Watts Street Baptist Church - A Servant Church

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A Servant Church
Posted on Mon Sep 29 2008

Mel Williams

A SERVANT CHURCH
Philippians 2:1-13
A sermon by Mel Williams
Watts Street Baptist Church
September 28, 2008 (Deacon ordination)

Somewhere along the way, I heard somebody say that some people come to church for an “attitude adjustment.” Sometimes our attitude can be crabby, negative, cynical, or judgmental. We all hope that as we deepen in faith, we will develop a more positive, loving attitude.    I remember an old Woody Allen joke when somebody said to Woody, “You behave as if you think you’re God.” Woody replied, “Well, I have to pattern myself after somebody!”

Our attitude—our disposition—is shaped, in large part, by our faith—the pattern we see in Jesus. If we need to work on our attitude, it’s good to come here and spend some time studying Jesus’ life and ministry and hanging out with Jesus’ people.

We can find no better pattern for our lives than the life of Jesus. The central mark of Jesus’ life is compassion. Jesus’ attitude is a mirror of the compassion of God.   We call Jesus “Christ” because he is the one who gives us a window into God. Bill Coffin says that what is finally important is not that Christ is God-like, but that God is Christ-like. God is like Christ. (Coffin, Credo, p. 12) That is, God is compassion. God is love. God is Christ-like.

So, what would it take for us to pattern our lives after Christ? What would it take for us to mean it when we sing, “Lord, I want to be like Jesus, in-a my heart.”   What would it take for us to be a servant church, a Jesus Church—a church that patterns our life after the life of Jesus?

Some years ago I taught a Discipleship Class of sixth graders who were preparing to make their decision to become followers of Jesus—Christians.
Into that class I took a large drawing, an outline, of a life-size person. The question I asked the kids was: How would you recognize a Christian if you saw one walking down the street? Well, the sixth graders chimed in with a lot of suggestions. They said, “Oh, she’ll be wearing a cross.” I drew a cross on the figure, and I said, “But does that make you a Christian?” No, they said. Another said, “He’ll be carrying a Bible?” I drew a Bible on the picture, and I said, “Does carrying a Bible make you a Christian?” No, they said.   Another said, “She’d have a smile on her face?” I drew a smile on her face and said, “Does a smile make you a Christian?” No. Another said, “He’ll have on a bracelet that says “WWJD”—What Would Jesus Do?” I drew a bracelet on the arm and said, “Does that bracelet make you a Christian? No.

How do you know a person is a Christian? Finally, I wrote one word over the drawing of the life-size person: Obedience. Now, that word didn’t go over too well with sixth graders. To them it sounded a lot like “Obey your mother. Obey your teacher. Obey God.” It sounded to them like a lot of “shoulds” and “oughts.”

Following Jesus has a lot to do with, as Woody Allen said, “patterning ourselves after somebody.” In our Philippians 2 text, the central word that describes Jesus is “obedience.” “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God,….he emptied himself, taking to form of a servant. And being in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient…”

If we want to be Christians, if we want to be a servant church, a Jesus Church, then we’ll find ways to be obedient to God’s way--- to pattern our lives after God’s life, God’s way. God’s way is Jesus’ way; it’s the way of compassion and service.

Today we ordain new deacons. Each year when we ordain deacons with the ritual of the laying on of hands, I am always amazed at the power of this ordination service. Here is a simple ritual that becomes an extraordinary event, a holy moment. With the laying on of hands, we are conferring authority and blessing. We are authorizing each deacon to go and represent the church in ministries of compassion and service. We are giving them our blessing and our affirmation.

But more than this, in this ritual we are moving closer to Jesus and his ministry of compassion and service.   When Jesus’ disciples asked him which of them would be the greatest, he said, “The one who serves.” He also said, “I am among you as one who serves.” (Luke 22:27) One day with his disciples he took a basin and a towel, and he washed their feet. In that day this act was something only a slave would do, only a servant would do. Jesus was turning everything upside down. He’s saying, “Your leader will be a servant.”

Jesus gives us the paradox of leadership. The leader is not some high and lofty dignitary. The leader, Jesus says, is the one who serves. He is showing us what it means to be obedient. Today when the new deacons come here and kneel before God and this congregation, their kneeling is a sign of humility and obedience. And with the laying on of hands, we are offering a blessing as these deacons commit to following Jesus by doing what Jesus did—being obedient to God and becoming a servant.

The word deacon (diakanos) means “servant.” These deacons will help point the way for us to be a servant church, a church patterned on the life of Jesus.

How did Jesus develop his attitude, his compassion? The Philippians text says that Jesus “emptied himself.” That is, he released any self-centered ways. He released his ego, and he allowed God to use him as a servant of others.

All of us have seen or known people who may remind us of Jesus. I wonder if you would now think about someone who to you lives a lot like Jesus. That person may show such warmth, compassion, and love that we see Jesus in them. Have you thought of that person?

When you thought of someone, did it occur to you to think of yourself? Why not?

After all, at our best, we are a church made up of Jesus’ people—a servant leaders.

Amen.

Discussion: A Servant Church

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