LENT
5 (150th Service Sunday)
March
25-27, 2023
Pastor
Timothy J. Spaude
Text:
Mark 10:35-43
“SERVING: A SIGN
OF GREATNESS!”
It doesn’t sound right at first.
People want to be called the G.O.A.T. You wouldn’t think people would want that
until you understand that G.O.A.T. is an acronym for Greatest Of All Time.
Aaron Rodgers believes he is the G.O.A.T. Packer quarterback. Debatable. Many
consider Tom Brady to be the G.O.A.T. for all NFL quarterbacks. Major league
baseball has pitchers and hitters and the NBA has ballers that all want to be
the G.O.A.T. Muhammed Ali made the claim. But it’s not only athletes who want
to be considered great, musicians do too. They have come up with several awards
invented by musicians for musicians. The Grammys. CMA. But it’s not limited to
musicians either. Actors have made awards for actors. The Emmys, the Oscars.
This past go round I saw a report that the stunt people were miffed that there
was no Oscar for stunt actors. One quipped, “It’s not like were the Teamsters
who just drive the trucks around.” MMM. And if there were no teamsters driving
their trucks…? Noting this trend of groups of people wanting and creating
awards for themselves I, in the past, have suggested to Pastor Waldschmidt and
some other pastors that we should create an award for ourselves. We could call
it “The Pastors!” I can see it now holding up the golden Luther statue. “First
I want to thank my wife and children and my mom and dad and the ghostwriters
for my sermons…” Okay, I guess that does sound a little silly. No wonder none
of the other guys have jumped on my bandwagon.
But it’s not just people in the
entertainment industry who want to be considered the greatest, Jesus’ own
disciples did too. “James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and
said, “Teacher, we wish that you would do for us whatever we ask.” 36 He
said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 They
said to him, “Promise that we may sit, one at your right and one at your left,
in your glory.” Hey, Jesus, we want to be the greatest. Give us those
positions in heaven that we think have the most prestige. Jesus’ reply to them
exposed how foolish it was to think of heaven in earthly terms. Glory comes
from suffering for the kingdom. That’s what Jesus meant by the cup he would
drink and the baptism he would undergo. That’s when the rest of Jesus’
disciples got in on the act. “When the ten
heard this, they were angry with James and John.” Now why do you think the
other 10 were angry? You know. They wanted to be the considered the greatest themselves!
Foolish athletes. Foolish musicians.
Foolish actors. Foolish disciples. So concerned with their own greatness. Good
thing we don’t do that. Or do we? In almost every area of life our sinful
nature prompts us to desire recognition and honor from other people. It can
happen when kids misbehave or pull pranks in school so other students will
think they are the greatest in the class. Or where high school students’ days
are made or lost by how many likes or followers or shares or retweets they get
or don’t get. It goes on to the workplace where in subtle or blatant ways we
portray ourselves as the smartest one in the room. Hey you dummies. Listen to
me! I am the greatest. It is in our family life. Pay attention to me. Do what I
want. Do it my way. Validate me!
How good it is to have a Savior who
forgives us and sets us straight. “Jesus
called them together and said, “You know that those who are considered rulers
over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority
over them. 43 But that is not the way it is to be
among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you will be your
servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you
will be a 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.” I hope you noticed that Jesus did not rebuke His disciples for
wanting to be the greatest. People were created to do things to the best of
their ability and desire approval. The question is, whose approval are we
looking for and whose standard of greatness are we using. If our primary desire
is the approval of people we show ourselves to be idolators and if the standard
of greatness we seek to attain is the world’s we will never be great. But it’s
not, is it? The one whose approval we crave is Jesus. He really is the Greatest
of All Time. He is the greatest preacher, the greatest teacher, the greatest to
ever where human flesh. And yet he was not allowed to walk red carpet but
rather the dusty ground stained red by his blood. He lifted up no golden statue
but instead was Himself lifted up on a rough wooden cross. He received no
cheers and applause but only the jeers and taunting of those He came to save.
This world is not worthy of Him. And yet just like James and John and the other
10 Jesus has chosen us of all people to follow Him.
He has shown us the path to greatness.
It does not come from demanding attention and the respect of others. It’s not
gauged by likes and retweets. It is not measured by how many other people share
our opinions on matters important only to us. It comes through serving others
as our Savior served us. He took care of our needs. Friends when Jesus came to
earth as the Holy Son of God it was not because He was bored with the glory and
perfection of heaven and the perfect praise provided by the angels. He came
because we needed Him to provide us with the perfect obedience we lack. And so Jesus
came to serve. To do the job no one else would want to do and no one else could
do. He came to the sinful cesspool called earth and let himself be surrounded
by sin and sinners so He could undo what Adam and Eve had done and continually
resist every temptation Satan threw at Him. And when He allowed Himself to be
lifted up and that shame filled Roman cross it was not because it was something
He liked doing and He was gravitating toward his strengths rather He was
covering our weaknesses, our sins that condiment us to the Hell we have earned.
So as disgusting as it was Jesus took off my shoulders and your shoulders every
shameful lust and every bit of selfishness and all our filthy words and every
bit of drunkenness and drug abuse and became every sin for us. Because we
needed Him to give His life as a ransom for many. Serving is the sign of
greatness.
And Jesus wants you to be great. For
the past 150 years the ministry of St. Jacobi has been blessed with members who
serve, who do what needs doing whether they like it or not, who take their God
given gifts, their professional skills, their abilities learned at home or in
the workplace and placed them into the service of the Savior so that this
congregation could survive and thrive at its mission: knowing Christ and making
Christ known to as many as we can. That has happened because for the past 150
years Jesus is Lord here and people have valued the ransom He paid for us as the
priceless treasure it is. Look on page 17 of your bulletin and you will be able
to put in your name or the name of a loved one in several of those categories.
Marvel with me at how much serving is done by volunteers. It is my estimation
that if we had to pay market value for all of this work that is being done we
would easily have to double our Operating budget from $1.7 million dollars to
3.5 or more. God has not given us that money but He has given us you. You who
respond to appeals for help, not just doing what is fun or easy for you but
what needs to be done. Never have I heard anyone say, “Hey, look at me.
Recognize me.” You are not looking for the approval of people but the approval
of Christ. That is a sign of greatness.
And it goes further to your homes.
Where you are serving faithfully in your roles as parents and children, good
neighbors, reliable and trustworthy citizens. Praying grandparents and aunts
and uncles. I seriously doubt that there will be an Oscar for best laundry doer
or an award for most diapers changed in a single year. Nor will there be one
for best supporting taker outer of the elderly neighbor’s garbage or most kind
and encouraging note writer of the year. But I know a day is coming when the
Lord Jesus will separate believers and unbelievers before him like sheep and
goats and sadly those many who have rejected Him and desired to be an earthly
G.O.A.T will find that lifestyle has led them to become and eternal goat while
those who followed the Savior who did not come to be served but to serve and to
give His life as a ransom for them will hear Him say the words that ought to
have us racing to be the first ones to scrub the toilets. “Well done, good and
faithful servant. Come and share your master’s happiness.” Happy serving. It’s
the sign of greatness. So says Jesus. So say we. Amen.
