Lenten Sermon for Matthew 20:25-28

 

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:25-28).

One of the values that we hold dearly as members of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church and as the body of Jesus Christ as a whole is the value of “Sacrificial Service.”

Before we even begin to talk about sacrificial service, I want to talk about what it is not.  Sacrificial service is not servitude.  There are plenty of people who get this confused. 

Sometimes people with power twist the idea of sacrificing for the sake of others through service…giving of your God given time and talents…into a command to use your time and talent for their own selfish reasons and selfish gains, and not necessarily for holy reasons.  How many people are compelled by employers to give more and more of their time and talent for the sake of profits rather than all that the Lord desires? 

Servitude is losing your sense of who you are as you perform a task.  Sacrificial service, on the other hand, is being who you were created to be by God and serving out of a sense of love rather than a sense of fear or misguided duty or force.  We are not called to servitude.  We are not called to be doormats for others, to be used and tromped on over and over.  Rather, we are called to sacrificial service, which is done out of love for God and love for others.

In fact, Jesus tries to transform those in power from being proponents of servitude and control into servant leaders who model leading through service to others. 

If the difference between the two is hard for you to grasp, just listen to Jesus and take a look at his own life.  Jesus is our leader.  We follow the way of Jesus.  But, he in no way leads us through intimidation or fear.  Jesus said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.” 

And then, right before he faced the cross, he let us see exactly what that means. 

Jesus took off his robe, got down on the ground, and washed his disciple’s feet.  He took on the role of a servant, out of love for his friends, to provide for their needs.  That is what a holy leader does.  A holy leader chooses to use their time and talents to benefit someone else.  They model what they hope to see from everyone else.  And so, as Christians, as Godly influencers in our daily lives, we follow the one who took on the role of a servant, aiding others out of love and care.

Jesus did more than wash feet.  That was just a really good sermon illustration.  For his very real example of sacrificial service, Jesus sacrificed his own life for the good of others…even for and especially for…those who did not deserve it.  He sacrificed his very life that we might have life. 

It is choosing to take the bullet for someone who does not deserve such a gift. 

It is choosing to spend all your money, using your last sweat and tears, to prepare a lasting feast for the hungry. 

It is giving up all you have known in life so that your children can have a better life. 

Sacrificial service is using the time you have been given by God and the talents that you have been given by God to love and care for those around you who need such a graceful action.

And, we do it, not to make God happy, but because we are already a part of it.  Sacrificial service is who Jesus is.  And, we are a part of Jesus’ body.  So, we love as Jesus loved us.  We sacrifice as Jesus sacrificed for us.  We are a people who have been set free from sin and death and power and control so that we can love…love in the same sacrificial serving way as Jesus Christ our Lord.