“Servants of Grace”
(1) It is a story that is both tragic and inspiring. Ben Larson was a seminary student at Wartburg Seminary who was doing what he loved most—serving the underprivileged in Haiti—when he was killed in that island’s devastating earthquake last January. Ben had what many would call “a servant’s heart”. He joyfully lived out his baptism—his life was an outpouring of love in response to God’s first loving him. Ben’s love of God and others was evident in all that he did—sharing his gift of music, passionately serving others especially the less fortunate, and learning from and loving the poor and disadvantaged. (2)
Most of the people who died in the deadly earthquake in Haiti were among the poorest of the poor. Ben went there in his senior year of seminary to teach theology and Bible in the new Lutheran Church of Haiti; but more deeply to learn from these people, to share his joy, and to give them hope. (3)
His wife, Renee, and cousin, Jonathan—also senior seminary students—joined him in his ministry in Haiti for the month of January. When the earthquake occurred, the three of them were on the fourth floor of the St. Joseph Home for Boys in Port-au-Prince. Two floors crashed down, trapping them, but Renee and Jonathan somehow managed to claw their way on to the collapsed roof. Ben was not so fortunate. As he lay dying, crushed from the rubble, Renee could hear him singing a hymn. His last words were “Lord Jesus, you bear the sins of all the world away. God’s peace to us we pray.”(4)
Ben was united in death with the bodies of the poor whom he loved. His life joined with those dear beloved people of God. Now his young widow, Renee, and cousin Jonathan, have vowed to continue his legacy of love and service; and are making plans to return to Haiti. At the Wartburg Seminary graduation ceremony last May, Ben’s life was celebrated once again; and Renee picked up two diplomas—one for her and one for her deceased husband. Her courage, faith, and determination were evident in her remarks: “This experience has given me a more profound understanding of the need for the Gospel message in our world today.” (5)
Called to Be Servants
Our lessons for this first Sunday in Lent have a clear message. We are called to be servants of GRACE and partners with Jesus Christ in God’s redemption of the world. (6) In our second lesson from Romans, we find the Gospel in a nutshell. We are saved by grace through faith. It is God’s gift to us through the sacrifice of His only Son on a cross that we might have eternal life. As we begin our journey toward the cross and the resurrection, the message is clear just as Martin Luther once proclaimed: It is faith alone. It is grace alone.
(7) The temptation of Jesus shows just how far Satan will go to bury that message and divert Jesus from his appointed mission of salvation. He is bold, this Lucifer, Christ’s nemesis on earth, to confront God’s Chosen One. He dares to sabotage God’s plan of redemption. Does he really think he is more clever than God’s Son? Nonetheless, he presents Jesus with the classic temptations of wealth, power, and fame. But Jesus does not bend nor break.
(8) He offers a true servant’s response to each. When Satan suggests he turn stones into bread, he could just as well be talking about the Midas touch. If Jesus could conquer the problem of hunger—not only for himself but for others—he would be rich indeed. Jesus counters that one must instead be spiritually rich—centered in God’s Word—the true bread of life. When Satan offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if he but bow down and worship, the Son of God reminds him that God is the only one worthy of worship. Finally, when Jesus is tempted to throw himself off the temple so that God’s angels will come and save him in some grand show of glory and fame, the Son of God once again shows he remains God’s faithful servant and true to his Heavenly Father’s mission of salvation; Jesus turns the tables on Satan, saying that one must not tempt the Lord.
(9) We are called in our baptism to live a life of service and to partner with Christ in the healing and redemption of the world. We too face temptation and may find we are easily distracted from our appointed mission. We may seek to pursue wealth, power, fame, or other dreams. Today’s gospel reminds us the only cause worth giving our life for is to be servants of God’s grace.
Jesus calls us as individuals and as a church to live as servant disciples. He enables us to do that by his Word and by sacrament. He empowers us to live our lives for him – to become more Christ-like along the way. Every Sunday we get a new start through Christ’s body and blood at the table of grace. We begin again as disciples with wholeness and new life. He assures us that our sin is forgiven and forgotten, so that we can start all over with a clean slate. He gives us the strength to overcome all things so by his power we can daily live out our baptism as generous disciples of Jesus.
Embracing a Ministry of Giving and Service
(10) One of the untold stories of servanthood is the witness of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church located at Ground Zero in New York City. This spring Beth and I visited this amazing congregation that has been engaged in ministry for over 200 years. (11) On September 11, 2001 when the World Trade Towers collapsed there was damage to all the surrounding buildings except St. Paul. Across the street, not even one stained glass window was cracked. (12)God had a purpose for this church in this time of tragedy. It was to show an unwavering spirit by bringing hope and healing at Ground Zero.
St. Paul’s opened it’s doors to become a place of rest and refuge for all the rescue workers. (13) Today you can see evidence in the church of their ministry of hospitality and welcome. (14) Through this act of service, they sought to restore bodies and souls. (15) This revitalized the congregation and gave them a new sense of mission and purpose. (16) Before 9/11, it was like looking in a mirror and seeing distorted images, uncertain about their future in the city. (17)
Now they see clearly where God has led them. Just as a new tower is being built, (18) so the people of St. Paul are rising to the challenge of being God’s servant church in New York City. Today they welcome thousands of pilgrims a day who come to pray and to remember. (19)
God’s Vision of a Church in Mission
There are two bodies of water in Israel. One is the Dead Sea, so called because there is no outlet for the water it receives. It only takes so cannot sustain life. The other is the Sea of Galilee teaming with life and that empties out into the Jordan River giving nourishment to the land. As a church we are called to exemplify the later. To give ourselves away in love for the sake of Jesus. To remember that as a community of faith, we exist not just for ourselves but for the sake of others—for all those Jesus came to save.
There is evidence that doing church the way we’ve always done it before isn’t working anymore. Many of us have come to realize that we must return to God’s vision for the church as described in the New Testament.
We are called to be a church in mission—reaching out to bring people into Christ’s loving embrace and to make disciples. So what is God up to here at Immanuel? Is not God calling this congregation to be transformed into a church that exists not for itself but for others? To adopt a missional or discipleship model. To be a servant church? One that reaches out to welcome the stranger, the newcomer, the unchurched? Here are ten examples of what this might look like. (20)
- In measuring effectiveness, the maintenance congregation often asks: “How many pastoral visits are being made?” The mission congregation asks: “How many disciples are being made?” (21)
- When considering some form of change, the maintenance congregation says: “If this proves upsetting to any of our members we won’t do it.” The mission congregation says: “If this will help us reach someone on the outside, we’ll take the risk.” (22)
- When thinking about change, the majority of members in maintenance congregations ask, “How will this affect me?” The majority of members in a mission congregation ask, “Will this increase our ability to reach people for Christ?” (23)
- When thinking of its vision for ministry, a maintenance church says, “We have to be faithful to our past.” The mission church says: “We also have to be faithful to our future.” (24)
- The pastor in a maintenance church says to a newcomer, “I’d like to introduce you to our members.” In a mission church members who bring new people say, “I’d like you to meet our pastor.” (25)
- The maintenance congregation often seeks to avoid conflict at any cost. The mission congregation understands that conflict is to be expected and can be an opportunity for learning and growing. (26)
- The maintenance congregation is preoccupied with tending to its committee structure and organizations. The mission congregation seeks to understand how to make the gospel relevant to the culture. (27)
- When thinking about growth, the maintenance congregation asks: “How many Lutherans live within a 25 minutes drive of our church.” The mission congregation asks: “How many unchurched people live within a 25 minute drive of this church?” (28)
- A maintenance congregation looks at the community and asks: “How can we get people to support our congregation?” A mission congregation asks: “How can we support our community?” (29)
- A maintenance congregation thinks about how to save their congregation. A mission congregation thinks about how to save the world for Christ. (30)
Like the first disciples, we have our preconceived notions about God, about the church, about the Christian life. About the way we think things are supposed to be. Then God’s Spirit comes along and turns it all upside down. We are called in our baptism to be transformed—to die to our old way of life and open ourselves to a new way of thinking and believing. By grace, we are encouraged to embrace the change God offers us, to put on Christ; to take on the mind and heart of a faithful, loving disciple.
When we tell ourselves, “I can never change.” Or “That will never happen,” we presume too much or believe too little. In Jesus Christ, God tenders all of our conclusions as premature and all of our inevitabilities as simply bad faith. In Christ, God opens closed doors, brings resurrection, reclaims the lost, changes the unchangeable, and reveals new possibilities. Thanks be to God.
