Healthy Church - Serve

I am in the final stretch in my time here as pastor. In just 2 more weeks, I’ll preach my last sermon here as Pastor. As I said last week, I want to end my time here reflecting on who this church is, where we’ve been and where I think you can go.

We are using our four words that define the focus of Crossroads:

Worship, Serve, Grow, Tell.

Last week, we talked about telling - telling others about Jesus.

This week, let’s talk serving.

Jesus was threatening the existing power structure by telling those in power to be servants, but not just those in power...all of us. Jesus commanded all of us to serve others. In Mark 10, James and John were talk with Jesus and asking him for a favorable spot next to Jesus when he would sit on the throne. Jesus told that they didn’t have a clue of what they were asking.

At the end of this conversation, Jesus says this:

Mark 10:42–45 NIV

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 great among 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.”

The Pharisees of the day did not like this teaching. Jesus called them out with this kind of teaching. Jesus says that the greatest will serve. The leaders will serve. Jesus in his love for us came to serve.

That is contrary to much of the philosophy in the world. There are those that believe you accumulate knowledge and connections. You accomplish things and you rise higher. Then you get more power and wealth. The wealthy and powerful use that leverage to have others serve you.

This was the paradigm in Jesus’ day and this seems to be the paradigm today. However, Jesus came to flip this paradigm upside down.

Turn with me to John 13. We are going to read about the events leading up to the last supper where Jesus washes the disciples feet.

John 13:1–5 NIV

1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Here is Jesus, the Son of God, the king of kings, the Lord of lords, the exalted one, the maker of heaven and earth…

There is none Higher, there is none with more power, and there is none wealthier.

Jesus knows who he is and what his position is. He has the crown. Yet the night before his crucifixion, he sets aside the crown for a towel.

During this period of history everyone walked where they needed to go. Wearing sandals and walking along a dusty, dirty road was the norm for the day. So you can imagine how dirty people’s feet got. No one had closed toed shoes, socks, pedicures, or even nail clippers. Just nasty feet everywhere.

Dinners were often served on a table that was close to the floor. As such their feet were pretty much at the same level with the table. It was custom for the household to provide someone to wash the feet of their guests before a meal. This job was usually relegated to the lowest person in the house. The lowest servant of the house, or if there were no servants, the youngest child of the house was the person to get this job.

In this Jewish honor/shame culture, this job was a job of shame. A person of honor never had to do this job. In that day, you would never want to be thought of as someone who washes feet. That was only job for the lowest of low in the hierarchy. You certainly wouldn’t volunteer for it.

Yet here is the King of kings trading in his crown for a apron and submitting himself to the lowest position. Let’s keep reading

John 13:6–8 NIV

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” ...

Let’s put this in terms that you might relate to…let’s say the governor comes over and has a meal for you and then excuses himself to go to the bathroom. On his way to the bathroom, he stops by the kitchen and grabs cleaning supplies from under the sink. Upon asking him what he is doing, he says, I thought I would clean your bathroom toilet and floor while I was in there. Would you be uncomfortable with that? That is Peter here - he was not very comfortable with this idea, but Jesus responds...

John 13:8–11 NIV

8 ... Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

I am challenged by the fact that Jesus didn’t wash the feet of just those he knew would still follow him, but he also washed Judas feet as well. It didn’t matter that Judas was really on the outside looking in at this point. Jesus treated Judas the same.

The next day he would submit to the cross - a punishment far more humiliating than washing feet - but this night, Jesus is teaching a lesson to his disciples as he set aside his crown for the apron.

John 13:12–17 NIV

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

I’m not sure they fully understood yet even after Jesus laid it out for them that night, but they ultimately would. Serve others just as Jesus served you. Just as he set aside his heavenly crown and picked up the towel, we too are challenged to set aside whatever crown we’ve put on our own heads and put on the apron and serve.

I have been a part of services where the pastor does this for those in the church - he washes their feet. I don’t think that is what Jesus intended to literally happen. Instead, he has encouraged those of us who lead to do so in the same way. Set aside any semblance of a crown and pick up a towel to serve.

I hope I’ve modeled that for you as your pastor over the years. I know that many of you serve in ways that mirrors what Jesus was teaching. Even now, I can think of stories of how some of you in the congregation have served one another and others in the community well. Today, I want to share a few stories about our elder board. These men exemplify Jesus’ teaching well.

In case you don’t know them, I am going to have them stand up - Guy Page, Matt Calhoun, Paul Putnam and our two staff pastors - Jason Webb and Aaron Clark.

Two of the elders currently serve on the cleaning team. They come in on a Saturday and clean the church so it is presentable for all of you to come and worship.

All five of the remaining elders either have served or are currently serving in Children’s or Youth ministry. Not all of them are equally as gifted as the others are. They are not serving out of this great desire to be teaching children, but they are all willing and gifted teachers as they love on our children as a means of being a servant.

At one point we jokingly referred to ourselves as the Elder’s handyman service as we completed several projects in people’s homes and at church that may have required one kind of tool or another.

These elders have given people rides to doctor appointments, Bible studies and grocery stores. Just an FYI, this is not in their job description...they have done this when a need was there in order to be a servant.

Many people come to church to be served. There I said it. I think there are some of you who at one point or another came to church because you were served. You may have even continued coming because you were served. That’s ok...for a while, but Jesus calls you to be just like him and trade your willingness to be served with a greater willingness to serve.

As you walk into the future with some changes coming, keep serving as a quality of this church. Expand on this quality. I love that Aaron is exploring serving refugees in Montpelier. What a great way to serve. Continue to look for places where you can serve and do it. Church - create space for others to come and serve.

This is how you become great in the kingdom of God. This is how you do what Jesus would do…

Am I prepared to serve or be served? Am I wearing a crown or an apron?

We are to be people of the apron, ready to serve. That is what it means to follow Jesus’ example.

Do you know what motivated Jesus to trade the crown for the apron? Look at verse 1 of John 13 again:

John 13:1 NIV

1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

Love. He loved them to the very end of his life. His disciples followed his example and loved others. Like Jesus, they set aside any crowns they may have had and put on the apron to serve. Just like their actions in the name of Jesus changed their world, it can change our world and community today.