May the
words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight,
O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. AMEN.
Let us
pray! Humble and obedient Lord Jesus
Christ, You purposefully and carefully cut through the sinfulness that You
encountered and rooted out the pride that people including Your disciples
had. Yet You also taught them and us
today that we will be honored, if we humble ourselves and are obedient to Your
will. Enable us to be changed by Your
Word and Witness and choose the lower place so we will be moved higher and be
exalted because of Your gift to us of our salvation through Your innocent death
on Calvary for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel. AMEN.
In the last
few months, the church council has had some homework. Unlike when they were in school a test is not
given, although some of their kids might find it funny if a test were given,
but it is the opportunity for each of the council members to have their faith challenged,
but also enriched for their continued growth in relationship with Jesus Christ
and their understanding of the Word of God.
We are reading a book entitled, “Experiencing God” written by Henry and
Richard Blackaby. This book is an
opportunity for the council to understand God in a richer and deeper way and
help them frame their role as council members by and through their individual
and our corporate relationship with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Recently
we read a chapter entitled, “Being God’s Servant”. This chapter dealt with how we can be God’s
servant. Blackaby’s premise is that “To
Participate in God’s Work, you must be a servant”. But in order to be a ‘true servant’, it
requires two characteristics, humility and obedience. If we are humble to God’s will and His way,
and obedient to God’s will even if it ‘smacks’ in the face of what culture and
society believe we should do, God has a promise for us and will shape us. God will shape each of us into the instrument
of God’s choosing and use us in a wonderful way as His servant. Hence, we have the opportunity to relate to
God, respond to God and clearly adjust our life to Him in order that God will
do what He wants in and through our lives and ministry.
Jesus
Christ in the Gospel this morning introduced this concept clearly of ‘servant’
mentality that Blackaby spoke about in ‘Experiencing God’. Jesus said, “For everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Jesus clearly wants us to look at what we do,
not with the eyes of society, but with the eyes of God. Now clearly, we Lutherans do not have the
societal problem of getting the best seats up front, for Lutherans the best
seats are in the over-flow area.
But hear
clearly, this is not about what seat we sit in, but more importantly where our
hearts are in service. If you look
around you this morning we have the quilts still out. This is a prime example of service, not for
ourselves, but for others. This is the
servant mentality of humility and obedience in action. By the hands of the women of this church and
one of the departed saints, Clarice Martell, God used their God given abilities
to sew each quilt and blanket, tie every knot, sew every hem to make them a
blessing for people we do not even know.
Because of the love of the women, the dedication of the church to this
ministry Emmanuel through these women have responded to God’s call and humbled
themselves with these gifts. God through
their hands are altering the lives of someone they do not even know and God
will bless and exalt not only the people who receive these quilts and baby
blankets, but all of the women who have given of themselves for God’s glory.
Now, let
it also be said, this ministry of quilts or giving to Genesis or the Thrift
Store does not ‘gain’ or ‘earn’ salvation.
God sent His Son into the World to offer us salvation on the cross
without a cost or price. These quilts
and the good work whether acolyting, being lector, greeter, coffee host or even
volunteering to usher, of we the people of God.
These are appropriate responses to God’s gift given to us and just as
Martin Luther wrote against the sale of indulgences the work done here at
Emmanuel is not in payment for grace but a humble and obedient proper response
of grace in action. For this all flows
out of the sacrifice on Calvary by Jesus Christ in which all of us have been
baptized into and is to which we look with every action. God’s gift of His Son offering Himself in
humble obedience is the greatest gift offered to and for each and every one of
us. Jesus Christ in suffering and dying
offers all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel eternal life freely and
without cost. This is the true and
purest model of humility and obedience by Jesus Christ for all of us saints
gathered here at Emmanuel. So my parting
questions for you this morning are how will you serve God in humility and
obedience? How will God’s gift of
salvation freely offered inspire you as a saint of Emmanuel? AMEN.
No comments:
Post a Comment