Sunday, October 18, 2009
Mark 10:35-45
“But It Must Not Be So Among You: A Stewardship Sermon”
Rev. Allen V. Harris
 

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Once Again, I must strongly advise that you listen to this sermon first, or at least as you are reading it.  The Holy Spirit has a way with me!  Allen


There comes a certain point in church work, after you’ve put up with the delays in getting your ideas realized, after you’ve put up with coffee pot not being cleaned up properly yet again, after you’ve put up with being overlooked to be an elder one more time, after you’ve put up with the Team Leaders’ ego getting in the way one more time… There comes a certain point in church work after you’ve put up with a whole lot of stuff that you are SURE isn’t what Jesus meant when he said “Seek ye first the kingdom of God,” when you begin to think you deserve something more.

There comes a point in every person’s life, in every situation – be it family, school, workplace, church – when those who are good people, who do the right thing day in and day out get tired. And when good people get tired, especially tired of other good people who are trying to do the right thing, but who do it in a way that is different from the way YOU do the right thing, that you (I) begin to think that we deserve something more.

Not only is this natural, but Jesus understood it all too well. In the tenth chapter of Mark Jesus is confronted by two of his best disciples, the brothers James and John, sons of Zebedee, “sons of thunder,” they were called. They had done a lot of what Jesus had asked. They had put up with a lot of stuff that wasn’t part of what they signed up for. It was a long way from the heady rush of Jesus calling them by the sea of Galilee, the first disciples as recorded by Mark in Chapter 1. “Follow me and I will make you fish for people,” Jesus had said. Little did John and James realize that sometimes working with people can be just as tiring and boring and smelly as working with people.

So, after a while (9 chapters in Mark to be exact), James and John seem to have had enough. The thrill of their conversion is over, and all it seemed like they were doing was hard work… and a lot of it! There were the thousands who needed food, the demon-possessed who needed exorcisms, the blind and the lame who needed healing, the lost who needed direction. So much need! And as if that wasn’t enough, there were dangers everywhere: those with religious and political power were unhappy with your work! The scribes and Pharisees seemed to be calculating Jesus’ and your every move. John the Baptist had been executed. Even Jesus seemed to think all this hard work was only going to get him killed.

Now, there were moments of joy and grace and meaning. Peter had seemed to hit on something powerful when he proclaimed to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the son of the Living God!” Then that time they were up on the mountain top, and Moses and Elijah had come to them glowing in glory. James and John had seen moments of beauty, but most of all it was just hard work. Lots, and lots, of hard work.

So they made a simple request: Jesus, after all is said and done, can’t we sit next to you in Glory? And Jesus, in his typical way, responds with complicated symbols and mystifying words. Drink the cup he drinks? Be baptized as he is baptized? The first shall be last and the last will be first? What does this mean? More importantly, how does this honor the hard and selfless work James, John, and the other disciples had put into this mission to which Jesus had called them? How does this kind of talk renew, reenergize, revitalize those who were doing what Jesus asked, so that they would be able to continue to do what Jesus clearly needed to do and could not do on his own?

How? Because it invites them into the very ministry Jesus was living: servanthood. The disciples, like those of us who follow Jesus this day, get confused by the methods and means of this world around us, where hard work is rewarded by raises and promotions and climbing the ladder of success is the right and good path for anyone who is doing “the right thing.” But Jesus says, “But it is not so among you.” “Whoever wishes to be great must be your servant.”

This servanthood to which Jesus calls us essentially is the stewardship of our lives. Our time, our energy, our gifts and talents, our resources… must be invested not in our own gain, but for the sake of something greater than all of us, individually or communally. Our lives must be invested for the sake of the commonwealth of God, the Beloved Community of Jesus, the Kin-dom of God.

We cannot escape the fact that Jesus invites us… perhaps even demands that we work our way down the gospel ladder, and become servants of all. Even using the harsh and history-laden word “slave.” But, what is also true is that there are ways to invest ourselves in the mission of Jesus in healthy and productive ways, rather than ways that are unhealthy and unproductive.

So, with this in mind, and with Jesus words ringing in our ears, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve,” I would like to offer you a gift. I want to share with you the places where you can serve and the people who can help you invest your life for the Beloved Community, because Jesus’ words were not theoretical, but real.

Go over “Service At Franklin Circle Christian Church” sheet.

Also, individuals who see opportunities:

> Michelle Brown: Messenger Newsletter Editor & Producer

> Norma Stearns: Sunday Bulletin production, Pew Pocket Patrol

> Claire Munley: Book Cart and Large Print Worship Folders

> Janelle Eccleston & Ted Brogan: Food to Near West Food Center

> Ralph Eyring and Ted Brogan: tours of building for groups

> Colleen Munley and Cari Monhart: Disciples Closet Clothing Room

> Jane Cheiky & Janelle Eccleston (new): Hospitality Supplies Management

> Eleanor Eyring & Norma Stearns (now retired): Decorating Team

> Cheryl Yurcak: recent cleaning of the hymnals!

Here’s the key to all of this: If you think leadership in the church is a sure path to fame, glory, wealth and the keys to the kingdom, you are in sore trouble. But neither is service to the church supposed to be miserable, angst-ridden, and unfulfilling. The key is to recognize from the beginning that servanthood is going to be hard and mostly unrewarded… but if you offer it up to God as a gift, and if you find places where your gifts and graces are best able to find fulfillment, and once you’ve offered it to let it sink into the Great Gratefulness Of God, then you and Christ’s entire Beloved Community will flourish. If you begin with Jesus’ premise: “the first shall be last and the last shall be first,” and you take to heart his command to “be a servant to all,” then you will begin the stewardship of your life in a healthy manner, befitting Christ himself, and, I suspect, someday somewhere you will hear the words said to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

May It Be So!

Service at Franklin Circle Christian Church
Where will your gifts best serve God?

“But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.” ~ Mark 10:43-44

Christian Education Team ~ Team Leader: Patty Groetsch
 Meetings: 4th Tuesdays @ 6:30 p.m. at the church
 Purpose: The Christian Education Team overseas the nurture of spirituality in our congregation, including the education of infants, children, youth, young adults, and adults.
 Gifts Needed: a love of children and youth, a nurturing spirit, creativity, a passion for learning, skills with books and resources, teaching experience welcome.

Evangelism & Publicity Team ~ Team Leader: Cheryl Yurcak
 Meetings: 2nd Mondays @ 6:30 p.m. at the church
 Purpose: To empower the congregation to spread the Good News of Jesus in our community, including inviting folks to our church and being hospitable when they visit.
 Gifts Needed: a desire to tell people about Jesus, an excitement about the mission of Franklin Circle Christian Church, skills in communication, marketing, promotion, and hospitality.

Mission Council ~ Team Leader: Beverly Wurm
 Meetings: 1st Sundays @ 12:30 p.m. at the church
 Purpose: As the “Research & Development” arm of the church, the Mission Council encourages new and creative ideas for programming and mission, and then works with persons to make their ideas a successful reality.
 Gifts Needed: ability to work “outside the box” and an appreciation for creativity, an understanding of organizational processes and accountability, a desire to inspire visitors, new members, and longtime members to see God working in new ways.

Upkeep Team ~ Team Leader: Claude Pitman (assisted by Al Betts)
 Meetings: work days as called, ongoing opportunities daily/weekly/monthly, oftentimes at your convenience.
 Purpose: to oversee the maintenance and upgrading of all church facilities
 Gifts Needed: an appreciation of the beauty and history of FCCC’s buildings, a desire to work with your hands, some skill(s) in cleaning, building trades (carpentry, plumbing, electrical, etc.), architectural and historic-preservation skills



Worship Team ~ Team Leader: Carrie Culleen
 Meetings: monthly, location varies
 Purpose: to plan for and resource the worshipping life of the congregation, including oversight of the both the more traditional and contemporary worship services.
 Gifts Needed: a desire to praise God with all one’s heart, mind, soul, and body; appreciation of ancient, traditional, and new forms of worship; skills in music or liturgy,

New Worship Initiatives Team ~ Team Leader: Colleen Munley
 Meetings: monthly, as called, at the church
 Purpose: as a sub-group to the Worship Team, to plan and lead our monthly special services in a contemporary format
 Gifts Needed: a desire to praise God with all one’s heart, mind, soul, and body; skills in music or liturgy, especially an appreciation of and an acquaintance with newer forms and formats of worship;

Anti-Racism Team ~ Team Leaders: in formation
 Meetings: first Thursday of the month, 4:30 p.m. (currently), at the church
 Purpose: to nurture a spirit of understanding, cooperation, and reconciliation amongst the diverse races, cultures, and ethnicities that are present in our congregation and neighboring community.
 Gifts Needed: an appreciation of the systemic nature of racism; a passion to overcome the divisions present in humanity; skills in communication, mediation, and education.

Meal Program Team ~ Informal Team Leader: Bev Wurm
 Meetings: second Saturday of the month, 9:00 a.m. at the McDonald’s on Clark Ave.
 Purpose: to plan and carry out the food ministry of our church, including the Third Sunday Food & Friendship Meals and the last Sunday of the month Food Bag ministry.
 Gifts Needed: a heart of compassion, a commitment to justice, skills in meal planning; preparation, and cooking; skills in purchasing groceries, especially in bulk;

[Please Note: The Diaconate ~ Elders ~ Trustees are elected positions, and thus are not included here for “volunteer” possibilities. A team is appointed in the late winter of each year to discern persons in our congregation who are called to these servant-leader positions.]


 

Rev. Allen V. Harris
Franklin Circle Christian Church
www.FranklinCircleChurch.org


 

Copyright 2009 -- The Rev. Allen V. Harris

Franklin Circle Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

1688 Fulton Rd., Cleveland, OH 44113-3096