As many of you will know, we are spending some time this autumn thinking about discipleship, which means following Jesus and learning from him. A summary of what we’re exploring is in this leaflet about discipleship, prepared by the Mission and Discipleship Action Group. If you don’t have a copy please do pick one up on the way out and have a read. If you’ve missed any of the sermons on this, then you can catch up with them on our Facebook or Youtube channels, and on our sermon podcast.
To begin the series, we thought about the question, “How close am I to Jesus today?”. At All Saints we talk a lot about being “Called to be Closer to Christ, and sent to be closer to others.” The starting point to getting closer to Jesus is to know how close we are now. Last week we started exploring ways of getting closer, and talked about the helpful habits of reflecting on the Bible and of prayer as to things we can do to bring us closer to Jesus.
This week we’re going to think about two more things we can do, which we’re calling, “helpful hands.”
There’s not really any rocket science to this. It’s the practical outworking of two of our core values, loving each other and loving our neighbours. They both flow from the theme we find again and again in Scripture, that of serving. Serving in church, and serving beyond the church.
Serve in the church – being an active participant in church gatherings is more effective in encouraging growth than just coming along.
Serve beyond the church – this is where the second half of our strapline comes in – sent to be closer to others. Jesus is found out there just as much, if not more, than in church gatherings.
Lets get into this by picking out a couple of verses from this well known story towards the end of Jesus’ life and ministry on earth, in fact the last 24 hours. This is the Thursday evening, the day before Jesus would be crucified. He has spent the last 3 years with his followers, teaching them, showing them the kingdom, and they are used to calling him, “Master”, “Lord”, “Teacher”.
I wonder if you’ve been in meetings, or in situations, where everybody is looking to the same person to tell them what to do, to provide leadership. When they clear their throat, ready to speak, everyone quiets down and looks to them for the decision, the direction, the instructions that are going to be carried out. That is how it was.
Then at the beginning of verse 3 we read this, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power.” Can you imagine that. Everyone in the room is looking to Jesus as the one in charge, and he has a conviction that God had put everything under his power. It is said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, and we have ample evidence at the moment that this is usually pretty accurate. So what about Jesus. Truly the only human being to every have absolute, God given, power over everything. What does he do?
Beginning of verse 4. “So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet.”
Jesus knew he had absolute power SO he stripped down and began to serve those around him.
The most powerful person in human history knelt at his friends’ feet and washed away the ingrained grime of the dusty roads.
If we really comprehend this, it is mind blowing, heart wrenching, life changing. Because it wasn’t just those disciples that Jesus did this for. In Matthew’s eyewitness account of Jesus life, we read that on another occasion Jesus said to his disciples, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus came to serve the whole of creation, every single human being there has ever been and will ever be. Jesus came to serve every single person here, in Wellington, in our schools, workplaces, families, neighbourhoods. Jesus came to serve and give his life as a ransom for every single one of us.
But that’s not all. As we read on in our chapter from John, we hear Jesus saying, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
Here’s the thing. If we want to get closer to Jesus, to follow him, to learn from him, then we need to be doing what he did, we need to be following his example. This idea, and the way that it works out is picked up in our reading from Paul’s letter to the church in the city of Ephesus.
Paul picks out some of the gifts that Jesus has given to people to fulfil various ministries in the church. And he goes on to say why they have been given, in verse 12
“to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
Each of us have different gifts and skills. Some of them are naturally part of our personality. Some we have worked on and developed during our lives. Some are a bit of both. Whatever they are, and however we have come by them, they are all given to us by God. Not primarily for ourselves, but for the good of those around us.
Having said that, the great thing about the economy of God is that as we serve others, use our gifts for the good of others, we find that it builds us up as well. It is a brilliant virtuous circle of mutual building up.
This is what I love about this image that Paul uses of the body. As the body grows, so each part of the body grows, and as each part of the body grows, so does the whole body. They go together, they are completely linked. There is no way of separating the healthy growth of the body from the healthy growth of the parts of the body. So it is with us as the body of Christ, the church. There is no separating the healthy growth of the parts of the body, us as individuals, from the healthy growth of the body, us as a church – a community of followers of Jesus. They are completely connected, linked together, interdependent.
So, if we want to grow closer to Jesus, to follow him and learn from him, as his disciples, then we do that by serving each other, giving of ourselves to each other in the church and beyond the church, so that we can all grow together. It is in this way that the whole body grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Sometimes this positive feedback loop is experienced directly. For instance I know that those who are part of the Young church team here at All Saints find that the experience of seeing our young people grow in their faith and trust in Jesus is massively rewarding. I know that there is real camaraderie in the Oasis team is they prepare and serve the monthly meal. I’ve been encouraged by the feedback from those who have been involved in the various activities we’ve been part of helping support Ukraine families in the area. Street Pastors and CAP befrienders tell of the privilege it is to come alongside people in their time of need.
Now, I do also have to be honest, serving isn’t always easy, and the positive effects aren’t always easy to see. Sometimes it can just feel like hard work, and not much appreciated either. There are some tasks that just need to be done, and it feels like washing feet – smelly and dirty, and not always noticed. Nevertheless, it is what we are called to.
That’s all very well, Tim, you might be saying to yourself, but I just don’t have time, I’ve got too much on already. And I get that. So, rather than taking on new things, maybe it’s about being deliberate about being servant hearted in what you already do. In your family, in your work place, in your friendships, what does it look like to serve, to build others up, to follow Jesus’ example and wash people’s feet? Or, it may be that God is calling you to put some things down, to free up space for service in new areas.
You might be thinking that you’re past it. Some of us, for a variety of reasons – advancing years, feeling worn out, burnt out, post-Covid, just feel like we can’t serve any more. That is a reality, and God sees our weariness. Jesus, says, “Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest.” This isn’t about feeling guilty or frustrated about what we can’t do. It’s about allowing the Holy Spirit to minister to us, and show us what we can do. In some seasons of life that will be more about allowing others to serve us than about us serving others.
Or, it may be that you don’t feel like you know what’s possible. I can definitely help you with this one. Here at All Saints we have over 50 teams on which we can serve. All of them have space for new people. Some have an inward focus, some have a more outward focus. We provide training where that’s needed, and most involve some kind of safeguarding clearance and training. There’s a list on the website, and if you’re looking for an area to serve in, just drop me an email or have a word with me.
We are called to be closer to Christ and sent to be closer to others. Jesus came to serve, and commands us to follow his example. As we use our helpful hands to serve, so we find ourselves growing up in our faith, growing together in our communities, and growing closer to Jesus.
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