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Sunday, July 11, 2010

Having the Heart of a Servant

By Rev. Dr. Harvey C. Martz

Scripture:  Luke 22:24-26  The Good News Bible Translation

²⁴ An argument broke out among the disciples as to which one of them should be thought of as the greatest. ²⁵ Jesus said to them, "The kings of the pagans have power over their people, and the rulers claim the title "Friends of the People.' ²⁶ But this is not the way it is with you; rather, the greatest one among you must be like the youngest, and the leader must be like the servant.

Two weeks ago we saw an interview with actor Ben Affleck on NBC news covering his recent mission work in the Congo. He is spending great amounts of his time, energy, and financial resources helping people become self sufficient.

When interviewer Ann Curry asked him why he was doing this, he said he is giving and serving in this way so he can live with himself—he does not want to be all wrapped up in just himself, and he says he wishes that he had started this ten years earlier.

And then he quoted his grandfather, a tough old Marine who always told Ben, “Don’t just be a consumer.” Don’t think life revolves around you and your comfort and convenience. Learn to give and learn to serve.

The scripture text we heard from Luke’s gospel says that also. Jesus is settling an argument among his friends about which of them is most important, which is the greatest, and he tells them to learn instead to serve and that he is among them as one who serves.

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room on earth”. The person who said that is one of the best recognized persons on earth—Muhammad Ali.

Our theme of service in our five sermon series on PRAYERS, PRESENCE, GIFTS, SERVICE AND WITNESS connects to the third sermon’s theme on giving: God has created us and blessed us so that we can use our talents and abilities and resources to make a difference-to get outside our own world and serve.

GOD HAS CREATED US TO GIVE AND TO SERVE—AND GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO US WHEN WE GIVE AND SERVE!

I heard an interview on NPR with psychologist Daniel Gottlieb. He has published a new book about his relationship with his grandson Sam who has autism. This is a follow-up to his first book about Sam titled “Letters to Sam”. We will have copies for you in a few days as it is being reprinted. Gottlieb is an exceptional fellow-in his early thirties he was severely injured in a car accident and has quadriplegia—has the limited use of only one arm and is in a wheelchair. He has been a very successful family therapist and psychologist.

When he learned of grandson Sam’s diagnosis of autism a few years ago, he began to write letters to Sam about how to live—especially how to live when people see you as “different”.

There is a quote from Dr. Gottlieb on your bulletin cover echoing what Jesus has said about service to others and what Ben Affleck said last week. Gottlieb tells about his patients who are dealing with depression and his advice to them as they move toward health and wholeness.

As they begin to feel better he encourages them to get outside themselves and enlarge their world and do something, however small, that will serve others!

“Very often people who step outside of themselves and begin helping others wind up getting better more quickly. They become part of the larger world. Their own problems no longer fill up (their world).”

Serving others does something good for us!! Affleck said that last week, and you and I know that feeling from serving and helping and getting outside ourselves.

God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others.

God wants to create in us that heart of service and that heart of generosity. And that spirit of generosity is to pervade our lives—and it can even continue after we die in many ways.

Let me risk taking a small side trip and talk about generosity after we leave this life. We can practice that generosity in the kind of legacy we leave for others—that is why we place the suggestion in our bulletin to include your church in your legacy after your death. Judy and I have done that as have many of you!

There is another way to practice generosity, to exhibit the heart of a servant even after we die and that is by being an organ donor. One mother told me recently of her child who was a recipient of a liver donation at age three, and how that gift of life itself has made her eternally grateful for the past 18 years now.  She has a most moving story about how one person’s decision to be an organ donor has given the very gift of life to her son, and how God was at work to bring about just the right “coincidences” or “God incidences” so that a private plane was offered to her at a moment’s notice so she and her son could be immediately flown to Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital for the twelve hour surgery.

Another grandmother told me last month about the tragic, accidental death of her 17 year old grandson but how the family decided to donate his organs and because of that almost 100 persons were able to benefit from that decision of organ donations of heart, liver, corneas.

Judy and I have made that choice on our driver’s licenses to be donors and most of you have also. I read about the donor rates in different states last week and was just stunned by the differences:

In New York State, 13% of persons over 18 have chosen to be organ donors.

In Texas it is about 2%; is South Carolina it is 9%.

And the highest percentages of persons who have chosen to be organ donors after their death—can you guess what parts of the country they are in? The highest percentages are in the Rocky Mountain west:

Wyoming has an organ donor rate of 81%, Montana is 72%, and Colorado is at 67%!

I promise you that if you choose to be a donor, you will not miss those organs after you die!! If you find that you miss them, please get back in touch with me!!

Service to others and to God that is what we are lifting up to each other today—service beyond just our families and ourselves. We sang about that last week on Independence Day: we thanked God for those in American history who “more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life” (Mercy in the Bible is from the Greek word eleos from which we get eleeomosynary meaning generous, philanthropic.)

When we commit ourselves as followers of Christ, we begin a journey of WORSHIP, STUDY, SHARING AND SERVING OTHERS. And this congregation is really a good example of that. Even in a difficult economy, even when many of you are stretched to the limit of your time, as a group we measure up fairly well: we are sending over 160 people on seven mission trips this summer to Guatemala, Belize, Ethiopia, Detroit, South Dakota; we have, in the past, built three Habitat for Humanity Homes in Denver and contributed toward three others across the world.

Speaking of helping to build Habitat homes, I want to show you and interview with St. Andrew member Bonnie Hartman who has just returned from two weeks in Nepal where she helped build three simple, nine by twelve, cinder block homes for three families who did not have a home. Bonnie is a good example of our members with a generous heart, the heart of a servant! She paid her own way to do this; she worked in stifling heat and difficult conditions heaving cinder blocks of stone.

(Video)

What do we get when we are involved in service to God and others? What happens to us and in us when we serve? Many of you would say that you have gotten back more than you have given! You would say with Bonnie that the satisfaction you have received from making a difference has far outweighed any sacrifice of time or money.

What is the next step you can take of serving God and serving others? Our Servant ministry team led by staff member Janice Colliatie will help you get involved. Our Sign Me Up sheet every Sunday gives you opportunities each week. And right now the most important opportunity is in our children’s ministry with co teachers for our 200 or so children in Sunday School each week. We are still looking for servant leaders we can train and involved in this very important ministry to children!

What is your next step of service? If you pray about that, you will get an answer from the God who tells us in the words of Christ, “If you put God at the center and follow me, you will have the absolute best kind of life possible- LIFE IN ALL ITS ABUNDANCE!!”