Servants in Action

John 13:1-9

​Jesus is facing the most difficult time of His life. The religious authorities have not only rejected His interpretation of the Scriptures but have viewed Him as a fundamental threat to their power. The people have seen His miracles, but John tells us they did not believe Him, and even the ones that did refused to profess it openly for fear of retribution. 

He knows not only will one of His disciples betray Him, but the others will scatter, and His most trusted disciple, Peter, will deny Him.

Yet, He feels the need to be close to His disciples. So, He gathers them for a meal to share some final instructions, but also something much more. There are hard truths for the disciples to hear, but there is a deep tenderness in Jesus’ words.

Despite everything Jesus faces, in this moment He demonstrates the core of the heart of God. And it is not something anyone expected. “I no longer call you servants, but friends… no one has more love than this than to lay his life down for his friends.” But he does not stop there. He becomes the servant.

Jesus rises from the table, takes off His outer garment, and puts on a towel. This is the manner of dress for a servant of the time, a slave even. And then He proceeds to wash their feet, each of them one by one. He wants to be close to them. He’s literally kneeling at their feet, scrubbing the dirt, the grime, and the feces off. And at the same time He’s trying to teach them something—that doing the small things with care makes a difference.

When I was a lad I served a term

As office boy to an attorney's firm.

I cleaned the windows

And I swept the floor

And I polished up the handle

Of the big front door

[CHORUS] He polished up

The handle of the big front door.

I polished up the handle so carefully,

That now I am the ruler

Of the Queen's Navy.

Gilbert and Sullivan, like Jesus, knew that humble service done with excellence can produce far, outsized results.

Servanthood is the call for all who follow Jesus. But it is a particular kind of servanthood, that of a steward. A steward is a servant who has been given a responsibility; historically, over another’s household.

For example, Eliezer was the steward, the one in charge, of all the wealth of Abraham’s household. And Abraham was very wealthy. But Eliezer’s effectiveness did not only impact Abraham. Abraham was the father of a nation; he was responsible for an extended family that depended upon his household running well. Abraham’s reputation, the people Abraham loved, and the prospering of his descendants were all placed in the hands of his steward.

To do this effectively, Eliezer would need to know Abraham’s priorities and personality. It’s not only being an effective manager of assets, though it is that, but a representative of Abraham himself. The nature of his interactions with the community reflects on Abraham, not only by dealing with them honestly and fairly, but by treating them with dignity and respect.

You are God’s steward, and the responsibility goes far beyond the offering plate. It requires putting our faith into action.

Especially in the times in which we find ourselves now. 

Russell Moore, the editor in chief of Christianity Today, was a prominent leader in evangelical circles but moved away from leadership because he believes Christianity is in a crisis. He describes a series of conversations he had with pastors who quoted Jesus’ call to humble service in the Sermon on the Mount.

“What was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, ‘I’m literally quoting Jesus Christ,’ the response would not be, ‘I apologize.’ The response would be, ‘Yes, but that doesn’t work anymore. That’s weak,’” Moore said. “When we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we’re in a crisis.”

Faith requires action. But not just any action—action that follows the way of Jesus; action that is a good steward of Jesus’ reputation. This necessitates, with no exceptions, humble service to those in greatest need.

James’ epistle gives us pointed instruction,

What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that?

This year’s stewardship theme, “Faith in Action,” is meant to actualize washing each other’s feet—namely, the willingness to kneel before others in loving service.

I want you to know I am very proud of the staff here at Brick Presbyterian Church. They truly exhibit this humble servanthood. Without exaggeration, I can honestly say each and every day I come into this building I see one or more staff putting their own ego on the back burner. This can take the form of willingly staying longer to do work outside of their job description to help an event succeed. I have seen staff take time from their busy jobs to offer a compassionate listening ear to someone off the street just as much as a prominent church member. I have seen staff work diligently on a project only to have instructions changed at the last moment, needing to redo that work. But they do so graciously because they want this church to reflect God’s love and welcome. It is humbling to see this type of devotion. Not all of them, by any means, are Christians. But know this, they represent Jesus’ love as much as anyone.

We know that God is love. But it’s rather shocking, the kind of love that is in God’s heart—that of a humble servant, who seeks no credit, who counts no favors. No task is too menial or debasing for God.

Jesus offers a counterpoint to the entire way we believe the world works. And this is exceedingly good news for me and you and all those who desperately want to emulate our Lord. The path of humility is the path to true happiness.

The world gives us the impression that accruing greater power and wealth is desirable because there is something alluring and wonderful about being waited on. And I must admit I do enjoy eating at fine restaurants with attentive waiters wanting to make the exquisite dish fit my tastes perfectly. But Jesus shows us that it is even more wonderful to be the one waiting on the table, or to be washing the feet.

He declares that there is a different path to happiness than success. After he washes the disciples’ feet he tells them, “For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you… you are blessed if you do them.”

That word translated as “blessed” simply means “happy.” You will be happy if you serve others as Jesus did.

All Saints’ Sunday is a powerful day, when we remember those we love in the last year that have passed on from this life to the next. We also have this chance at funeral services. But sometimes one of our saints passes away and we never have a chance to truly remember their contribution. And we need to remember the saints not because they’re perfect but because they are family, and they have shown us how to put our faith into action by serving those whom society would just as well ignore. These are precisely the people Jesus calls us to love with action. I have asked your fellow church member, Paul Mercurio, to help us remember one of these saints. Amen.