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Sermon preview for SUNDAY October 30, 2005

IDENTIFY YOURSELF!
October 30, 2005
Malachi 1:14-2:2,8-10; Psalms 131:1-3; I Thessalonians 2:7-9,13; Matthew 23:1-12

" The greatest among you must be your servant" (Matthew 23:11).

On a busy summer afternoon in New York City's Times Square, two men, only a few feet apart carry two very different forms of identification cards. The first man proudly offers his as payment for a fine meal in a trendy restaurant. It's the "Black Centurion Credit Card" offered by invitation only to an elite group of customers. As the hype promises, the card provides "whatever you need, whenever you need it." The card identifies the man as a member of that exclusive club that says, "I've made it. I've arrived." Just outside the restaurant on a nearby busy street corner, another rather different card is offered as identification to passersby as the second man, homeless, receives donations. Now common in many of America's large cities, the laminated photo ID is required for admission into soup kitchens and homeless shelters.

In today's Gospel Lesson, Jesus says "The greatest among you must be your servant." Then He adds, "Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted" (Mt. 23:11-12).

Matthew has clearly described Jesus' life ministry in terms of His care and concern for those who are victims of neglect. It is Jesus who touches lepers. It is Jesus who embraces and kisses the children, the orphans. It is Jesus who loves the "sinners" who are rejected by the self-righteous. It is Jesus who dies for the least among God's children. And again, it is Jesus who tells us in today's Gospel Lesson that the greatest among us is the one who serves the rest.

It is Jesus who is inviting you now, not into "an exclusive club," but into the Kingdom of Heaven which is available to us all. It is Jesus who provides "whatever you really need, whenever you really need it." As you embrace this message, identifying yourself as a card carrying member of the Christian community, you can say, "Lord, I've made it. Lord I've arrived."

On the night before He died, Jesus' last lesson to the disciples was a practical illustration of the art of servanthood. He took a towel and a basin, knelt down and washed and dried their feet. "Do you understand what I have done to you?" He asked. "You call Me Master and Lord, and rightly so I am. If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other's feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you" (Jn.13:12-15). Understanding this was difficult for those first disciples. And, we know from our own experience, the difficulty we have in understanding and accepting this role of servanthood from Jesus.

We are being sent from this gathering out into the world to speak the Name of Jesus. That is one form of our Christian witness. And it is very important. But there is another form of witness and that is what we are talking about today. It is the simple act of loving service in the Name of Jesus Christ. It is giving the cup of cool water. It is being present to a person in need. And, when we really get into this servant ministry, we are amazed to discover the tremendous power that is released in us. First of all, a power of self-fulfillment.

Our society today is literally teeming with people who want to be fulfilled. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on self-help seminars and Scientology, psychic readings and spa treatments, the good purposes of which are to bring persons to fulfillment. But they all ultimately fail because they have missed the secret of Jesus who tells us that we will be fulfilled only when we give ourselves to others.

Self-focused service begs external reward, appreciation, and applause. Christ-focused service rests content in anonymity. The divine nod of approval is sufficient.

Self-focused service is overly concerned with results. Christ-focused service delights in the very act of service.

Self-focused service is generated by feelings. Christ-focused service ministers simply and faithfully, because there is a need.1

Sara had dreamed of her wedding day -- the setting, the flowers, the music, family and friends, and of course the dress. In the fabric store, she browsed through the collection of patterns and selected the perfect one that had matched the dress seen only in her dreams. But she was disappointed by the choice of fabric. The sales woman asked her if she needed any help, and curiously Sara said she was looking for "Noisy, white, rustling material." The sales woman didn't quite understand, and led her to the clearance rack where a roll of thick, stiff, white drapery material was stored. "Is this is what you are looking for?" the sales woman asked. Sara took the fabric and bent it, rubbed it and moved it around. Each time it rustled noisily. "It's perfect for the wedding dress." "Dress?" asked the sales woman, surprised at the selection of drapery material for a gown. "Yes," Sara responded with enthusiasm. "You see, my Fiance' is blind, and this way he will know when I arrive at the altar!"

What a beautiful example of Christ-focused service!

God has given you His Divine Son so that you may . . .

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