the service room
9.07.06 Malvern@6 The service room
I’m holding on for a hero… (play music)
So who are the real heroes anyway? What makes a hero? Someone who does really great sporting achievements? Academic success, someone who has business savvy and can make a lot of money?
Of course that is what society says. That’s what is drilled into our heads all the time;
Pick up any mags,
Surf many sites,
Watch any tv
And you just get the same thing over and over again.
‘heroes’ are people who;
· have all the right bits in the right places
· have all the money
· have all the right things to say
· go to all the right parties
· wear all the right clothes
· drive all the right cars
· and are seen with all the right people
Of course you know what I am going to say. I’m getting a bit more sceptical in my old age.
True heroes are found in very different places than what Who weekly or Cleo Batchelor of the year suggest.
Let me give you my definition; True heroes are people who give of themselves.
And as Australians we know this. We get the fact of service. Australians know what it is to serve and help each other, even if it cost them a lot. Just think what is in every sing town across this nation. In every park in this entire country there is a monument to the soldiers, sailors and airmen who gave their life in what? In service to their country. Interestingly our armed forces are called the services.
You see we get service. We get the fact that you give of yourself sacrificially and without asking. The idea of mateship is built on service. In this Aussie culture is closest to that of Jesus. Jesus knew what it was to serve.
Tonight I am finishing part A of our core values. Next week we are going to start a new series in the book of 1 Peter. But tonight we open the door to another room.
If you remember we were talking about using values that come from living in the house of difference. Remember there is a whole stack that separates us from other clubs and institutions in the world. We are not the Red Cross, not the mothers group, not the historical society, not a gamers club, not a group that has gathered around a particular interest. And even though we might pick up some of the practices of these groups, fundamentally we are different. For we are the Church. Gods church and nothing comes close to who we are, and nothing should distract us from what we are meant to do. And if you find that confusing that’s ok, if you find that confronting that’s ok, if you find that exciting and challenging that’s ok. For we are actually on a journey, on the road of discovery and we haven’t yet arrived. Its something that we work out in light of the past and in dialogue with the future.
So can you remember what we have named so far as our core values?
As I am sure you have guesses that tonight I want to talk about the service room.
The service room is the place in the house where you do stuff. But not just good, easy stuff. Things that are sometimes difficult and hard and other people don’t like to do. It’s a bit like the laundry, or the place in the kitchen where you have to do the dishes or the cleaning of the shoes. I mean who in their right minds wants to do the laundry, who wants to put their hands into the pockets of kid’s trousers and fish out all those things that kids gather up in a school day! Who wants to do all those greasy dishes after everybody has enjoyed a roast?
You see the thing is that the church has always done things like that. The church has always been involved with the ‘dirty’ things of life – if you know what I mean.
I read an outsiders view of church the other day.
"Now, he goes to the 'mall church', and boy, have things changed. Lots of parking --first good marketing ploy. He's greeted at the door by a guy who welcomes him, and says that he must be new here because the greeter does not recognize him. Therefore he is told not to bother putting any money in the collection plate. So far so good. Then some guy who's been on Canadian Idol belts out a hymn. More sing-along music, then a 10 minute sermon (very upbeat --God loves you) and you're out of there in an hour feeling good about yourself, and the fact that you've been to church is a bonus."
My friends - How did we go from the crucified Galilean carpenter to a cross-less Christianity? How did we go from a Jesus who invited disciples to follow him to a God who blesses affluence and the American Way of life?
It might have been a great place but it wasn’t church.
Church always has and always will cost something for those who belong.
In 1914 Ernest Shackleton placed an add in the London newspaper"MEN WANTED FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY. SMALL WAGES, BITTER COLD, LONG MONTHS OF COMPLETE DARKNESS, CONSTANT DANGER, SAFE RETURN DOUBTFUL. HONOR AND RECOGNITION IN CASE OF SUCCESS."
Ernest Shackleton received over 5,000 applications from people wanting to join him on his expedition!
In many ways that’s a bit what we are asked to do. Lay down our agendas, safety and comforts for the cause of the mission. And the reason for that relates to our first core value in the service room.
1. We value a servant hearted approach to life.
And if you knew your bibles you would understand this to be a no brainier when it comes to core values.
We value this servant value because we are followers of the great servant. And if you thought you were into the Christian life for the glory… then I’m sorry to inform you of the opposite.
When I went to Bible College down the road from here in the 90s we used to sing a song that just about sums up this thinking. It went something along of the lines of “This is our God the servant king who calls us now to follow him to give your lives as a daily offering in worhsip to the servant king’.
The Christian life is all about service. If we had to define why we had this core vale we could simply put this way; we have an attitude of service because that is what Jesus had.
And just like today many people found this aspect of Jesus very surprising. The Son of God who yet served. How can that be? What sort of a joke is this? But yet it is no joke. Jesus deliberately picked up servant images from the Old Testament and used them to refer to himself. He even went so far as to say that his mission was to serve, listen to Mark 10:45 “for even the Son of Man (that was how Jesus referred to himself) did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
And then think about the cross. What happened then? Jesus served you.
He served in your place,
he served as your substitute,
he served as the sacrifice for all sin,
he served as the sacrificial lamb,
he served as the bridge for you to access God in the most remarkable way.
Do you remember Jesus being in the desert for those 40 days and then the devil tempting him right at the very end? And do you remember what the devil implies in his questions to Jesus? He says something like why do you want to do things the hard way, the servants way. When you could have it all! And Jesus says get away from me Satan, they are your thoughts not Gods thoughts. I am here to do Gods things, Gods way. Which is very different to anything else.
My friends, heroes as defined by God look remarkably like a servant who model the way of Jesus. This is who Jesus was, the servant of humanity.
So what does this mean for us? Well let me unveil servant room core value number 2.
2. We value empowering and releasing people to serve together using their God given gifts. (I know a bit of a mouthful – you can tell me how to shorten it later!)
So not only do we have a saviour who is a servant, each one of us has been given at least one gift (some many more) to serve each other and to serve the world. And it’s the job of the church (that is all of us) to help you discover, develop and deploy your gifts. They are things that were given to you to help all of us. To make all of our lives better. And to help us to be the church.
Each and every person here has a role to play in serving, in being the church. And just because you think you are no good, your undereducated, your to old, to young, to poor, to geeky – whatever – doesn’t mean a thing. God is calling us to a non negotiable – that the Christian life is about serving and each one of us is being equipped to serve.
My friends the people who are heroes in Gods eyes are those who give their life in service of others. You know there are heroes among us and they are in front of us every single day. People who make it their lives calling to serve in the way of Jesus. And instead of looking for the bright lights, the stand outs, the people who make it on to the front cover of who weekly – if we looked for the humble the servants we might discover a most remarkable thing.
You see funny things happen when we serve let me give you three different examples of what I mean as we understand this core value of service.
1. If we serve each other in the church we pretty soon cotton on to the fact that Jesus is active among us. Think about this one for a moment. Serving is not a natural action its not something that we do easily or with out effort. But when we do it, something holy happens. Something not ordinary takes place in our presence and if you really take the time to look you can see if for yourself.
I get so excited when others use their God given gifts and serve.
2. But it’s not only us that notice these things. People know that Jesus is alive in the world if we use our gifts to serve the community. They know he is alive because they see people who claim his name doing things that no one in their right mind would do. The history of the church is chocker block full of people who have in many peoples eyes thrown away their life in service of others. People just don’t get it why the church serves, they just don’t understand and all they can do is say either these guys have been smoking some really funny kind of weed or they have had something change them internally. You see God has intended service to be evangelism. That people might see our actions and give praise to God for what they have seen.
3. And the 3rd point. I remember reading a book titled 20 hot potatoes Christians are afraid to touch by Tony Campollo in it there was a chapter about how single, widowed and divorced Christians can resist sexual temptation and yet remain sane. Campollo, if you have ever read anything of his or heard him speak is a straight shooter. You think Dr Phil from Oprah Winfrey has got tough love, you just wait till you hear this bloke! In this article, he makes the outlandish statement that the ‘cure’ if you like that word, the cure for the build up of sexual tension can be relieved by serving. In other words God designed serving to ease the pressure of all that goes on inside. I told you funny things happen when we serve! You know I think he is right. I think that God gave us service for a whole stack of reasons.
My friends let me finish. The serving room is a really important part of who we are as the Church. It sets us off because we were made to follow the great servant – Jesus. And each one of us have been given gifts to serve.
What a great privilege it is to go against all that the world says is right and heroic. I couldn’t think of a better challenge to take up. Do you want to join me in gaining hero status?
I’m holding on for a hero… (play music)
So who are the real heroes anyway? What makes a hero? Someone who does really great sporting achievements? Academic success, someone who has business savvy and can make a lot of money?
Of course that is what society says. That’s what is drilled into our heads all the time;
Pick up any mags,
Surf many sites,
Watch any tv
And you just get the same thing over and over again.
‘heroes’ are people who;
· have all the right bits in the right places
· have all the money
· have all the right things to say
· go to all the right parties
· wear all the right clothes
· drive all the right cars
· and are seen with all the right people
Of course you know what I am going to say. I’m getting a bit more sceptical in my old age.
True heroes are found in very different places than what Who weekly or Cleo Batchelor of the year suggest.
Let me give you my definition; True heroes are people who give of themselves.
And as Australians we know this. We get the fact of service. Australians know what it is to serve and help each other, even if it cost them a lot. Just think what is in every sing town across this nation. In every park in this entire country there is a monument to the soldiers, sailors and airmen who gave their life in what? In service to their country. Interestingly our armed forces are called the services.
You see we get service. We get the fact that you give of yourself sacrificially and without asking. The idea of mateship is built on service. In this Aussie culture is closest to that of Jesus. Jesus knew what it was to serve.
Tonight I am finishing part A of our core values. Next week we are going to start a new series in the book of 1 Peter. But tonight we open the door to another room.
If you remember we were talking about using values that come from living in the house of difference. Remember there is a whole stack that separates us from other clubs and institutions in the world. We are not the Red Cross, not the mothers group, not the historical society, not a gamers club, not a group that has gathered around a particular interest. And even though we might pick up some of the practices of these groups, fundamentally we are different. For we are the Church. Gods church and nothing comes close to who we are, and nothing should distract us from what we are meant to do. And if you find that confusing that’s ok, if you find that confronting that’s ok, if you find that exciting and challenging that’s ok. For we are actually on a journey, on the road of discovery and we haven’t yet arrived. Its something that we work out in light of the past and in dialogue with the future.
So can you remember what we have named so far as our core values?
As I am sure you have guesses that tonight I want to talk about the service room.
The service room is the place in the house where you do stuff. But not just good, easy stuff. Things that are sometimes difficult and hard and other people don’t like to do. It’s a bit like the laundry, or the place in the kitchen where you have to do the dishes or the cleaning of the shoes. I mean who in their right minds wants to do the laundry, who wants to put their hands into the pockets of kid’s trousers and fish out all those things that kids gather up in a school day! Who wants to do all those greasy dishes after everybody has enjoyed a roast?
You see the thing is that the church has always done things like that. The church has always been involved with the ‘dirty’ things of life – if you know what I mean.
I read an outsiders view of church the other day.
"Now, he goes to the 'mall church', and boy, have things changed. Lots of parking --first good marketing ploy. He's greeted at the door by a guy who welcomes him, and says that he must be new here because the greeter does not recognize him. Therefore he is told not to bother putting any money in the collection plate. So far so good. Then some guy who's been on Canadian Idol belts out a hymn. More sing-along music, then a 10 minute sermon (very upbeat --God loves you) and you're out of there in an hour feeling good about yourself, and the fact that you've been to church is a bonus."
My friends - How did we go from the crucified Galilean carpenter to a cross-less Christianity? How did we go from a Jesus who invited disciples to follow him to a God who blesses affluence and the American Way of life?
It might have been a great place but it wasn’t church.
Church always has and always will cost something for those who belong.
In 1914 Ernest Shackleton placed an add in the London newspaper"MEN WANTED FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY. SMALL WAGES, BITTER COLD, LONG MONTHS OF COMPLETE DARKNESS, CONSTANT DANGER, SAFE RETURN DOUBTFUL. HONOR AND RECOGNITION IN CASE OF SUCCESS."
Ernest Shackleton received over 5,000 applications from people wanting to join him on his expedition!
In many ways that’s a bit what we are asked to do. Lay down our agendas, safety and comforts for the cause of the mission. And the reason for that relates to our first core value in the service room.
1. We value a servant hearted approach to life.
And if you knew your bibles you would understand this to be a no brainier when it comes to core values.
We value this servant value because we are followers of the great servant. And if you thought you were into the Christian life for the glory… then I’m sorry to inform you of the opposite.
When I went to Bible College down the road from here in the 90s we used to sing a song that just about sums up this thinking. It went something along of the lines of “This is our God the servant king who calls us now to follow him to give your lives as a daily offering in worhsip to the servant king’.
The Christian life is all about service. If we had to define why we had this core vale we could simply put this way; we have an attitude of service because that is what Jesus had.
And just like today many people found this aspect of Jesus very surprising. The Son of God who yet served. How can that be? What sort of a joke is this? But yet it is no joke. Jesus deliberately picked up servant images from the Old Testament and used them to refer to himself. He even went so far as to say that his mission was to serve, listen to Mark 10:45 “for even the Son of Man (that was how Jesus referred to himself) did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
And then think about the cross. What happened then? Jesus served you.
He served in your place,
he served as your substitute,
he served as the sacrifice for all sin,
he served as the sacrificial lamb,
he served as the bridge for you to access God in the most remarkable way.
Do you remember Jesus being in the desert for those 40 days and then the devil tempting him right at the very end? And do you remember what the devil implies in his questions to Jesus? He says something like why do you want to do things the hard way, the servants way. When you could have it all! And Jesus says get away from me Satan, they are your thoughts not Gods thoughts. I am here to do Gods things, Gods way. Which is very different to anything else.
My friends, heroes as defined by God look remarkably like a servant who model the way of Jesus. This is who Jesus was, the servant of humanity.
So what does this mean for us? Well let me unveil servant room core value number 2.
2. We value empowering and releasing people to serve together using their God given gifts. (I know a bit of a mouthful – you can tell me how to shorten it later!)
So not only do we have a saviour who is a servant, each one of us has been given at least one gift (some many more) to serve each other and to serve the world. And it’s the job of the church (that is all of us) to help you discover, develop and deploy your gifts. They are things that were given to you to help all of us. To make all of our lives better. And to help us to be the church.
Each and every person here has a role to play in serving, in being the church. And just because you think you are no good, your undereducated, your to old, to young, to poor, to geeky – whatever – doesn’t mean a thing. God is calling us to a non negotiable – that the Christian life is about serving and each one of us is being equipped to serve.
My friends the people who are heroes in Gods eyes are those who give their life in service of others. You know there are heroes among us and they are in front of us every single day. People who make it their lives calling to serve in the way of Jesus. And instead of looking for the bright lights, the stand outs, the people who make it on to the front cover of who weekly – if we looked for the humble the servants we might discover a most remarkable thing.
You see funny things happen when we serve let me give you three different examples of what I mean as we understand this core value of service.
1. If we serve each other in the church we pretty soon cotton on to the fact that Jesus is active among us. Think about this one for a moment. Serving is not a natural action its not something that we do easily or with out effort. But when we do it, something holy happens. Something not ordinary takes place in our presence and if you really take the time to look you can see if for yourself.
I get so excited when others use their God given gifts and serve.
2. But it’s not only us that notice these things. People know that Jesus is alive in the world if we use our gifts to serve the community. They know he is alive because they see people who claim his name doing things that no one in their right mind would do. The history of the church is chocker block full of people who have in many peoples eyes thrown away their life in service of others. People just don’t get it why the church serves, they just don’t understand and all they can do is say either these guys have been smoking some really funny kind of weed or they have had something change them internally. You see God has intended service to be evangelism. That people might see our actions and give praise to God for what they have seen.
3. And the 3rd point. I remember reading a book titled 20 hot potatoes Christians are afraid to touch by Tony Campollo in it there was a chapter about how single, widowed and divorced Christians can resist sexual temptation and yet remain sane. Campollo, if you have ever read anything of his or heard him speak is a straight shooter. You think Dr Phil from Oprah Winfrey has got tough love, you just wait till you hear this bloke! In this article, he makes the outlandish statement that the ‘cure’ if you like that word, the cure for the build up of sexual tension can be relieved by serving. In other words God designed serving to ease the pressure of all that goes on inside. I told you funny things happen when we serve! You know I think he is right. I think that God gave us service for a whole stack of reasons.
My friends let me finish. The serving room is a really important part of who we are as the Church. It sets us off because we were made to follow the great servant – Jesus. And each one of us have been given gifts to serve.
What a great privilege it is to go against all that the world says is right and heroic. I couldn’t think of a better challenge to take up. Do you want to join me in gaining hero status?
posted by Jonathan at 10:46 AM
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