First Presbyterian Church
647 East Market Street
Akron, Ohio 44304-1684
330-434-5183

Food for Thought: Called to Serve

Dr. Mark Ruppert

Mark 10:35 -45
John 13:12-17 

To serve other people is a high calling, one that is bestowed on all Christians. It requires sensitivity, sympathy, and self-sacrifice. Sensitivity is the ability to feel and to hear another’s needs. Sympathy describes a willingness to share the burden. Self-sacrifice is the extent to which one will go to alleviate the need. All three are important. That is why Jesus makes such a point of calling His followers to serve others.

Charlie Shedd tells this true story in his book, The Pastoral Ministry of Church Officers. It is about Emma, a housewife, and George, an officer in her church. Only the names have been changed to protect the real people. There are dozens of these little background dramas in the life of any church. There are some people whose very presence seems to pull things together. Emma was one of these. She was president of the women of the church the year they reorganized. As though that were not enough, it was also the year for moving into the new building, and she had to settle the unfortunate fuss over the colors of the kitchen. It was a very hard year. For one thing, there were some of the old-timers who did not like the idea of building in the first place, and they most certainly wanted no part of reorganization. As one poet says, “They had ruled the roost a hundred years or so and to every new proposal they had always answered, NO.” Then there was the new group, some bewildered by the pounds of paper and ink, some frankly quite uninterested, some jockeying for position. There were also the customary tyranny of details- phone calls and visits, announcements and reports, committees and meetings. But through it all Emma moved like a queen. She compromised in matters unimportant, stood her ground in things that counted, deftly handled the opposition, and where she felt herself inadequate asked the Lord to make her tall enough for her crown. And he did. Then there was George. He was an [officer at her church], who, eleven years before, took seriously his charge to “watch diligently over the flock.”

Being so sensitive to God’s calling, he moved right in when he heard the tragedy. He remembered well the day this young couple had come before the Session for membership. Now they were taking the young wife away, and they didn’t know whether she’d ever be back with her family. Six weeks after the baby was born, Emma had gone completely out of her mind, and the doctor said the only safe place was the state hospital for the mentally ill. In her present state of mind she might destroy her child… or even turn against her husband, or her parents, or one of the neighbors. So they took her away. Word came back occasionally that there was no change, and it looked like a permanent loss. Her parents took the child, the young husband came alone to church and the embers of concern seemed to die with the weeks as these things do. But they did not die in George’s heart. In addition to a natural warm tendency, he had been elected by the congregation to “visit the people at their homes, especially the sick.” So he went now and then to see the young father, checked up occasionally on the baby, and paid a visit to the doctor. Since he made occasional sales trips in that direction, he wanted to know if it would be all right for him to stop at the hospital and express the concern of the church. To dash quickly now across the weeks and months, he received permission through proper channels, and he stopped. The first time, it was not one of her good days, so he left his card with a scribbled note, “We’re praying for you at the church.”

On succeeding visits they brought her in to visit for a few minutes across the fenced table. At first she showed little interest. But George refused to give up… Then one day she asked about the baby and her husband. For just a moment George thought he saw a flicker of her former self. For several more months he continued to drop in…. Each time she showed more interest, and each time he left George would add simply, “We’re praying for you at the church.” Then one day he received a letter, which said he wouldn’t need to stop any more. She was coming home for Christmas.

The doctor said that if everything went well he’d let her stay. How could she ever tell him what his visits had meant, and would he please express her thanks to the church for their prayers? She hoped she’d been worthy of their love. So Emma came home. That year, there was something new about Christmas in the town, And it seemed that no people of God every sang quite like our congregation as they joined in the old carol: “And ye, beneath life’s crushing load, Whose forms are bending low, Who toil along the climbing way, With painful steps and slow, Look now! For glad and golden hours Come swiftly on the wings: O rest beside the weary road, And hear the angels sing.” This is a true story. It actually took place in the congregation where the author watched the miracle unfold. What really happened? Was the church responsible or would it have come about anyway as a natural event in the passing of time? Could the actual cure have been attributed to some wise doctor’s therapy? Might it have been the work of a new wonder drug?

To all these questions comes the same monotonous answer: We do not know some things for sure! But this is for certain—some healings do wait for human agents to serve as channels for the miracle. One faithful Elder “discharged by the law of Love” his high calling. (The Pastoral Ministry of Church Officers, Charlie Shedd, p. 7-9)

I realize this is quite a long introduction to my sermon, but I believe it illustrates the seriousness with which we are about today as we have ordained and installed 4 Deacons and 2 Elders as well as we will commission those 16 Senior Highs and their leaders who will be serving Christ and His church in Brooklyn , NY .

Serving Christ can be some of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have. Serving Christ can be fun and serving Christ is serious business not only for those elected to office and those commissioned for a particular work but for every member of this congregation.

The title of my sermon says it all, CALLED TO SERVE. This not only refers to elders and deacons or youth going on work camps but to all those who have been involved in service for this church in one aspect or another. Let me ask you, how do you respond when someone asks you to serve in this church? It doesn’t matter if at that time you were non-involved or if you were adding one more thing to get involved with, how did you decided to serve? Hopefully you prayed about your decision, maybe talked it over with a family member or friend. Maybe you asked yourself some questions like, “Does the Lord want be to a servant? In a way this is a leading question because the answer is very clear. We read in our scripture passage from Mark 10:45 that Jesus “did not come to be served but to serve,” so likewise He expects those of us who are His followers to follow His example. We also read in our second passage from John 13:15-17 where Jesus said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” The point is this: Non-Service Christians are Non- Biblical Christians. I hear retired people tell me that they are even busier now that they have retired even more so then when they were working full time. I have also had active, healthy retired people tell “I’ve served my time it’s time for someone younger to step up.” Maybe that’s in the book of Leroy that never made it into the Bible. There are also others who have a servant’s heart and are willing to roll up their sleeves and pitch in.

The more I think about the times I have been asked to serve in some particular area of ministry, whether it be for the Presbytery or on a local level, whenever someone asks me to serve there are a few questions I need to ask. First, what are the responsibilities of this position or work?

You may be asked to teach a class but when the ministry is spelled out in more detail you might find out it not only includes teaching but also phone calling the class members, attending training session, attend a quarterly meeting, etc. I believe it is only when we know all the particulars of service that we then can make a wise decision and our decision can be made easier when the expectations are spelled out.

Another question should be how long is the time of service? I think it is helpful to know the beginning date of serving and the ending date or at least the date when we can negotiate doing it again.

Sometime people might be more willing to serve if there is a definite time of service. Now I realize that some ministries may be seasonal like the choir or our youth day camp, Summer’s Best Two Weeks. Some churches us a one-year commitment that can be re-negotiated.

Other questions might be, who will supervise my area of ministry and to whom can I turn to for help? Another might be, what training is available to help me develop in this area of ministry? And one final question might be why do you think I am the right person for this ministry or job? I mean would any warm body do or is there something specific about me that led to my being asked? And so as people evaluate whether or not they should be involved in a new position or area of service, they need to assess their own spiritual gifts and abilities. They also need to ask other people for their assessment. I believe if we ask these and other questions we can objectively make a Christ-centered and Christ-honoring decision.

In II Corinthians 5”15 Paul writes that Christ died for us, “that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” One of the major reasons Christ died for us is so that we can be His servants. Biblically speaking, the nominal Christian is one who serves; the abnormal Christian is one who does not accept responsibility to be an active member of the body of Christ. In what area we get involved in ministry and to whom we serve is left up to us.

CALLED TO SERVE. Jesus said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Amen.

Key Points

Introduction: The Pastoral Ministry of Church Officers, by Charlie Shedd- “It is about Emma, a housewife, and George, an officer in her church.”

“Some healings do wait for human agents to serve as channels for the miracle.”

Serving Christ can be some of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have

Let me ask you, how do you respond when someone asks you to serve in this church?

Maybe you asked yourself some questions like…

Non-Service Christians are Non-__________ Christians

Whenever someone asks me to serve there are a few questions I need to ask:

First, what are the _______________ of this position or work?

Another question should be how ____ is the time of service?

Other questions might be, who will ____________ my area of ministry and to whom can I turn to for help?

Another might be what ____________ is available to help me develop in this area of ministry?

And one final question might be why do you think I am the _______ person for this ministry or job?

Conclusion: CALLED TO SERVE. Jesus said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)