Do Not Disturb
1 Peter 4:7-11

In a book by S. I. McMillen called None of These Diseases, he tells of a young Christian woman who wanted to go to a particular prestigious college.

On the application it asked this question, “Are you a leader?”

Although fearful to tell the truth, lest it keep her from getting accepted, she answered honestly and said, “No.”

Beneath that question she read a second one. “If you answer “no” to the previous question … then what are you?” To that, she wrote the words, “I am a servant,” finished the application and turned it back.

A few weeks later, she received a response from the college. It said, “Dear,” and included her name. A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders in our freshman class. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that we have at least one person in our student body with your set of qualifications.”

Today, as we consider our purposes in life we come to our fourth statement of purpose: “We are Shaped for Serving God.”

God created us to use the gifts at our disposal—our intellect, our talents, the strength of our bodies, the time of our days, the resources of our financial blessings,  all to be used in ministry to others in the name of Jesus Christ.

God created us not just to consume but to make a contribution. God made us to make a difference in the lives of others.  Our text in 1^st Peter says this clearly.

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

Now the good news is this, God not only called us to serve, he said, “Let me show you how to do it.” And to do just that, he came to earth and took on the form of a servant.

Jesus became a servant and to show us the depths of what that meant – he even went so far as to wash the feet of his disciples. He then said, “This is what I want you to do with your life.”

There are four words in the Greek language for servant – but this particular one, in this morning’s scripture text, is the lowest of the low. Jesus said, “The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.”

         Last week we said God created us to become like Christ. Well, the quickest way to become like Christ is to do what Christ came to do.  And Christ said that he came to serve others.

God gave us gifts and talents and abilities and backgrounds and experiences all for the benefit of other people, to be used in service to others. 

Sometimes I hear someone talk about wanting to be like Jesus. Well, here’s the deal. To be like Jesus always means to get our hands dirty, to get our hearts connected, to get our shoes muddy in the muck and mire of the human experience.

Years ago, I saw a Charlie Brown cartoon.

In it Lucy told Charlie Brown. “You know Charlie, I love humanity. It’s people I can’t stand.”

That may be cute but it’s not good enough if we want to fulfill our purpose and serve God. To serve God means serving peoplek,individual people.

Of course, we have a word for this service. In church language, we call it “ministry.” And when I use the word ministry (or minister) I mean each and every one of us.

You see, “Ministry” simply means using my gifts, experiences, resources and time to help somebody else in the name of Christ.

This means that all women are ministers.  All men are ministers.  All little kids, all senior adults. God shaped each of us to serve others. And Peter outlines two keys for us to help us make this happen.

First, we fulfill our purpose and serve God by using what God gave us.

Peter writes, “Each of us should use whatever gift he’s received.”

Now that tells me two things. One, God did give me some gifts. God didn’t leave me empty handed. When God gives us an assignment to do, God also gives us the tools with which to do it.

But these words also tell me my gifts aren’t going to be perfect because God didn’t give me every gift.

Peter said, “Use whatever gift” we’ve received.

And God calls me to take the gifts given to me and use them to do ministry in this world. Most often in an imperfect way!

Sometimes that is hard for us to accept.  We’re asked to participate in some ministry and we may feel we’re not perfect for the job.

We feel like we need to straighten a few things out, or get a bit more training, or let our lives settle down some, or maybe be in the church a little longer.

But, listen to what the writer of Ecclesiastes says: “If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.” Eccl. 11:4

Can I get an “amen” to that? J

See, if God waited until people were perfect and their lives were perfect, nothing would ever happen.

But consider the imperfect people God has used throughout history.

Moses stuttered. David committed adultery and then murder and talk about a dysfunctional family, his was the worst. Elijah suffered from a bad depression problem. James and John showed terrible tempers. Paul called himself the “chief of sinners.”

If God could use those folks with all their imperfections, God can use you and me. Christ-like servants, do the best they can with what they have. 

There’s a simple reason God uses imperfect people. Because that’s all God’s got.

God uses imperfect people with imperfect schedules and imperfect homes and families and imperfect intellects and imperfect talents to do all kinds of wonderful and holy things.

God calls imperfect people to hand out bulletins on Sunday morning. God needs imperfect people to teach Sunday school Imperfect people to help clean up the kitchen after the worship service.  And yes, God even calls imperfect people to work with our Youth.

After we realize God can and does use imperfect people, we take a second step to serving others by simply making our lives available to do it.  That’s what Jesus did.

There is an incident recorded in Matt.20:30-32 where two blind men were sitting by the roadside and Jesus is in the midst of a huge crowd leaving the city of Jericho. Two isolated, insignificant blind men, crying out to Jesus as they heard him passing by.

“Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

The crowd was irritated by this interruption and told them to pipe down. Now what did Jesus do in this situation? These desperate men were crying out, in what must have seemed like a hopeless cause, because there already were hundreds of people surrounding Jesus and making demands on him.

But Matt. 20:32 simply says - Jesus stopped and called out to them. “What do you want me to do for you?”

Now I want you to note what is recorded here. JESUS STOPPED. In effect, he was interrupted. And if you want to be used by God, if you want to serve God, you must be willing to be interrupted!

If we want to serve like Jesus served it requires us to sometimes “stop” what we’re doing long enough to give ourselves time for it to happen. If we never stop, we never become available to do ministry for anyone else. Jesus took the time to stop – for Jesus people were more important than programs.

I suppose the most-often heard statement that church leaders hear, when they ask someone to take on a ministry in the church are these four words. “I don’t have time.”

In other words, we don’t allow ourselves to stop this thing in order to do that thing. It’s called busyness. Busyness is the number one enemy of compassion.

I’m too busy to participate in Habitat for Humanity. I’m too busy to serve as a deacon. I’m too busy to take Friendship Bread to the visitors in our congregation. 

We hang a “Do not disturb!” sign around our hearts! We say, please do not disturb my goals, my dreams, my life, that I am focused on … please just let me be. Don’t knock.  Don’t interrupt. Don’t disturb me with the needs of other people.

I’ve rarely stayed at a hotel with a concierge. But concierges are people on the staffs of hotels that exist to help hotel guests in whatever way they need to be helped. You and I are supposed to be God’s concierges.

Are we available to serve God by meeting the needs of those about us?

I don’t know what we need to stop but if we’re too busy to serve others in the name of Christ, we need to stop something. God wants us to stop something we may not need to be doing so we can find time to do something God needs us to do.

When you boil it all down it comes to this: there are one of two things you can do with your life. You can waste it or you can invest it. And the best use of your life is to invest it in something that will outlast it.

I don’t know if you have discovered this or not, but not every investment in this life pays off. Anybody who’s invested their money in the stock market – especially in the last ten years knows what I’m talking about.  Before I came to San Jose – I invested some of my money in a blue chip, highly recommended Houston, Texas company called … Enron.  Needless to say – hardly a year later my investment wasn’t even worth $10.  You see it again and again – you know what I mean.

But, God invites us to invest in something that will last the test of time – one another.  It’s really simple.  Just follow the advice of John Wesley, the father of the Methodist Church:

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.”

In some churches in China when you join the church they welcome you by saying, “Jesus now has a new pair of eyes to see with, new ears to listen with, new hands to help with, and a new heart to love others with.”

Wouldn’t that be great if it were true?  It can be.

Now after reading my sermon, my editor, my loving wife, correctly pointed out that there are some people whose lives are already busting at the seams – doing good things, important things …that they may really not have time. 

All I am asking is that you examine what fills your time and make sure it is what God wants you to be doing. 

She also said that just saying “yes” to this invitation to serve - out of guilt or because the minister told you to - isn’t a good reason – it isn’t the right reason. 

Once again she is right on.  I want you to serve because YOU think it is the RIGHT thing.  I want you to serve where you are being led by God to serve.  I want you to be excited about being involved in God’s ministries here at STHPC.  And no arm twisting.  No guilt. Just joy!

After this service we are holding a “Ministry Fair” that I mentioned at the start of the service.  All the ministry teams of the church will be out at tables letting you know about opportunities to serve.

 I hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity to explore areas that you might participate in.  New areas. You don’t have to be a member of the church to volunteer.  God needs you.  We need you. 

Isn’t it time to step up and stop being just a spectator?  The Ministry Fair is designed to help you to do just that!  Give them a chance. You’ll be glad you did.

Amen.