Selfless - Grateful in the Grind

Not long ago, I was asked what was on my bucket list and I had to stop and think about it.  I have traveled to most of the places I have wanted to go, and some of the places I wanted to go when I was younger are no longer on my list - for example, China.  I always thought it would be amazing to see the Great Wall of China, but I’m ok passing that one up right now.  What came to me pretty quickly when I thought about my bucket list was that I want to be retired.  In all fairness, when I was asked in 3rd grade what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said, retired.  It’s still my goal because that just seems like a great life.  You get to do whatever you want to do each day.

As I have shared this goal with people through the years, I have often heard people give me some sound advice: don’t wish your life away.  In many ways, that was exactly what I was doing, and what I have done often in life.  When I was in High School I told myself that once I was in college life would be better.  I would do more, be more, find my purpose, and then I’d be happy.  During college I dropped and added classes, and often switched majors, because I thought that the next option would be better.  A different path would make me happy.

When changing classes and majors didn’t lead to me feeling fulfilled, I looked at changing schools.  I applied to another college and was certain that my life would improve when that change was made.  As I look back on seasons of life, I can see now that I was thinking my life was always going to be better around the next corner, with the next choice, or in the next season.  I was never content.  Never grateful for where I was, and always thinking God would do something more when I made the next decision.   

Maybe you struggle with this same way of thinking. 
When I have __________________, then I’ll be happy.  

When I have a good relationship, when I’m married, when we have kids, when the kids are out of the house - then I’ll be happy.  Then life will be good.  When I have a job, when I have a new job, when I get the next promotion, then I’ll be happy,  Then I’ll feel like I’m fulfilling my destiny.  When I have financial security and am out of debt, when the car is paid off, the school loans are gone, or the pay raise comes through, then I will be happy and can start living a better, more faith filled life. 

Too often we find ourselves looking around the corner, to the next season, or for something more to make things better, and usually what we are looking for and what we want is more for ourselves.  The more I have - the happier I will be.  Advertising and social media tell us this all the time.  They tell us that we can have it all, that we deserve it all, and that we can get it all if we will just get this one new thing.  Buy your clothes here and life will be better.  Have your meals delivered to your home, and life will be easier.  Download this new app, and all your problems will be solved.

The subtle, underlying problem with all of this, however, is that it’s all about us.  Our lives will be better if we have more.  We will feel more fulfilled when we get more.  A good life for us is found not with what we have now and where God has placed us but just around the corner, or with the next big thing.  Jesus, however, was very clear when he said that life isn’t about getting more but giving more, it’s found with extravagant generosity.  Life isn’t about being served but serving others, and it’s not found in indulging ourselves but when we deny ourselves.  Jesus said that real life, a full and abundant life, will only come when we shift from being selfish to selfless, and part of being selfless is meeting God and living for God where we are today. 

The Apostle Paul said, whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  Paul wasn’t talking to people about their future, or when they grow up, he was talking to people about their daily lives.  Are you a student today?  Great - be a student for God and allow God to use you, and fill you, and make the most of this moment in your life.  You can serve God in your schools, and on your sports teams, and in band and chorus in ways that no one else can. 
Are you a parent?  Great - be a parent for God.  Change diapers, go to the grocery store, make dinner, and help with homework and soccer practice like you were doing it all for Jesus.  You are doing some of the most important work there is in the world and you don’t need anything more to do it well than the grace God has already given you.  Make this most of this moment in time and glorify God in all you do. 

Are you in a job you aren’t thrilled with?  That’s ok - serve the people you work with as if you were serving Jesus.  Let God be the light that shines into the darkness you feel around you.  You don’t need a new job to feel fulfilled, God has a purpose for you right where you are.  Live for him where you are and God will lead you to all that he has for you.  That might be a new job, it might not, but your life will be more fulfilling.

Are you retired?  Great (really great!) figure out each day how to do something to give God glory!  I’ll be honest, this is not how I have looked at retirement.  I looked at retirement as getting up each day and doing what I wanted - selfish - but it needs to be a lifestyle of asking ourselves how we can get up each day and give glory to God - being selfless - because that is how we need to live every day.

Whatever we do, we need to do it in a way that gives glory to God.  Whatever season of life we are in right now is exactly where God has placed us and we need to live in a way that gives glory to God.  Today is the day that the lord has made, today is the gift that God has given to us - so let us not just rejoice and be glad in it, but let us live in such a way that God is glorified in all that we do. 

Instead of looking at some future reward we might find or get in life,
what if we looked at our work as the reward?   

Instead of looking for some prize around the next corner, something better to come,
what if  the prize was the process?  

Instead of thinking we will be happy someday in the future when we have more,
what if we were grateful in the grind of today? 

These are powerful statements that can shift our thinking and perspective about how we live each day.  If each day is the reward and the prize, then each day can be filled with all that God has for us.  If we can be grateful in the grind of life today then we may not need to look to the future for more.  Being grateful for what we have today, and for where God has placed us today, and for who God has made us to be today, helps us see the purpose God has for us, and how we can give glory to God in all the daily routines and challenges we face.  The apostle Paul had this kind of gratitude. 
1 Corinthians 15:9-10a. 

Paul knew that in many ways he could not be considered an equal to the other apostles.  While they had spent their past walking with Jesus, Paul’s past was spent trying to kill those who had walked with Jesus.  Paul knew his past wasn’t good and he could have constantly told himself that God could not use him because of it.  Paul could have daily told himself he was no good and that something more needed to happen in him or to him if God was going to use him.  Paul could have spent his life looking ahead for something more, but he didn’t.  Paul said,  I am who I am today because of the grace of God, so I will give thanks and I will live today for the glory of God. 

I am who I am by the grace of God.  Who are you today?  Not who do you want to be tomorrow, that’s a worthy question at times, but who are we today?  How has God’s grace helped make us who we are and have we thanked God for that grace?  Where are we today?  Where has God placed us?  What opportunities has God given us?  Have we thanked God for our personal and unique situation - even if it is not ideal or what we would want it to be?  Are we being grateful in the grind of today?  If we aren’t, then we will not be grateful when we move into the next season of life either.  Gratitude has to start today. 

We need to learn gratitude in the work of today, and gratitude is a practice we can cultivate.  Every morning we can look ahead and give thanks for one opportunity we see in our day.  Every evening we can look back and give thanks for one blessing we experienced.  Every time we stop to eat or drink, we can give thanks for all the ways God has provided for us.  Every time we get a text, call, note or message from a friend, we can give thanks for the people God has placed in our lives today.  Gratitude is a simple practice of being aware of what we have in the grind of life and we can develop it.  As gratitude grows in our hearts and lives, we begin to see that the reward in life isn’t in some future time or place but in the work God has given us today.

The prize is knowing that God is with us in the process.  Gratitude helps us see that God is with us in the process.  With each step we take, God is there, and God is faithful, and God will help us, and God will guide us to the next step.  We don’t need anything more for a better life - life is the best because God is with us. 

No matter what we are facing today, God is asking us to be grateful for who he has made us to be, how he has worked in our past, and what he has for us in this moment.  We don’t need to wait for another season, a new boss, a better relationship, or more money to give thanks or to give God glory, we can do it today, but there are enemies to this way of life.  Three enemies in particular, that work to undermine our gratitude for today:  a soft pillow, a shiny toy, or a sweaty towel.  

A soft pillow can be an enemy because it lures us to a life of comfort.  A pillow calls us to a life that is easy, and many times what we strive for is a life of comfort and ease.  We work hard so that in the future we can be comfortable and take it easy.  A promotion, a new job, or a new boss will make life more comfortable for us, and when our job is easier - then life will be better.  A soft pillow tells us a good life is only found when we are resting and at ease, but Jesus never promised a life of comfort or ease.  In fact, Jesus said we find life when we take up a cross and live a life of service and sacrifice. 

Following Jesus was not easy for any of his disciples.  They left homes, and families, and jobs, and the comfort of their familiar lives and community to literally follow Jesus in his life of teaching and preaching.  Peter, Andrew, James, and John may have worked hard as fishermen, but they had to leave that safe routine behind in order to follow Jesus.  Following Jesus often means uncertainty, misunderstanding, and even persecution at times.  It’s not always easy, but it is always rewarding and fulfilling. 

If we are always looking for comfort and an easy life, we will never learn to give thanks in the difficult grind we often face, and we will always be longing for something more.  It lures us to be selfish not selfless.  A soft pillow can be an enemy of gratitude, and so can a shiny toy.  New gadgets, new technology, new experiences come at us every day and they not only distract us, but they tell us that a better life will only be found when we have all that is new. When we become slaves to what’s new and trendy, we forget to give thanks for what we have.

Everyday there are new products, new clothes, new foods, new opportunities, and new experiences that bombard us and tell us that life will be better and we will be more fulfilled when we have this new thing.  If we focus on what is new and what we don’t have and might want in life, we fail to give thanks for what we do have and what God is doing in us today.  We cannot be distracted by what is new, but be focused on the gifts we have, and the one who has given them to us. 

The third enemy of finding our true reward in the daily grind of life is a sweaty towel. Too often when things get difficult we are quick to throw in the towel.  We give up.  Digging ourselves out of debt is too hard so I’m not going to try anymore, I’ll just get another credit card.  This relationship is too difficult, so I’m going to give up and start over with someone else.  This job isn’t fulfilling anymore, so I’m going to quit and see what else might come along.  Walking with Jesus and trying to get connected with a community of people who say they love Jesus is too difficult.  People haven’t welcomed me or cared for me so I’m going to give up.  Too often we simply throw in the towel.

Instead of throwing in the towel we need to pick it up, wipe off our sweat, and keep going.  We need to persevere through the hard times, be patient when things aren’t going our way, and maybe take that same towel and be willing to serve those we would rather walk away from.  If we honestly believe that we will find reward in the work, and the prize in the process of serving, then we don’t quit, we don’t throw in the towel, we use the towel to keep going. 

The work we are doing today - whatever it is - is the reward when we know that we are exactly where God wants us.  The process we are going through today, the struggles, the success, the joys and the sorrows is the prize because God is with us each and every step that we take.  And when we give thanks for all that we have going on in the daily grind of life - we realize that God has made us who we are, given us what we have, and called us to live for him in this very situation.  When we do this, it is no longer us that we are living for - but God.  We have made the shift from selfish to selfless, and when we make that shift, when we are selfless, we find the life - the abundant life - the purpose filled life - the life of passion and joy - the life that God has for us. 

 Next Steps
Selfless - Grateful in the Grind

When I have ________________, then I'll be happy.
How has your life been shaped by this kind of thinking?

1. How might these questions reshape your thinking about life?
• What if the work is the reward?
• What if the process is the prize?
• What if I was grateful in the grind?

2. The enemies to this way of thinking, and of gratitude in our daily lives, is a soft pillow, a shiny toy, a sweaty towel.
• Where are you tempted to pursue only what is comfortable and easy?  Give thanks that God is with you through the difficult situation you face today.
• In what ways are you a slave to new things? (technology, media, entertainment, clothes, cars, experiences…)  Give thanks for what you have today.
• Where do you feel like giving up?  What will it take for you to pick up the towel and keep going?  Give thanks for the strength God gives you today and every day.

3. Practice gratitude in the daily grind of your life.
• Give thanks each morning for an opportunity you see in the day ahead.
• Give thanks each evening for a blessing you experienced during the day.
• Give thanks each time you stop to eat or drink. 
• Thank God for all ways he provides for life, and sustains us every day. 

Selfless - Extravagant in Generosity

You have probably heard that everything is good in moderation and it’s true.  Valentine’s Day candy, whether it's chocolates or those candy hearts are good - in moderation.  If you eat the whole heart shaped box in one sitting, or the entire bag in an afternoon, it’s not so good.  Exercise in moderation is good, and even moderate amounts of pushing forward in training is good, but if you go out and try to run a marathon the first day - you will fail and you will get injured.  Everything in moderation is a good thing, but there is perhaps one area of life where we need to think not about moderation but extravagance, and that is in the area of giving.

Extravagant means lacking restraint, it means exceeding the limits of reason and necessity.  Again, this is not good if we are talking about candy and exercise, but it is good, in fact it is very good, when we talk about giving and generosity, and the reason extravagant generosity is good is because God is an extravagant giver.  This month we have been talking about how to follow the example of Jesus who calls us not to be selfish but selfless.  We aren’t called to horde for ourselves all the good things God has given us in life, but to hand out what we have been given to God and to others.  And sometimes our giving needs to exceed the limit of reason and necessity. 

Have you ever received an extravagant gift?  Have you ever given an extravagant gift?  When I was young, my grandmother gave each of her grandchildren a large sum of money.  It was a gift completely out of the blue, for no reason at all (other than love), and it was a gift that allowed me to travel and have some experiences I would never have been able to have otherwise.  My Grandmother is the most generous person I have known, but not all extravagant gifts have to be large sums of money.  I also remember when I had knee surgery and some friends showed up to clean my house, including my bathroom.  I was humbled, but so blessed by their extravagant gift.


The Bible is full of examples of God’s extravagant, selfless, and generous giving.  In creation we see God’s generosity.  The world in which we live is not a world of scarcity but abundance.  We don’t see just black and white and shades of gray, but a world filled with extravagant colors and multiple shades of every color.  God created an extravagant world overflowing with power, beauty, and the ability to multiply and provide for everyone.  An extravagant creation given as a gift to humanity because God generously gave it all to us.  Genesis 1:27-29.

When God led his people through the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land, God was extravagant in providing bread.  It was called Manna, and it was there every day for 40 years.  God also made sure the clothes and sandals that the people wore didn’t wear out.  Even when the people weren’t faithful or grateful, God gave in extravagant ways.

As we talk about extravagant generosity, we are going to look at a story about Jesus that shows us what it takes to be extravagant givers, and what that giving does in our lives and in our world.  Other than the miracle of the resurrection, there is only one other miracle found in all 4 gospels,.  It takes place after a very long day of Jesus teaching crowds of people in a remote place.  The disciples asked Jesus to send everyone home to get something to eat because it was late and there simply wasn’t enough food where they were to feed them.  But then Jesus said, you give them something to eat. 

Their response to Jesus was that it would take 8 months of wages to buy enough bread to feed all the people.  At least that is the polite answer recorded in the Bible.  But at the end of a very long day, I can imagine the disciples being a little frustrated and saying, What!? Are you crazy?  There is no way we could do that even if we wanted to.  There was simply no way they could give that much, to that many, in that short a time. 

Jesus ignored their response and asked them how much food they had, and their answer was, five loaves of bread and two fish.  Here’s what Jesus did.  Mark 6:39-44.

It says that the number of men who ate was 5,000, this means 5,000 families ate, which means that perhaps up to 20,000 people were fed by five loaves of bread and two fish.  Not only that, but after everyone ate their fill, they collected 12 baskets of bread and fish.  There were left overs!  Jesus wasn’t just generous in providing a meal, he was extravagant and made sure there were leftovers!  The only miracle that was so important that each gospel writer wanted to make sure it was included was a story about Jesus providing food for everyone to eat and then providing them with leftovers!  So what can we learn about generosity and giving from Jesus?  How does this story help us go from being selfish to selfless? 

The first thing we learn is that Jesus invites us all to give, and God gives us all something to give.  Jesus invited the disciples to give a meal to the crowds that day.  He wanted them to be generous and a part of some extravagant giving that would bless them and the people around them.  The problem was that they didn’t think they had anything to give.  They didn’t have enough bread or enough money to buy the bread, so they didn’t even stop to give what they had. 

Too often we think the same way.  We think that generosity and extravagant giving only applies to people who have a lot of money because you have to be rich in order to be generous and give without restraint.  But giving extravagantly does apply to us because Jesus invited his disciples to be a part of extravagant giving knowing that they had very little to give.  So the invitation to generosity has less to do with how big our bank accounts are and more to do with how big our hearts are.  God wants each of us to look at the situations we are in and say to ourselves, God is inviting me to give generously in this moment to bless Him and bless others.  What can I give?   How extravagant can I be?

God calls all of us to give, and because he does, God gives all of us something to give.  When we look at this story in the gospel of John, we see that the five loaves and two fish didn’t come from the disciples but from a boy who was with them.  As we heard briefly last week, this boy was willing to serve, he was willing to bring a lunch, or give his lunch to Jesus.  By using the gift of a child, Jesus shows us that everyone has something to give.  Everyone is invited into this lifestyle of generosity. 

The disciples were invited, a little boy was invited, and today you and I are invited.  What is it that we have to give?  Sometimes the gift is financial, sometimes it is a gift of faith as we pray for others, share with others, or forgive others.  Sometimes the gift is time, as we give up time for ourselves to give our time to God, for God to use as he will.  When we are willing to give what we have, and at times maybe give all that we have, we shift from being selfish to selfless, and our generosity blesses others and ourselves. 

The second thing we learn from this story is that God can only multiply and bless what is NOT in our hands.  As long as we are holding on to what we have, as long as we are holding on to our money, our resources, our time, and the gifts God is inviting us to give to others, these gifts cannot be blessed and used by God.  The five loaves and two fish didn’t begin to multiply and feed others until they were placed into the hands of Jesus.  Sometimes we don’t know how extravagant a gift can be, or how our giving can truly change a situation, until we are willing to actually give it away.  And that choice is always ours.

The little boy was not forced to give his lunch, and we are not forced to give, it is our choice.  When we choose to give and when we place our gifts into God’s hands, it is then that the gift can be blessed, multiplied, and used.  Sometimes we don’t see our giving as extravagant at all, but once it is given, we see how God uses it to bless others.  Once we give, miracles can happen.  Once we give, God can multiply our gift and use it to bless others, but nothing happens until we give. 

The last thing we see from this story is that God can only bless us when we actually give.  Acts 20:35b says, it is more blessed to give than to receive.  Which means that it is when we give that we are blessed.  There are some blessings that we will only experience when we give.  For example, the blessing of a deeper faith and trust in God may only come when we give because it is in giving that we learn to trust less in ourselves and more in God.  This is what many people learn when they tithe, or give to the church in intentional and consistent ways.  When we give, we find God trustworthy and faithful so our faith and trust grows as well. 

The blessing of peace may only come when we give because it is when we give that we begin we see the power of God at work, and it is seeing that power at work in the world, and knowing that God will care for us, that brings peace.  It might also only be in giving that we experience the blessing of joy because joy comes when we empty ourselves and help others.  Joy comes when we shift from being selfish to selfless.  If you have ever given in a unique, maybe extravagant way, then maybe you know the joy that comes only when we give.   Here is a great example of Extravagant Giving

You can see and hear the joy of those two boys who gave their clothes to their classmate.  They would never have known that joy if they had not given.  Think of the joy the boy must have felt when he gave his lunch to Jesus and saw more and more and more people eating.  He watched his gift feed 20,000 people.  When this story was told for years to come, and it was told because it made it into all 4 gospels, he knew it was his gift that made the difference.  He knew he had done something important.  Can you imagine the joy he must have felt in knowing that what he gave made a difference. 

And let’s not forget that he was also blessed.  He not only got to eat his lunch, he got to eat as much as he wanted, and then take home leftovers.   At least I like to think of the disciples giving him a basket of bread and fish to take home.  Can you imagine the joy of his mother, his parents, and his family in seeing him bring home more than he started out with that morning.  Those boys who shared their clothes with a classmate were also blessed when the news of their giving went viral, people like Will Smith and Ellen DeGeneres heard and not not only gave them gifts, but gave gifts of new clothes and shoes to every child in their school.  The generosity of these boys inspired others to be extravagant in their generosity.  While we don’t give in order to get more material wealth in return, the promise Jesus made is that when we give, every time we give, we will be blessed.   

We are all invited to give in extravagant ways because God has given us all something to give.  God will bless and multiply the gift once it is out of our hands and in his hands, and God will bless us when we give.  So let me close with a story about the extravagant giving of this congregation.  It was five years ago that the leadership of the church came up with the idea of giving away our Christmas offering.  In many churches, it is the Christmas offerings that help cover the budget and make ends meet, but we had seen God’s blessing and heard God invite us to extravagant generosity.  In 2015 we gave away our Christmas offering, and invited people to actually set aside money for this offering.  We gave to the needs of people in Japan who had just suffered through the devastating effects of a tsunami.  Together we gave $12,500.

The next year the gift was to the refugee crisis we saw unfolding all around us, and we gave $13,300.  The next year it was Lisa Gibboney who invited us to join her in giving to the Rohingya people who were being persecuted and displaced and so we gave $14,100.  The next year it was a gift to our friends and family in Venezuela and we gave $22,000, and this past year, we wanted to give to people right here who needed homes, and we gave over $23,300 to Habitat for Humanity.  This is over $85,000 given away.  Extravagant Generosity that was more than we ever thought it would be.

We have been able to bless people all over the world, and in turn we have been blessed.  We have experienced profound joy, we have grown in our faith and trust as a church, and during these same five years we have seen our congregation grow, and we have seen God’s work in us and among us grow.  We have been blessed in ways we would never have imagined, and those blessings will continue as long as we continue to give generously and extravagantly.   

In what way is God inviting you to extravagant generosity?  He is inviting us all to give because he has given us all something to give, and when we place that gift into the hands of God, God will do amazing things with it.  Let us be selfless and allow God’s extravagant generosity fill our lives.   



Next Steps
Selfless - Extravagant in Generosity

1. Beside the miracle of Christ’s resurrection, there is only one miracle recorded in all four gospels.  It is a miracle of extravagant generosity.  Read this miracle in all four gospels.  What lessons do we learn about giving from this story?
● Matthew 14:13-21
● Mark 6:30-44
● Luke 9:10-17
● John 6:5-13

2. When have you been the recipient of someone’s extravagant giving?  How did that experience bless you? 

3. When have you had the opportunity to give extravagantly?  How did that experience bless you?

4. Extravagant generosity is for everyone.
● What keeps you from giving more generously?
● Identify five ways God has given extravagantly (either to you or in general). 
● How can these examples motivate you to give?

5. Everyone has something to give.
● What do you have that you could give to God? 
● What do you have that God is inviting you to give to others?
● In what simple ways can you give extravagant gifts?

6. Some blessings we only experience when we give.
● Find one new way to give this week. 
● Give more than you think you can. 
● Thank God for his generous blessings and gifts.

Selfless - Courageous in Service

This past week we marked an event that in so many ways has changed our lives and our culture, facebook turned 16.  It was February 4, 2004 that facebook was launched by a group of students at Harvard led by Mark Zuckerburg.  You probably have heard of facebook, and other social media platforms like instagram, twitter, youtube, and pinterest, but there are literally dozens and dozens of social media platforms around the globe that allow people to share pictures, videos, and music.  Social media also allows people to share interests, ideas, and advocate for causes, and most make it possible to communicate and build relationships online.  One of the characteristics among almost all social media platforms is that they help us promote ourselves.

We can promote what we are doing, what we like, what we don’t like, what we find important, what we find funny, what we find valuable, and what we find entertaining.  It’s all about us.  We are promoting ourselves.  We are living in a self-promotion society looking to get more followers, likes, and downloads.  A recent survey said that 54% of all teens, when asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, said they wanted to be a celebrity.  And here’s the thing, they don’t have to go to New York, Hollywood, or Nashville to do it.  They can do it online through self-promotion on social media.

In a culture that seems to be built around self-promotion and calls for us to be selfish, God calls us to be selfless.  Philippians 2:3-4, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Jesus said it this way, The greatest among you will be your servant.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and who humbles himself will be exalted.  Matthew 23:11-12

If we want to be the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) it doesn’t mean we promote ourselves, it doesn’t mean we strive to be selfish but selfless, and part of being selfless means we don’t strive to be served but to serve.  And let’s think of service not as what we do but as who we are.  Can we be known as servants of the most high God?  That’s how Peter and John were described, as servants.  When people think of us will they first and foremost think of us as servants?

In the early church there was a woman who was known for her service.  She was the first Greek woman named in the New Testament, and her name was Dorcas, which I know sounds bad, not a great sounding name, but the name actually means gazelle, so perhaps she was quite elegant and beautiful.  Anyway, Dorcas was known as a servant.  Acts 9:36.

She was known for always doing good and helping the poor.  Have you stopped to think about what you might be known for?  What are you known for by your children?  Always working?  Always watching TV?  Always working in the garage?  Always on the phone?  Or maybe always making time to play and help and listen?  What would our friends say we are known for?  What does God know us for?  These are really powerful questions.  They might be painful to think about and face, but enlightening and helpful to reflect on as we move forward in life.  What would others say I am known for?

One of the important things about scouting is that it helps give direction to the lives of children and youth.  Scouting helps both youth and adults answer this very question: What do I want to be known for?  What are the values that are going to shape my life?  One of the values I hope we all want to be known for is found in the scout oath, I will help other people at all times.  Service.  Are we looking to help others?  Can other scout virtues like being helpful, courteous, and kind, shape our lives? 

Dorcas was known for being helpful and kind, but she didn’t do it in great spectacular ways, but in simple ways, she made clothes.  That’s it.  She made robes and tunics and shirts for people.  She used her skills and gifts to help others.  Most acts of service that make a difference aren’t spectacular displays of power but courageous acts of daily sacrifice and giving.  It takes real courage to make a difference in the little things of life day after day without seeking recognition or praise.  Scouts, let me make sure you hear that.  Don’t always look for the spectacular acts of service that will draw attention to yourself, look to serve day after day in simple ways that help others.

We find out in Acts that when Dorcas died, everyone in the community was grieving because she was such a servant, and so Peter raises this woman back to life.  Acts 9:40-42.  Think of it, the first person raised from the dead by the disciples after the resurrection of Jesus, was a woman who was known as a servant.  A woman who simply used her gifts every day to help the poor and those in need.  A woman who was selfless.  Whoever humbles themselves will be exalted.

So how do we become this kind of servant?  How do we live a courageous life that always places someone else’s needs before our own?  How do we strive to not promote ourselves but to promote and care for others?  Let me offer 3 simple statements, that come from 3 powerful stories, that give us 3 solid images on how to become a courageous servant of God.

Bring a lunch.
Offer a ride.
Carry a towel.

To be a servant means we need to be willing to bring a lunch, and right now you might be thinking about the little boy who took his lunch and gave it to Jesus, who then blessed it and divided it out among thousands of people so that everyone got to eat.  Sure, that’s a great story that talks about being willing to share what we have, but I want to look at another story about a boy who was willing to bring a lunch to his brothers.

David was the youngest of 8 brothers and long before he was the king of Israel, he was just the kid brother.  It was his job to watch over the family sheep and make sure they got food and water.  When all of his brothers went off to fight for Israel in battle, a great and glorious job, David was the one who had to stay home and do all the chores.  I am the youngest of three and when both my sisters went off to college, I was the only one left at home and while my parents did not make me do all the work, I did end up doing more.  I’m not sure I did it with a servant's heart or good attitude.

Not only did David have to do all his brother’s work, but then he was asked to take lunch to his brothers at the front lines.  He wasn’t asked to join them in the battle, he was asked to serve them.
1 Samuel 17:17-18.  Before he was a king, David was a delivery boy.  He was a messenger.  He did the insignificant work that needed to be done behind the scenes.

While there are times when we all want to be on the front lines, or in the front row getting all the recognition and attention, a true servant is simply willing to do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done.  There are even times when we are asked to make sure that those on the front lines and in the spotlight are able to shine.  Instead of looking for ways to promote ourselves, we need to find ways to feed others.  Bringing a lunch to others means being willing to serve behind the scenes, without recognition, simply doing what needs to be done because it needs to be done.  Where is God asking you to bring a lunch?

The second way we can serve is to Offer a ride.  550 years before Jesus, there was a prophet named Zechariah who said that one day the Messiah was going to enter Jerusalem in victory riding on a donkey.  While we might think the son of God should ride in victory on a horse, as many of the Roman leaders did, the donkey was a symbol of royalty, so the messiah would ride on a donkey.

So when Jesus made plans to enter into Jerusalem at the time of the Passover, he asked the owner of donkey if he could use his animal for the ride, and the man said yes.  When Jesus’ disciples went to get the donkey, it was given to them freely with no questions asked.  But it wasn’t just any donkey, it was a donkey that had never been ridden.  Think of it as a new car.  Special.  Unique.  One of a kind.  And the man offered it freely to Jesus.

What is so great about this story is that we have no idea who this man is.  His name and position are never mentioned.  He was not interested in self-promotion.  He didn’t put a sign on the donkey saying, provided for Jesus by Ron’s Donkeys Inc.  He didn’t ask for his name to be included in the Bible, not even in a footnote.  He simply gave what he had to Jesus.  An unnamed person gave what had to give to Jesus.

What do you have to give to Jesus?  Many people don’t think they have anything to give.  We think,, I don’t have special gifts,.  I don’t have a lot of money.  I can’t sew, or cook, or build houses, so I don’t have anything to give, but we all have something to give.  The Bible says that we all have gifts that can be used to serve others, that means we can all offer a ride..  We can all do something to serve.  We can all do something to help someone in need.

One of the things that I appreciate about the scouts is that they strive to instill into every child, youth, and adult. that everyone has something to give in service. Even the young cub scouts are encouraged and taught to serve.  A few years ago they served us by taking out every single hymnal, bible, piece of paper, and pen in the sanctuary and cleaning all the pew racks you see in front of you.  Then they put everything back into the pews (and of course they did it in a very orderly fashion that I laid out for them).  Everyone can develop a skill, learn a new way to serve, or give of their time to assist someone in need.  It doesn’t take a skilled person to offer a ride it takes a willing person.  Are we willing?

And then the third thing we can do is Carry a towel.  On the night before Jesus was crucified, he shared the Passover meal with his disciples.  He used this time to tell his friends that he was going to serve them by taking up a cross and dying for them.  He was giving himself for their sin, and the sin of the world, but the disciples didn’t really hear this because they were arguing among themselves about who was the GOAT.  Literally, who among them was the greatest?  Luke 22:24.

The night before Jesus carried a cross and died in an act of sacrificial love, the disciples were arguing about who among them was the greatest.  Shameless self-promotion among the closest followers of Jesus.  Bold acts of selfishness by those who had been closest to Jesus for three years, people who watched all his acts of selfless love and service.  If the disciples at this moment are struggling with selfishness, then the reality is that we will all struggle with it at some point in our lives.  But instead of Jesus getting angry and yelling at them all, we find that Jesus chose to deal with this situation by serving them.

As Jesus looked around the table, he saw proud, self-promoting hearts and dirty feet, so he got up from the table, poured water into a basin and carried the basin and a towel over to wash the disciples’ feet.  In a final act of service before he died, Jesus clearly states to his disciples then, and his followers today, that he did not come to be served but to serve.  If we are going to follow Jesus, we have to shift from being selfish to selfless.  From thinking about how we need to be served to serving others.

Bring a lunch.  Be willing to do whatever is needed behind the scenes to help someone else.  Do what is needed even if it is not a high profile job that will get us noticed and recognized.  Do what needs to be done.

Offer a ride.  Use whatever gifts and skills we have to serve God.  Even if it is just the gift of our time and willingness to serve - give that to Jesus and watch how God will be honored and glorified in the process.  Offer whatever we have to God.

Carry a towel.  Bend down to truly help others.  Be willing to humble yourself and take on the lowest role of a servant without thought of recognition or praise.  Simply serve.

These are things we can all do, and as we remember these stories and sayings, it leads us to find the pathways of service God has for us.  So one final thing that every one of us can do in order to become courageous in service, find a consistent place to serve.  It can be an act of service here at the church on a Sunday morning.  It can be an hour at a nonprofit in the community every month.  Join us in a few weeks as we go to serve with Habitat for Humanity, and then find an ongoing place to serve with them, or at the food bank, or Centre Peace, or the schools.  Just find a place to serve and then serve.  It takes more courage to do the simple things consistently than a great thing once.

If we serve courageously, and are known for our service, then when we come to the end of life we will hear the most powerful words anyone can hear, words from God who affirms our lives and faith by saying to us, Well done my good and faithful servant.  Come and enter into the joy of your master.

Next Steps
Selfless - Courageous in Service

1. What would others say that I am known for?
● Is this what God wants me to be known for?

2. In what subtle ways do I seek to promote and serve myself over courageously serving others in simple and consistent ways?

3. Read and reflect on these passages about humility and service:
● Matthew 23:8-12
● Matthew 25:31-46
● Luke 22:24-27
● Philippians 2:1-11

4. I can courageously serve others when I:
● Bring A Lunch
o Read 1 Samuel 17:17-18.  What simple act of service can we learn from David?  How can we practice this kind of service in our lives today?

● Offer A Ride
o Read Luke 19:28-31.  What simple act of service do we learn from this unnamed person?  How can we practice this kind of service in our lives today?

● Carry A Towel
o Read John 13:1-17.  What simple act of service do we learn from Jesus?  How can we practice this kind of service in our lives today?

5. Find a place where you can serve consistently and allow this service to shape your heart and life and faith.

Selfless - Bold in Witness

While there are many words we might use to describe a follower of Jesus, Jesus himself really gave us just one.  In Matthew 16:24 Jesus said, if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.  

While many messages we hear all around us tell us to be selfish and look out for our own best interest, Jesus says we need to set aside what we want and think about God and others before ourselves.  Jesus took up a cross to be faithful to God, it was God’s will, and he took up a cross to serve us, to take away our sin.  He was thinking of God and others before his own self interest, so to follow Jesus means we have to shift from being selfish to selfless.

During the month of February we want to talk about how to become more selfless and what this might look like in four specific areas: our witness to God, our service, our giving and our gratitude.  Being selfless means learning how to serve more, give more, and be more grateful in all situations, but today we are going to start by understanding how part of being selfless means allowing God to use us to reach more, to reach more people and share with them the good news of God’s grace and love.  Being selfless means becoming Bold in Witness. 

When we read the New Testament, we see that many of the disciples were bold in their witness to Jesus.  They endured beatings, imprisonment, ridicule, and even death to proclaim their faith in Jesus, and to call others to trust in Christ too, but they weren’t always this bold.  In fact, they started out in their witness where many of us start, and where many of us still are today, afraid. 

So let’s consider the disciples for a moment.  They had travelled with Jesus for three years and seen his power in a variety of ways.  They had personally seen Jesus calm storms, walk on water, heal the sick, feed the hungry, and even raise the dead.  The disciples had seen the power of Jesus do many things and they trusted Jesus to do what he said he would do. 

One of the things Jesus said he was going to do was to be crucified.  He was going to die, but then in three days he was going to rise from the dead.  The disciples had seen Jesus crucified.  They had watched him die, and so we might think that during the next three days they would have been filling the streets boldly proclaiming that Jesus was going to rise from the dead.  At the very least we might have expected them to be among the crowds who followed Jesus encouraging them to have faith because the third day was coming. 

Jesus always did what he said he would do, the disciples had seen Jesus do some pretty powerful things, so we might think they would have been boldly talking about what Jesus was going to do next, but during those three days, this is where we find them.  John 20:19a.  And here’s the thing… this is AFTER they had seen an empty tomb and AFTER Mary Magdalene told them that she had seen the risen Jesus. 

There is no bold witness here.  The disciples are hiding in fear. They are afraid of the Jewish leaders, afraid of the Romans who crucified Jesus, and afraid of being arrested, beaten, and crucified because they were followers of Jesus.  Fear stopped them from telling others that Jesus said he was going to rise in three days.  Fear stopped them from telling others that the tomb was empty.  Fear stopped them from talking to others about Jesus. 

And it is fear that often stops us from talking about Jesus.  We are afraid that we don’t know enough about our faith to really be bold and talk about it.  What if I say something and someone asks me a question that I’m not going to be able to answer.

We are afraid to talk about Jesus because talking about Jesus is not cool.  Those who talk about Jesus often look foolish.  If I let people know at school, or at work, that I believe in and trust in Jesus I’m going to be laughed at because no one really believes in Jesus anymore. 

We are also afraid that we are going to be seen as being judgmental.  When the world often defines Christians as being closed minded bigots who are always putting others down, we don’t want to be seen in that light so we simply stay quiet. 

Almost every reason that keeps us from talking more about our faith comes back to being afraid, and we all experience this kind of fear.  No one wants to be seen as being judgmental.  No one wants to feel like an outcast, or appear stupid because we don’t have all the answers.  I’ll let you in on a secret, pastors also feel this way. 

I know, I talk about Jesus for a living, but that doesn’t mean I don't also face some of the same fears that you do.  Three years before I went to seminary, I worked at a movie theater.  My friends all worked at the theater and we had a good time doing things together.  After I left that job I kept in touch with them and told them I was going to seminary.  One woman in particular wrote me a lengthy letter saying she had no idea I was that strong in my faith.  She said how sad it was that we never talked about it because she was also very strong in her faith.  We had so much in common, we could have supported and encouraged each other in so many ways, and yet fear kept us from being bold in our witness. 

Fear kept the disciples behind locked doors, but then something happened, Jesus came and stood among them.  John 20:19b-22.  Two important things happened here.  Frist Jesus appeared to his.  He showed them that he was real, and his presence with them was proof them that he had overcome death, and by coming to be with them he was also letting them know that their sin had been forgiven. 

The second thing we see here is that Jesus sent them out with the Holy Spirit.  They don’t leave that room on their own - they leave with the power of the Holy Spirit going with them, a power that completely changed them and in time helped them proclaim the message of Jesus to everyone.  So Bold Witness comes when we spend time with Jesus and when we receive the power of God’s Holy Spirit and know that we are not sent out into the world alone.

If we fast forward a few weeks for the disciples, we find on the day of Pentecost a true outpouring of the Holy Spirit comes upon them and Peter, who a few weeks earlier had been afraid to tell a servant girl that he was a follower of Jesus, was now boldly preaching about Jesus being the savior of the world.  Peter is speaking in front of huge crowds and this bold witness was due to the power of the Holy Spirit. 

A few weeks after that, Peter and John were again preaching and teaching in public, this time they called upon the name of Jesus to heal a man, and their bold witness got them thrown into prison.  Clearly their fear seems to be gone and when they were called before the religious leaders to give an account of what they were doing and why they were doing it, this was their response:
Acts 4:8-12.

This is a bold witness for people who a few weeks earlier were hiding in fear.   What made the difference?  #1 - they had spent time with Jesus, and #2 -they trusted in the power of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, to help them.  When Jesus first appeared to the disciples after the resurrection he breathed on them.  He gave his life and spirit and power to them and it was that power, fully poured out on the day of Pentecost that gave the disciples the boldness they needed to talk openly about Jesus. 

Bold witness and the courage to talk openly with others about our faith comes when we spend time with Jesus and begin to feel his life and spirit and power rest upon us.  Reading God’s word, spending time in prayer, sharing and encouraging one another in small groups, and time spent in worship, strengthens our faith and fills us with a passion about God that in time we find ourselves wanting to share.  The more we know about God, the more we experience the joy and power of Jesus in our lives, the more we want to share this experience with others. 

Bold witness comes from spending time with Jesus, but it also comes when we are specifically willing to ask God for boldness.  This is what Peter and John did.  Acts 4:29b.  Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.  Sometimes the boldness we need comes when we simply put ourselves aside, put our fear aside, and selflessly ask God for boldness. 

Instead of asking for what we want and need in life, instead of being selfish and self-centered in prayer, what if we were selfless and asked God for the boldness and courage to talk about him with others.  Being selfless means asking God to use us for his purpose, and part of the purpose is to share the truth of Jesus with others.  Jesus gave one clear mission to the church - go and make disciples.  Go and teach people to believe in me.  Go, share with others how my love and grace can change their lives.  For so many reasons, we are afraid to do this and so to overcome fear we need to ask God for help.  Enable us to speak with great boldness. 

Perhaps the person who was the most bold when it came to talking about Jesus was the Apostle Paul.  He didn’t shy away from any situation, any person, or any opportunity God gave him to talk about Jesus.  Paul said whether he was in chains or free he would talk about Jesus.  But even Paul asked for boldness, and he asked others to pray for him to be bold.  Ephesians 6:19-20

Being selfless and therefore bold in our witness, and allowing God to use us to share his love and grace with others, comes when we spend time with God, allow the Holy Spirit to fill us, and ask God for the boldness we need to share his love and his grace with others.  In a world filled with division and turmoil, in a society that so often wants to tear people down instead of building people up, in a world that needs the power of God’s love and grace at work in people's hearts and lives and families, how can we not talk about a love that has changed us, and a power that has filled us, and a God who has saved us.  Let’s be selfless, let’s overcome fear, and let’s be bold in our witness to the love of God given to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. 


Next Steps
Bold in Witness

1. How did you hear about Jesus?  Who shared their faith with you?  Give thanks for this person.

2. What fear keeps you from sharing your faith with others? 
What experiences have you had, good or bad, in talking with others about your faith?

3. Read Acts 1-4 and trace how the disciples went from hiding in fear to boldly proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord.

4. Boldness comes from spending time with Jesus.  How can you spend more time with Jesus this week?  In what ways can you commit to this new routine through the month of February? 

5. What one thing about Jesus would you feel comfortable sharing with someone else?  What one faith experience have you had that you could share with someone new?  Practice sharing your faith and faith experiences with family, friends, your small group, or Sunday School class.

6. Who has God placed in your life, and on your heart, that needs to hear about the love and grace of Jesus?  Begin to pray for an opportunity to share Jesus with them.

7. Pray for boldness to share your faith.  Read Acts 4:29 and Ephesians 6:18-20.  Create your own prayer and pray it every day this month.  Like Paul, ask others to pray for you.