Micah 6:8
Philippians 4:1-9
Matthew 25:31-46
Sermon
Mother Theresa frequently said; “God loves the world……
through me and you!”
Serving is a natural and essential aspect of being a Christian.
Unfortunately though many people don’t understand the difference between Christian service
and service that takes place by non Christians or non Christian organisations.
Three marks help us identify what true Christian Service is about..
First….The reason why we serve is for God’s glory.
As 1 Corinthians 10:31 says
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
As Christians it is so important that as we serve that we focus on what God wants to happen,
And that is…...people connect our service to God.
In other words your service becomes a way God connects with others (in and outside our church) and they connect with God.
Martin Luther once commented,
what does it mean to serve God and do His will.
For it is others who need our service; God in heaven does not.
Serving in ways that glorify God has some major implications,
It means we recognise that the opportunity to serve
and the ability we have to serve originates from God.
It means we don’t get so hung up with getting credit for what happens
or what we have done in the past.
Instead we look for ways to connect people to God and other Christians through our service
And we get excited when people who are served connect with other Christians
and begin developing a relationship with God and them.
And it also means that we serve people even when we don’t feel like it,
but rather because God has placed them in our life
and under our nose.
Part of our service is that we connect people with others.
Our focus on serving others is for God’s glory.
The second mark….is that we serve people not because they deserve to be served,
but because they need to be served.
Did you notice in our reading from Matthew 25 that Jesus praises people for serving others who come into their lives when they fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, clothes to those who were in need of clothes and visited people in prison.
They served because people were in need.
That is the Christian basis for serving,
that we serve people who are in need.
A question for you.
Who is in need in your life?
Who do you know who needs help?
Who needs to see and experience God’s mercy and love through your service?
Now our service as Christians is not limited to simply giving water, food, clothes and visiting,
rather these things highlight that our service is about helping people be worthy and feel valued,
giving them what they need to have life.
Therefore the way we serve people is also important.
In other words it is not just what we give in our service
but how we give in our service.
That we give in ways that say to people I value you as Jesus values you.
One of the interesting twists on the Matthew 25 reading is that when we serve people in need we interact with and serve Jesus.
This may seem puzzling.
However look at it this way.
God has placed people in our lives so that they can be served.
Think about all the people in your life.
Your family.
Your work colleagues.
Your neighbours.
Your friends.
Everyone here at church and school.
And anyone else you interact with.
God has placed them in your life for you to serve them on His behalf.
Also consider that we serve people
because they need it
not because they deserve to be served,
this is exactly how Jesus serves us.
Jesus serves us because he sees us as valuable and worthwhile not because we deserve to be served.
And he serves us by paying the price for our sins, which cost him his life.
He serves us by making heaven possible for us
not because we have met His expectations,
but because we need Him to do so.
And so everytime you serve someone,
in a way that improves their quality of life
that is a significant reminder that Jesus is behind what is happening
and it is exactly what Jesus is doing for each one of us.
So at work, amongst your family and friends, amongst the people at church, your neighbours and other people who God places in your life
when you see someone in need,
don’t judge why they are in need
or how they have treated you
or whether they deserve to be served
instead look at serving them in ways that help them see they are valued and loved.
Serve them in ways that reflect the love, God has for you.
And the third mark of Christian service is that we are not individuals in our service,
but we serve as a body, a team.
As a congregation God has placed us together to serve each other in ways that help each other
And together we are called to serve the wider community, other Christians and non Christians together.
Working together is essential for every community.
Our congregation here has decided on some basic things in what it means to work together.
That we focus on knowing, growing in and sharing the love of Jesus.
Our service is orientated around this mission statement.
Is your service encouraging people to be involved in activities that help them know, grow in and share the love of Jesus.
Or is your service discouraging people to be involved in activities that help them know, grow in and share the love of Jesus.
I encourage you to reflect on this.
Also as someone who is part of our congregation it is expected that you be intentionally involved in activities that help you
Know Jesus love
Grow in the love of Jesus
And share the love of Jesus
This week I encourage you to undertake an assessment of your life.
Ask yourself are you being a team player?
Are you being part of Christ’s body
by being involved in activities that help you know, grow in and share the love of Jesus.
List them, write them down.
If you can’t identify them you have a responsibility as part of Christ’s body to change, to approach our leaders and Pastor Richard
and say you need help to identify activities
that will help you know Jesus love, Grow in Jesus love and share Jesus love.
There are two other important things in being part of a team, Christ’s body.
One is we speak well of each other.
That in being a good witness to Christ and His church that we don’t publicly put down or condemn anyone in our congregation.
But rather we speak well of people and use every opportunity to praise them publicly.
I know at times that some of us get under the skin of other people.
We should expect this because we are different and at times we are influenced by sin.
But as part of God’s team, God’s body where there are problems we should be focussed on forgiveness.
The scriptures relating to church life, emphasis that forgiveness between each other is important.
This is one of the ways we serve each other,
by taking the initiative to be involved in forgiveness.
Which means looking at ways to live and work with each other.
A question for you?
Is there someone or some people in this congregation you have a problem with?
Does someone offend you?
Do you avoid interacting with some people?
Do you realise that this not only affects you and them
but it affects each of us.
And it even affects those people outside the church you are interacting with.
We actually serve the church and others when we talk in public in a positive way about church and the people at church
When they hear this people are encouraged to connect with our community
and more importantly to connect to God through us.
Likewise when we talk negatively about the church and individuals at our church we are actually discouraging people to connect with God through us.
We are not only not serving them, we are also working against God.
The other aspect of serving as a Christian in a team
is that God places us under leaders.
God has placed us under leaders to direct us, make decisions on behalf of us, encourage us, teach us and guide us.
Whilst there are many different ways to serve,
God gives us leaders to help us live in ways that are more consistent with God
and consider a bigger picture
and not just what we personally believe is right.
As a Christian community, we need to follow leaders and the direction they are taking.
When we do our own thing,
or ignore the leaders God has placed among us
we are not just ignoring them,
we are potentially ignoring God.
When some of the Israelites stopped listening to Moses
and did their own thing
because they thought they knew what was better
they ended up building a golden calf
and so not only sinned against Moses they sinned against God.
Being part of a Christian community means placing yourself under the leadership of that community.
At the head of every Christian community and team is Jesus
then there are leaders,
which in our congregation includes Pastors, BCL, team leaders and leaders of our various groups.
Some of us will be both leaders and followers depending on the situations we are facing.
In a few weeks time we are electing leaders not to represent us,
but to lead us to develop our relationship with God
and to lead us in being an evangelising community.
Every leader in our congregation has the responsibility to lead people in ways that encourage us to develop as Christ’s disciples
to help us be part of the bigger picture
and to help others to connect to God through our congregation.
So as part of this congregation
I encourage you to support and encourage our leaders,
to listen to our leaders and follow their guidance
especially when they are encouraging you to be part of a team
and to work with others
and are helping you to connect with God
and are helping you to help others connect with God.
Being a servant is not an optional extra for a Christian
it is part of our life
When we serve others we are serving God.
We serve so people know what God is like and who He is
We serve so people experience God’s tremendous love even though they don’t deserve it
We serve not as individuals but as part of a team,
as God’s body of Christ connecting people to each other.
Look around you…
Who needs God’s love….go and serve them
And through you God is at work
Amen
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