Oct 18 2015
WE ARE CALLED TO SERVE
I Corinthians 12: 12-27
Once, long ago, there was a market filled with many slaves. This was the
darkest market in the world. And we were there in fetters of lies, hatred, stealing,
cheating, adultery, alcohol, and vanity. This was the sin market. One day, Jesus
Christ went to the market, and there, He said He wanted to pay full price for all of
us - but not with gold or silver, the price was too high - with His precious blood.
He was the only one who was willing to pay for us.
I know that today is a special Sunday. The title of this sermon is, “We are
called to serve.” That is why you have the inserts in your bulletin full of duties. It’s
a once in a lifetime opportunity. There is no better time for you to write your name
on that insert and pick your dream task here at Paulin. So please, don’t hesitate.
Make a change today.
And that is my best sales pitch, because really, I cannot sell this task to you;
I am not that person. But I do want to share this wonderful message from God with
you, and I hope that at the end, you will choose a task, not because of what you
have a chance to do, but because you are grateful to God.
What I said in the beginning is true. Once, we were the lost ones, we were
the slaves of our sins and Jesus was the only one who saved us. That is why we are
1
here. I know - the word ‘slave’ is unpleasant, which is why we prefer the word
“servant,” as the word “slave” is heavy and has a dark history.
In our Bible, the original Hebrew and Greek language uses “slave”where
English translations use “servant.” But there is a difference between a slave and a
servant. I can show you with an example from the Bible.
In Matthew 6:24, the Good News Bible says 24 “You cannot be a slave of
two masters.” But the King James Bible says: “No man can serve two masters.”
The original scripture uses the word slave, because if you are a servant, you
can serve two Lords. Why couldn’t you? In the morning a servant can serve one
Lord, and if there is more time, he or she can serve another Lord later. But a slave
can’t choose who and when to serve; a slave belongs to the one Lord who bought
the slave. A slave cannot make their own decisions and does not have free will.
There is no freedom for a slave. We all know of slavery’s dark history, and
because it is such a sad part of our history, we do not want to speak about it. We
especially don’t like it when we are likened to slaves. But those who do not know
Jesus Christ, are slaves to their sins.
I do not know how many of you are familiar with the film The Matrix. In
this film, people live their lives in a dream as they sleep in pods. In the movie, the
hero of the film wakes up and sees that his reality is entirely different from the
illusion he has seen in this sleep. They are slaves to the machines that control their
lives.
Oh, how many people live this kind of life controlled by their sins? That is
why our Sunday worship is the greatest celebration of Jesus Christ, who not only
died for us, but is risen for us too.
2
Friends, if you believe in Jesus Christ, you are awake. You don’t have to
dream about happiness and joy because with Christ it is already yours.
I had to share this message with you before I could tell you how wonderful it
is that we can serve together in this church. Of course, a beautiful part of our
church life is that we have all been given different gifts from God, and we should
use them here. But sometimes I feel that we do take why we have to serve each
other seriously enough.
Jesus gave us a wonderful example of this when He washed his disciples’
feet. Remember? He is the one who saved us from slavery. He is the Lord of
Lords. And here, I am really talking about Jesus as our Lord, not the meek and
mild Jesus. Jesus, the Lord washed those dirty feet. He is the only Lord who can do
this for those who were slaves. He not only washed their feet, but gave his life for
them. When you meet with Jesus and know what He did for you, what do you want
to do?
I want to celebrate Him. I want to bow my head down before Him and wait
for Him to call me by name. Because He knows your name. He knows how
precious you are, and not only you but all those around you.
Do you recognize your fellow slaves? Take a moment and look around you. We
are those who are saved, called and loved by Christ, yet we are different. Can you
look at your neighbors as Jesus would? Can you see the hidden gift, not only in
you, but in your brothers and sisters?
How wonderful our Old and New Testament readings are today. All of these
passages speak about how different people can work together for God. Like Paul
3
says, we are similar to the body which has many parts, and every small part has
special purpose.
We all have special gifts from God which we can use to serve God and
others, not only here at Paulin but throughout the world. You will be salt and light
in this world, if you know that you are salt and light. But you have to know who
you are.
When the worship committee had a meeting, I was asked about lay leaders,
because lay leaders helped a lot when there was no permanent stated supply
minister. But what about now? I love the idea that we have lay leaders. What a
blessing it is that every week a different person leads us. Lay leaders are visible,
but there are many people who work in this church that are invisible. Invisible but
important. Don’t forget what Paul says about those who do small things. Not
everybody can read from the Bible before the congregation, not everybody can be
an elder or Sunday school teacher, but I am confident that everybody has their own
personal gift from God. I wish for you to share your gift with me. I wish that, at
this moment, you write another line on the insert because your special gift is
missing and you know how wonderful it would be to share it. Now you can live
with what God gave you because that gift is yours.
I don’t know how many of you want me to play the guitar, but before you
raise your hand, I admit I cannot play guitar. I cannot do many things. But I know
what is in my heart. I have to stand here. I cannot do anything other than confess
my faith in this Lord, who saved my life. And I do this despite a fear of my English
because I want you to know my God. I cannot do anything else. This is my gift. It
doesn’t matter if I speak in my mother tongue or in English because you will feel
4
that every worship, every sermon is a testimony, a confession, and that it comes
from my heart. Do you think it would be easier to sit in the pew and not use my
gift from God? I know what you are thinking. Signing your name on the sheet is a
commitment, and what if you cannot do it. I tell you now that you can. You can do
it.
As you can see, I am here. Sometimes it is very painful for me to be here; it
hurts me, when I have to share painful stories from my life, or when I am fearful if
you can hear God’s message through my accent. But I am here because I want to
celebrate Jesus Christ, who saved me when I was a slave to my sins. Can I be
somewhere else? Can I do something else? Of course I can. But I do not want to do
anything else today. I only want to celebrate Him with you and I hope that you will
see your place in this church where you can serve. Amen
5