Oct. 1 Sermon -Find LIFE in Service to Others
Last week Christ gave us a
lesson in forgetting - forgetting about myself - my needs - long enough to
think about the others around me, and their needs. We serve Christ by serving others, and thus
obey His command to love one another as he has loved us. As you express Christian love in service to
others - you do temporarily forget about yourself - and then you find meaning
and fulfillment - you find yourself.
Begin in the family, by
putting their needs before your own, even denying yourself for them, as Jesus
teaches. Practice living as His disciple among those who are also trying to
follow His way. Thus you’ll be both
encouraged and corrected.
Then Jesus tells us to
extend that attitude of humility and service beyond our families to our
brothers and sisters in our church family – and to all around us.
I mentioned last week that
following His way of self-less love and service can be rewarding and bring a
sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.
Certainly parents find that to be true - at least most of the time.
But honestly our efforts will
not always be rewarded. Sometimes we’ll
be misunderstood - maybe criticized instead of thanked.
For everyone will be salted with fire. Mark 9:49
Jesus reminds us that everything will not go smoothly for His followers
– we’ll get burned. Jesus described His
way as taking up the cross.
Maybe it’s just that no one seems to notice your good work. You feel unappreciated after your efforts.
But someone important does notice.
For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water
to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the
reward. Mark 9:41
Count on it that God will notice -. And
that person who does even the smallest deed in Christ’s name will be
rewarded. God remembers small acts of kindness unseen or
unappreciated by others - and you will not lose your reward.
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So Forget
yourself long enough to lend a helping hand. Philippians 2:4
When we forget ourselves and stop focusing on our needs, we become
aware of those around us and
their
needs. As we come to have His attitude
toward others, we soon realize there are lots of needs we can’t meet - we can’t
do it all. We can’t all personally feed
the hungry. You may not be able to visit
the sick and shut-in.
So the Holy Spirit calls and
gathers us into congregations where we can work together in sharing Jesus
love.
Maybe you can’t personally feed the hungry, but as a congregation
together we can - and do. So each
Tuesday morning a few of our members are here to offer to needy families what
you all have contributed. Last Tuesday
we gave 26 families boxes of fresh vegetables and bread, canned food and even
cake. So in that sense, each of you are feeding the hungry because we do this as an activity - a
ministry - of this congregation.
Maybe you’re not able to visit the sick and shut-ins, but as St. James writes Are any among you sick? They should call the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. James 5;14
Others from the church go in your name, and still others pray each day
for them. So in that sense you visit and
pray for the sick because this is a ministry of all of us.
You know you should pass the faith on to your children, but you’re not
sure you’re up to the job. That’s why, working together, we have Sunday School classes and Youth programs.
I think from these examples
you get the idea. By yourself maybe you
can’t do it all, but together, as Bob the Builder says, we can do it.
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The bible teaches that
congregations like Resurrection are God’s plan.
His Spirit calls and gathers us - and His Spirit has bestowed on
individual members specific spiritual gifts - natural talents and learned
abilities - that are useful for the work that God wants us to carry out.
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St. Peter writes:
Like good stewards of the manifold grace
of God, serve one another with whatever
gift each of you has received.
St. Peter urges us to use whatever gift we have received from God in
service to Him. When we do so, we serve with the strength that God
supplies,
so that God may be glorified in all things
through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4;10,11
As we employ our talents and abilities together in service we bring
glory to God.
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To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit
for the common good… 1
Corinthians 12:7,11
Every believer has one or more spiritual gifts.
is to equip the saints for the work of
ministry,
for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to
the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of
the full stature of Christ. Ephesians 4:7,1
2-13
The purpose of the gifts is twofold:
They are given to be used in
ministry to build up the body of Christ, the church.
Second, as you use your gifts,
you grow in knowledge and faith and spiritual maturity. In other words, as we use our talents as God
intended in ministry, we fulfill our purpose, which brings personal
satisfaction.
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You probably think that
coming to this particular church was your decision - you picked it. But don’t under-estimate God. Be open to the idea that he planted the idea
in your mind - maybe used other people to guide you here. You’re here because he wants you here. Some how you are a part of
His plan for the ministry here.
And on the other hand, somehow we are to be a part of your spiritual
development. He led you here because we
can contribute to your growth in the Christian faith.
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How do you
discern the gifts you have
to contribute to our
ministry together?
Most of you are involved and working in the life of the congregation,
so you’ve already answered the question.
But you should listen anyway.
Remember Christ is always challenging you to learn and grow. Maybe he has a new challenge for you -
serving in a new way that will stretch you.
The process of discernment is
on-going because as individuals we keep changing - gaining new life experience.
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If you’re interested in identifying your spiritual
gifts, just go to our web site www.lutheranchurchsanantonio.org and click on
“spiritual gifts”. There is a link to an inventory – a set of
questions – you can answer, and then the program will show you what your
greatest gifts are. It includes
definitions of the gifts and suggestions for service – and it will take you
only ten or fifteen minutes.
Spiritual gifts are only part of the story. Next Sunday after worship we’ll offer a class which reviews a number of factors that can help you
figure out how God has equipped you to serve.
We’ll ask you to think about what you like to do – and what you do
well. In addition, how do you like to
work – on your own or in a group – as a leader or a follower.
The idea behind all that is you should enjoy serving God. You can find a way to serve that involves
doing something you like to do and also brings meaning and satisfaction.
That’s next Sunday after worship.
If you’re more pragmatic, just come early next Sunday morning for our
“job fair”. We’ll have tables with
information about opportunities to serve.
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In a few minutes we’ll baptize Samuel Benedict Garcia, and you’ll say
to him:
We welcome you into the Lord’s family.
We receive you as a fellow member of the body
of Christ, child of the same heavenly Father,
and worker with us in the
It reminds us that each of us
is an essential parts of the body of Christ, the
church. Like each part of the human
body, each member of Christ’s body is necessary and has a role to play.
And every member is expected
to be a worker with us in the
That idea is captured in our theme song: I Want to be a Worker.
In the
kingdom of the Lord
I will work,
I will pray
In the
vineyard of the Lord
I will work,
I will pray
I will labor
everyday
In the vineyard of the Lord
I want to be
a worker for the Lord