THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER, FRANKLIN MA 1 Timothy 2:1-8 Ministry Sunday How is God calling you to serve? September 22, 2013 How is God calling you to serve at Redeemer? Where is He calling you to serve here at Redeemer and beyond? Look at the front cover of your bulletin this is Ministry Sunday at Redeemer. We proclaim that we are A community transformed by Jesus Christ, living out His mission in ministry. What does that look like for you? What does it look like for each of us here in Franklin: in the places where we live, work or go to school? As a member of the Body of Christ the Creed calls her the one holy catholic and apostolic Church whether you re a young child, a seasoned citizen or somewhere in between each of us, as a Christian, is called to love God and to serve others in the Name of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [Matthew 22:37-39 ESV] The nature of ministry is service. I know many of you are already serving some have served for years. Perhaps the Lord is now calling you to a different ministry. For others the concept of ministry may be brand new. The word ministry, in its root form in Greek the language of the New Testament means service or to serve. When Jesus disciples James and John asked Him for special treatment He said: whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. [Mark 10:43-45 ESV] For even the Son of Man [Jesus Christ the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God ] even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.
Do your remember how Paul described Jesus in his Letter to the Philippians: though he was in the form of God, [he] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [2:6-8 ESV] The words that precede this description of Jesus is our call to ministry our call to serve: Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Ministry is service it s not simply the work of the ministers the ordained clergy or the members of the vestry or the leaders of the ministries listed on the bulletin insert. Listen to what Paul wrote to the Ephesians: There is one body and one Spirit just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ s gift. God gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, [WHY] to equip the saints [that s every one of you] for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, [WHY] so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. [4:4-7;11-16 ESV] The Letter to the Ephesians provides a wonderful outline of what Christians believe how God has revealed His grace in Jesus Christ and it explains the implications God s grace for the church, for individuals and for families. Each of 2
the small groups will be looking at Ephesians over the next several weeks to help us understand the nature of the church and how each of us, as a part of the Body, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we called to ministry to help the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. John Stott described why Christians are called to ministry. He wrote: There are three pragmatic reasons for the greater participation of laymen in the life and work of the church need, fear and the spirit of the age. They are sound reasons too, so far as they go, but inadequate. The real reason for expecting the laity to be responsible, active and constructive church members is biblical not pragmatic, grounded on theological principles, not on expediency. It is neither because the clergy need the laity to help them, nor because the laity want to be of use, nor because the world now thinks this way, but because God himself has revealed it as his will. Moreover, the only way in which the laity will come to see and accept their inalienable rights and duties in the church is that they come to recognize them in the Word of God as the will of God for the people of God. Why are we to serve? Why is each of us called to participate in one of the many ministries at Redeemer? The reading from First Timothy provides the fundamental reason: God our Savior desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. Our heavenly Father longs for all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. We are called to work with others to spread the Good News, by word and deed. So how is God calling you to serve at Redeemer? The bulletin insert lists a wide variety of ministries ministries related to worship, ministries related to learning for all ages, prayer, healing prayer, fellowship, ministries for young people and families, small groups and many more. I m not going to list them all; you can look at the list yourself, but we have ministries to build up the Body within 3
Redeemer; to enable us to reach out beyond our comfort zone; ministries to impact our community; and ministries to love and care for our neighbors in Franklin and around the world as we join with our Anglican brothers and sisters worldwide. God is calling each of you young and old; individuals, families and small groups to a ministry within His Church. Jesus, by the way, had a wonderful model sending people out two by two. If you believe God is calling you to one of the ministries listed in the bulletin, speak to the person identified as the ministry leader. And as you get more information about a ministry you may find that your call is confirmed. All of us have an opportunity to be part in God s work so that all people [will] be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Our parish mission statement (on the inside cover of the bulletin) is To celebrate the Christian faith acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, uphold Scripture as the unchanging Word of God, and lead others into a saving relationship with Him through Biblical teaching and fellowship. It s the responsibility of your clergy to equip the saints for the work of ministry and for the clergy, the wardens and the vestry to provide ministry oversight so that all our parish ministries are supporting and consistent with our vision and mission. In the September issue of Acts 29 Father Dan wrote: [As the people of Redeemer] we are called as God s family to bear spiritual fruit, to be active and engaging. Each of us is to use our spiritual gifts and our talents it help build up God s kingdom in the place where He has put us this requires us to make Jesus our first priority. Christian service begins by putting Jesus first in our life, and then ministry will follow. Who are we as the people of Redeemer? We say we are a community transformed by Jesus Christ, living our His mission in ministry. Pastor Tim Keller commented, The essence of Christian obedience is not do s and don ts, but personal allegiance to Jesus. In a sense your ministry and my ministry is the result of having placed Jesus at the center of our lives and joining in God s mission in the world as we read and 4
study the Bible, as we pray, as we spend time with each other and not only talk to people about our faith but also to put it into action. That s what Project 40 is all about reaching out to people in our community in response to God s call to love our neighbor and take actions that express our love and God s desire that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. And in this process we ll find that we are drawn ever closer to Jesus and we ll see in new ways how He is present in the midst of our lives. Timothy was a young but gifted pastor in the church in Ephesus. In many ways he was the spiritual son of Paul. Paul assigned him to lead the church in Ephesus and provided the guidance Timothy needed the support and experience of a mature pastor and teacher. Paul knew it was essential for the Christians at Ephesus to come to the realization that God s desire is to save people Jews and Gentiles alike. In his letter to Timothy Paul urged the Christians in Ephesus to pray that God will save all kinds of people and for them to spread the Good News with the expectation that God would do exactly what He promised when believers minister to others in the Name of Jesus. That s our call as well. Unfortunately we easily get distracted. That s why it s so important to keep our focus on Jesus and the Good News of what He has done for us and for the world. God has placed Redeemer in Franklin and Norwood so the Gospel can be shared with those who have not yet heard it. Warren Wiersbe wrote: If our motive for serving is anything other than the glory of God, what we do will be only religious activity and not true Christian ministry. We may help people in one way or another, but God will not be able to bless as He wants to do. Ministry is not something we do for God; it is something God does in and through us. In other words, all of us every one of us has a part to play young and old, single and married; we are to grow up in Christ; to love and serve each other; and to move outside the walls of 31 Hayward Street. 5
What do you think would happen if we took seriously our responsibility to be part of a ministry here at Redeemer and to follow Jesus in every aspect of our life? Suppose we started to go to the kinds of places and do the kinds of things He did teaching, healing, inviting, showing mercy and loving. Suppose we suddenly became totally generous, completely dedicated to serving others, entirely oblivious to thoughts of self-interest and our own advancement. Do you think that we might begin to understand in a new way what it means to bear our own cross and to come after Jesus? I believe we will. I urge you to pray and to reflect on how God wants you to use the spiritual gifts and the natural talents He has given to you. Paul wrote, I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger and quarreling. We should EXPECT GOD TO ACT when we minister in the Name of Jesus. The psalmist wrote in Psalm 138: Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me. The LORD will make good his purpose for me; O LORD, your love endures for ever; do not abandon the works of your hands. Remember: ministry is not something we do for God; it is something God does in and through us. Each of us every one of us has a part to play in one or more of the ministries of Redeemer; we are to grow up in Christ and to move out beyond the walls of 31 Hayward Street into the mission field that s all around us. + + + + + + + + Ministry is not something we do for God; it is something God does in and through us. Father Jack Potter+ 6