|
|
|
Jesus Wants You! - Rev. Ronald Fink |
|
|
St. Mark 6: 7-13
Jesus Wants You!
by Rev. Ronald Fink
Unless
you are retired as I am, own your own business, or, hold a CEO
position, you probably are accountable to a manager or supervisor of
some kind. In the work world, two distinctly different managerial
styles are common. In a ?¨hands-on?Æ style of management, the person in
charge functions comfortably at every level of operation and enjoys
getting a little dirt on his or her hands. A second style of leadership
is dependent upon delegation. The person in charge surrounds himself or
herself with partners who are accountable to the boss but who are given
permission to do whatever it takes to get the job done, even if it
means making an occasional mistake. Two essential components to a
delegation style of management are trust and forgiveness.
I.
Hold
onto that thought as we move through today??s appointed Gospel. Our
Lord??s Calling of the Twelve clearly demonstrates that Jesus does not
work alone or expect to accomplish God??s mission by Himself. By making
disciples, Jesus delegates to ordinary people, who possess no apparent
qualifications, the extraordinary work of God. Their only credentials
are that they are chosen, commissioned, and, instructed by Jesus to
accomplish the mission for which He has sent them. And this is where we
connect with today??s appointed Gospel. Our Lord??s Calling of the Twelve
reinforces the vocational ministry of all who follow Christ. And,
without exception that includes each of us.
At each of the
worship services this morning, Pr. Stiemke will install the Emmanuel
Church and School Board of Directors, affirming the focus of today??s
appointed Gospel and Jesus?? Calling of the Twelve. Namely, that the
called pastor of Emmanuel is not the only minister at Emmanuel. All who
trust Jesus are ministers to whom Jesus has delegated the work of God.
Your next pastor, whoever he turns out to be, is not the only one whom
God will have called to do the work of ministry at Emmanuel.
In
our Lutheran churches it is often assumed that called parish staff are
the only ministers in the congregation. Such thinking detracts from the
New Testament understanding of the priesthood of all believers, who at
baptism are ordained by God to share in Christ??s ministry to the world.
Acknowledging that you are a minister flies squarely in the face of
wrong-directed but traditional Lutheran thinking that called pastors
and teachers are the professional church workers and, consequently, the
only ministers. Acknowledging and then engaging in your own ministry
requires four significant steps of faith. First you need to see in
yourself what God sees in you; namely, the extraordinary possibilities
of an ordinary life. Second, you need to see God at work in the world
and understand that you are necessary to that work. Third, you need to
be convinced that whether the task is large or small, whatever your
hands are doing in the name of Jesus, your hands are God??s hands.
Fourth, you need to recognize that preaching is more than what the
pastor does on Sunday morning. Preaching is what the whole congregation
does all week long.
II
We often sell ourselves short in
respect to accomplishing God??s work, thinking that we do not possess
enough talent or faith, and, consequently, are not equal to the task.
I??ve got news for you. None of us is ever equal to the task, and we are
totally dependent upon God for everything. As I push the envelope of my
senior years, the more I realize that many of the tasks God has
assigned to me during my sixty-eight plus years have been way too big
for me, including my last assignment as Senior Pastor at Trinity Church
and School in downtown Orlando, and just prior to that, President of
the Atlantic District of the LCMS. The time comes that you simply have
to trust that God will do with you what He has commissioned you to do.
That moment of faith came for the Twelve when Jesus sent them into the
world to preach, teach, and heal. That same moment of faith comes daily
to us in small or big ways. When it comes, we can respond in one of two
ways. We can let our Gospel light shine, or, in the words of the
children??s song, we can hide it under a bushel.
A young man was
about to leave home for six months to work at a logging camp. His dad
said to him, ?¨Son, the loggers work and live hard. They drink and
gamble, use foul language, take the Lord??s name in vain, and party with
loose women. When they discover you are a Christian, they will mock
your faith and make fun of you!?Æ The young man assured his dad that he
could handle it. Upon his return, his dad inquired how he had made out.
?¨I did great, dad,?Æ the son replied. ?¨Not once during the six months
did anyone even suspect I am a Christian!?Æ Sometimes without realizing
it we work harder at hiding what Jesus has called us to be than we do
in allowing our light to shine.
Those who are of my vintage or
older may recall with a bit of nostalgia a series of government
recruiting posters that portrayed a white bearded Uncle Sam, in top
hat, stars and stripes, his finger pointed straight ahead and his eyes
fixed directly outward. The caption on the poster read UNCLE SAM WANTS
YOU! Think of today??s appointed Gospel as Jesus?? recruiting poster for
God??s work in our world today. Jesus?? eyes, fixed directly outward,
communicate His trust that ordinary people like us will accomplish His
extraordinary mission. He would not delegate God??s work to us, if He
did not trust that we could do it. His cross-driven, nail-pierced
hands, extended outward toward each of us, assure us that He is always
ready to forgive us when we fail, which we often do. Remember, TRUST
and FORGIVENESS are two essential components to Jesus?? delegation style
of managing God??s work in our world today. And these words are written
large across today??s Gospel recruiting poster. JESUS WANTS YOU!
Mother
Teresa, known for her work of compassion and healing among the poorest
of the poor in Calcutta, was a tiny nun, hardly over five feet tall.
But, she did big, extraordinary things for God. She also had a talent
for using a few words to express powerful truths, such as this
three-liner. ?¨What I can do, you cannot. What you can do, I cannot. But
together we can do something beautiful for God.?Æ Repeat after me. What
I can do. . . you cannot. What you can do . . . I cannot. But together
. . . we can do something beautiful for God. What a powerful way to
understand Jesus?? Calling of the Twelve and the role each of us plays
in the work of God. Jesus is not recruiting you to be the world??s
Savior. He has already done that at Calvary. He died once and for all.
But, not a moment of any day passes that Jesus is not recruiting you
for some assignment, large or small. As sure as the sun will set this
evening and rise in the morning, JESUS WANTS YOU! And remember. What I
can do, you cannot. What you can do, I cannot. But together, we can do
something beautiful for God. Wow!!
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Emmanuel, Asheville, NC
Pentecost 8, July 30, 2006.
Disk #120
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|