Second Sunday in Lent
Sunday, February 25th, 2018click here for past entries
Loving God, you call us to love and have showed us how through Jesus. Empower us this day by your Spirit for the work of ministry, continuing to teach and guide us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Imagine for a moment that you are one of those disciples, gathered together with Jesus on the night before he dies. Jesus comes to you with basin and towel, ready to wash your feet. How many of you would be right there with Peter, saying “no, no, no – I don’t want you to wash my feet”?... What would be some of the reasons that you would not want Jesus washing your feet?... [they might smell; ticklish; should be the other way around;…] Would any of you think that Jesus was demeaning himself by washing feet?...
This is probably closest to the reason for Peter’s refusal. In a hierarchical society where there were servants and slaves, it was the job of the lowest slave in the household to wash other people’s feet. Peter might have felt like maybe one of the other disciples should be doing this, but not Jesus. It was just not right that his Lord and Master would be washing Peter’s feet.
However, what Jesus is trying to show them (which Peter totally misses) is that the kingdom of God is not hierarchical. They are to wash one another’s feet. They are to love and serve one another. The first will be last and the last will be first. They are not to Lord it over one another, but to offer themselves in humble service. In fact, would it not be humbling to have Jesus wash your feet?... Jesus essentially humbles not just himself, but us.
This entire chapter in John and part of the chapters that follow are all about loving one another as Jesus has first loved us – serving one another as Jesus has first served us. As we think about what this means for us, it might be helpful to bring into the conversation a book called Give and Take by Adam Grant (cf. revgalblogpals.org). Grant describes three different types of people, which he calls givers, takers and matchers. Takers are those people who will take anything from your weed whacker to your promotion. They believe that the way to success in life is to take whatever you can get. Givers, of course, are those who are always giving to others – always willing to lend a hand or to give a loan or even to be a last-minute baby-sitter. The matchers, then, are those who try to balance the giving and the receiving.
These are named as three different ways in which people respond to the world around them, and each of these types of people have something to learn from Jesus. Obviously, those who are takers need to learn how to give if they are to follow Jesus and believe in him. In fact, even those who are matchers might need to learn how to give a little bit more. However, those who are givers also have something to learn.
The biggest danger for those who are givers is burnout, and it is highly doubtful that this is what Jesus has in mind. If we look at the example of Jesus himself, he spent most of his time giving, but he also knew how to receive. He allowed others to feed him and to minister to him. He carved out time for prayer in order to keep a good connection with God. He sometimes escaped for a while in a boat, where he was able to catch a bit of sleep. But the majority of his time was spent giving.
Jesus calls us to be givers in ways that match our talents and our faith. Author Adam Grant asks the question: “What are the types of giving that you find most energizing or most consistent with your skills?” The challenge for all of us as followers of Jesus is to discover where our talents lie and how to use them in a way that is both helpful and energizing.
Congregations, just like various other community groups, only function with the involvement of volunteers. There are jobs that need to be done. There are ministries that need to happen, and there are always people who are needed to step up according to their talents and their faith. Currently we are looking for more musicians and singers to get involved. We are looking for people who can learn how to operate the projector during worship. We are looking for council members and convention delegates. We are looking for somebody to do the yard work in the spring & summer. And then there are all of the ongoing ministries that can always use more people.
However, there is nothing worse than having the wrong people in the wrong positions. You do not have to say “yes” to everything you are asked to do. In fact, learning to say “no” is also a very important skill – especially if you are being asked to do something that simply doesn’t fit the time and talents that God has given you. At the same time, there is nothing better than having the right people in the right positions. God has given everybody different gifts for a reason! And so, what are the types of giving that you find most energizing and that are most consistent with your skills?
“Love one another as I have loved you,” says Jesus (Jn. 15:12). Serve one another as I have served you. “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them” (Jn. 13:17). All of us are called into service. None of us are called into burnout. May the love of Christ continue to dwell in our hearts and minds, being present in all that we do through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Second Sunday in Lent (NL 4) John 13:1-17
February 25, 2018
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison
© 2018 Lynne Hutchison All Rights Reserved
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