Simply Serve

Reading: Psalm 40:1-11, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, John 1:29-42, Isaiah 49:1-7
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, January 19th 2014

A printable PDF file can be found here

Our bible reading this morning is from part of a section of Isaiah that’s often referred to as “The Servant Songs”. These chapters talk about one who intervenes on behalf of the people, and through their suffering, shows the light of God.

The servant is sometimes identified with the leaders or the faithful people of Israel. They were going through a difficult time. The people had, by and large, been unfaithful to God and those who had the task of proclaiming God’s word were frustrated and disillusioned. In verse 4 the servant complains, “I have toiled in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing”

Through Isaiah God addresses the cast down ones… “Don’t give up now. I knew you before you were even born; I’ve got plans for you that are bigger than you can even dream. What you are going through now is all part of something much bigger than you could ever know. Just hold on!”

Christian writers see in these “Servant Song” passages, prophecies about Jesus. He was the One who came to be a sign for all. He was born for a purpose that had been written into the fabric of creation from the beginning.

Though He never traveled far from his home, though He never wrote a book or did anything that would designate him as a King, - though He was often hated, misunderstood and would eventually die upon a cross – all that He went through would be a sign that God had not abandoned the world to an uncertain fate. Rather, God was intervening in the life of the world, through the ministry of God’s suffering servant son, Jesus Christ.

It’s a bible reading that addresses Servants of God. Every Christian is a servant of God. We may not all be called to serve in the same way, but we are called to serve. These words therefore have something to say to each of us. Let me pull out just a couple of things, this passage can teach us.

The first thing this passage does is Remind us who we are and whose we are

Who are we? The people of God called for a purpose and here for a reason. To paraphrase verses one through three, and put them in the first person, through this passage Isaiah addresses us with a word from God that says: -

“I called you mine when you were still unborn, I knew your name before your parent’s even thought of it, I’ve guided you over the years and protected you, I have selected you for a particular purpose, and you are my servant, through whom I desire to reveal my glory”.

We may have a whole list of why God has made a mistake in calling us as servants. We’re too old. We’re too young. We’ve got family responsibilities. There’s people better suited to the task – personality wise, economically, in terms of natural abilities, charisma, health, you name it...

 ‘Lord, you really need to get somebody else to do that.... And in any case, it’s not like we haven’t tried! I mean listen, Lord, you just don’t understand what it’s like being us! You don’t realize what we have to put up with. We’ve tried telling people that Your way is best, but do they listen? We’ve tried living it for ourselves – well, kind of tried – could have tried harder – we admit that – but we’re just not made of the right stuff, know what I’m saying?'

So we need to hear it again. “I called you mine when you were still unborn, I knew your name before your parent’s even thought of it, I’ve guided you over the years and protected You, I have selected you for a particular purpose, and you are my servant, through whom I desire to reveal my glory”.

Having reminded us who we are and whose we are, a second perspective this passage offers us is to say; Don't get bogged down in the details - simply serve!

The servant becomes disillusioned because the servant thought in terms of a particular job that had to be done in a particular way within a particular time framework. That’s how things work in the world, isn’t it? We make plans. We carry them out. They work out. Things get done.

God’s way of doing things isn’t our plan. God’s way is the way of mystery and acceptance, sometimes the way of struggle and tears. Think about the whole history of Old Testament Israel. There’s a whole lot of things in there nobody could predict. Shepherd Boys becoming Kings. Babies floating around in baskets. Prisoners becoming Presidents. Walls falling down at blasts of trumpets. No human mind sits down and comes up with those sorts of plans.

Is the New Testament any different? A Savior born in a stable? Fishermen as disciples? Tax Collectors as models of behavior? Good Samaritans?

The very symbol of faith – the cross of Jesus Christ. A symbol of torture and death. This is what we celebrate? This is our redemption? You see, in the Kingdom of God, there is always a bigger picture. And most of the time we don’t see it.

The Servant is told, (verse 6, slightly paraphrased) “It is too little a thing that you should just be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, I’ve got something more in store. I will also make you a light of the nations so that my Salvation may reach to the end of the earth!”

The Servant couldn’t see that right then. Often times we can’t see or understand why things don’t work out or why things don’t happen as we had expected. We make big stuff out of the small stuff. So much so, that we don’t always believe that there can be a bigger picture. We easily lose heart and become discouraged. Rather than becoming bogged down in the details stuff we’re meant to shine our light through simply serving.

I think of some of the stories and characters of people that have moved me over the years. Helen Keller. Corrie Ten-Boom. The Diary of Anne Frank. Rocket Boys. ‘Cool Running's’ - The Jamaican Bobsled Team. A thread that runs through the lives and rhythms of such stories is that of overcoming adversity, doing the unexpected with the ordinary clay of human life and experience.

Every day we live we face the challenge of allowing the small stuff of our lives to be the place where the work of God is given free reign. Such a witness – the light that shines in the ordinary – the extraordinary way the human spirit can face a challenge and rise above the problem - is truly inspirational. We are called to simply serve.

Just by seeking to live a faithful life in the midst of the often-mundane things we have to do, can shine a light that we don’t even know is glowing. I recall in a previous church in which I served a lady coming out of the service and telling me “I'll always remember what you said to me, when you were looking at the picture in the friendship hall”.

Could I remember? Did I even have a clue what she was talking about or recall a picture in the Fellowship Hall, or the circumstances that evolved from that conversation? I remain clueless. But I’m very glad God used some, probably off the wall comment, I’d made about something, and it had been a blessing to somebody. I received this quiz in an e-mail. I don’t want you to answer out loud, but think in your head the answers to the following questions.
 
  1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
  2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
  3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
  4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
  5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
  6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
 
How did you do? If you did anything like me, even if you ever knew the answers, your memory of these great achievers has passed. The applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. So here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one. Again I don’t want you to answer out loud, but think about the answers to these questions.
  
 1. Name a teacher who helped your journey through school.
 2. Name a friend who has helped you through a difficult time.
 3. Name two people who have taught you something worthwhile.
 4. Think of three people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
 5. Think of four people you enjoy spending time with.
 6. Name five heroes whose stories have inspired you.
 
Easier than the last quiz?  The simple lesson is that the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that take the time to care.

Little actions, little words, little prayers, little thoughts… the small stuff. The way we handle the rough things that come along. The criticisms we sometimes get. The pains and troubles and sicknesses. The not nice side of life. The way we handle these things can shine an unexpected light for others.

The gospel is one of light that shines through adversity. The light of the cross. The frightening emptiness of an empty tomb. The uncontrollable wind and flame of Pentecost. The unlikely characters of James and Peter and Paul who became the pioneers of the early church.

Across the centuries, the gospel has spread because of people who knew who they were and whose they were, people who didn’t get bogged down in the details but dared to believe God had a larger framework in which to place their lives, people who believed that simple, small, sincere acts of  service were the greatest witness that they could make to the big things in their lives; the big love of God, the Great testimony of Jesus Christ, and the awesome power of the Holy Spirit.

So two simple things this morning, drawn from our reading from Isaiah.

Remember who and whose you are. You are a servant of God. Full of potential and much blessed. Claimed as God's own through Jesus Christ. God tells the servant  “I called you mine when you were still unborn”

Don't get bogged down in the details, simply serve. Spiritual influence is so much more memorable than worldly achievement. Do the small things that make a BIG difference. The servant was told “It is too little a thing that you should just be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, I’ve got something more in store”. God always has more in store when we pursue God's ways!

So may God help us to let our little light shine. May we learn to simply serve, and leave the rest up to the work of God's grace. And to God's name be all honor, praise and glory. Amen.

The  Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.