this one is the easiest to let slip into legalism and allow it to become guilt motivated.

And for some of you, that’s how you grew up. There was a constant sense of “Is this okay?” “Are we allowed to do this or that?” You were made to feel guilty about spending on anything that was “extra” or was only about “fun.”

But this discipline isn’t about guilt and it’s not about whether God will be happy with you. It’s about an internal freedom of living to your purpose. It’s not that you can’t do something, it’s that you GET to say no to some of the trappings of our culture because your security and significance is in Jesus, not in anyone or anything else. You get to choose wisdom over opulence. You get to be generous with your resources because there is margin in your life.

The practice of simplicity as a spiritual discipline helps you to live in freedom. Freedom from the constant state of busy-ness. Freedom to be with Jesus and enjoy him. Freedom to serve others.

I was walking in my yard this week and I saw a spider web woven into a tree branch, at the joint where two branches split. It was so intricate and thick. It was impossible to differentiate different strands, because they were all so interconnected.

The spiritual disciplines are like that: they are so intricately interconnected that practicing one of them empowers you to practice more of them. Practicing the discipline of simplicity will not only open up to you time for reading the scriptures, contemplation, and prayer, it will free you to better practice the discipline of service to others.

I don’t know if this is really true, but it seems like the discipline of service is one that most of the Christians that I know most easily embrace. In fact, and this isn’t meant to be shame anyone who doesn’t, but how many people here today help out in some way around the church - kids ministry, worship, tech, counters, work days, youth, baking for youth events, cleaning or anything? See, the vast majority of us serve in some way or another. Which is great because that’s what Jesus calls us to.

John 13:1–17 NLT

1 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. 2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. 6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” 8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” 9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” 10 Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

Jesus models for us that the nature of the kingdom is one of servanthood. But let’s take this a bit deeper. The spiritual discipline of service is, like simplicity, a heart issue that then gets played out practically. It’s not just about actually serving others -anyone can help someone else. To practice it as a discipline means that we examine our motivations and then align them to our purpose - which is the pursuit and revelation of the kingdom of God.

We have to differentiate in our hearts between “Self-righteous service” and True service.

Self-righteous service only shows up when it’s a big deal. True service revels in serving in all situations, in small ways that go unnoticed and for big events.

Self-righteous service requires external rewards - it needs people to see the effort and be thankful. True service prefers obscurity.

Self-righteous service is highly concerned with results. They want reciprocity from those they serve. True service doesn’t need to see results or get it “paid back.”

Self-righteous service picks and chooses whom they will serve. Some people only want to serve impressive people because they think it will give them an advantage. Others will only serve the poor and distraught because that ensures a “humble image.” True service delights to serve all people.

Self-righteous services is affected by moods and whims. They only serve when they feel like it. True service ministers simply and faithfully because there is a need.

Most, self-righteous service is about exactly that: yourself. And when we serve from that self-righteous place, it complicates our lives and our relationships. True service is about embodying the kingdom of God in your heart as you live out what it means to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbour as yourself.

When we choose to declutter our lives through the practice of simplicity, we become more free to serve God and others in a genuine, kingdom way.

So how do we practice this discipline of simplicity?

Richard Foster, in his seminal work, “The Celebration of Discipline,” (which is a guiding text for us in this series) offers 10 suggestions. Here are five of them for you today:

1. Buy thing for their usefulness, rather than their status. Ask yourself why this, and not that? Do you really need a 7 bedroom home for 2 people or do you want it so people will think of you well off? Are there certain clothing brands that maybe aren’t worth the money because they are about status?

Paul talks about this. 1 Timothy 2:9-10 says, “9 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”

For far too long, we used this verse to shame women and instruct them not to dress with too much of their skin showing. But this verse is not about sexuality. It’s about boasting of wealth in a congregation that has both rich and poor in it. For Christians who want to practice the discipline of simplicity, stay away from overpriced brands that flaunt wealth.

2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you. That can mean insidious things like alcohol and drugs or pornography, but it can also mean innocuous things like coffee, cell phone games, sugar or the like. Now, things that are truly addictive are not just something we, with will power, quit. But you can open yourself up to the healing power and grace of Jesus and find freedom. It won’t be easy, but the joy that comes on the other side will be worth it.

3. Develop the habit of giving stuff away. Don’t hold on to your possessions tightly, they aren’t really yours anyways. If we believe that everything comes from God, then everything belongs to him. We are just the stewards he has entrusted the stuff to for a while. And a great time to practice this is with our upcoming garage sale!

4. Develop a deeper appreciation for creation. Connect yourself to the ground and reflect on the creator. Simplicity is to continually rediscover the truth of Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;”

5. Try to avoid consumer debt. Make a plan to live within your means, even if it means doing without somethings that others have. If you have some consumer debt, make a plan to pay if off as quickly as you can so you can be free from that heavy weight.

Conclusion

I really wrestled with this sermon this week. And I think I struggled with it for a couple of reasons. On an organizational level, I am passionate about making sure we have every role in our church filled. I want to make sure North Park is set up for success as I wrap up my ministry here in a couple of months. So I want to see every one of you serving in some capacity with us because this is all of our church, not just the pastors.

But I also really wrestled with the personal conviction around living simply. Like so many others, I have fallen prey to a consumer mentality. Even this past week, my wife and I had the conversation of “if we won the lottery” and the conversation showed me the greed and desire for things in my heart. But God is calling me, and I believe all of us, to embrace the spiritual practice of simplicity - to let the kingdom of God and His righteousness form our choices, our actions, our finances and our schedules.

Simplicity empowers service by making margin in our hearts, minds and lives to be present to God and love others in practical ways. I hope that over lunch and or supper today, you all will have the conversations with each other about what it means to live simply with the kingdom of God as the primary focus of your life.

Pray.