5.17.26 Sermon Notes “The Servant in You – Availability”
God is calling us to something more significant than than “getting more volunteers” to do all this ministry stuff.
He is calling us to grow as His “Servants” in the world!
The spiritual practice of service is:
The expression of Christlike love through meeting the practical needs of another, especially those most in need of help.
In this series we are looking at four key ways this Spiritual Practice is expressed:
Love Hiddenness Availability Kinship
Availability
Matthew 20:29-34
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes.
Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
Jesus was radically available while living an intentional life.
His “intentionality” did not outrun His “interruptibility” which responded to “compassion” within.
σπλαγχνίζομαι (splagchnizomai) – “from the gut” – deep gut wrenching response to another’s condition which compels one to practical action
Luke 10:25-37
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
The context is “how to love?” – God and others – With desire to do it right?
The expert’s question is “Who is my neighbor?”
Jesus answers with a story that reveals and envisions!
Reveals?
The deformation of humanity when intentionality outruns interruptibility
when compassion-ate gives way to compassion-less.
Envisions?
The re-formation of humanity, lost in Eden and won back in Resurrection when a new kind of Human, Jesus of Nazareth, filled with compassionate love, entered the fray of broken humanity with healing, wholeness, and blood-bought redemption inviting us to be reborn into new life and re-formed into the image of God.
Final question! An invitation to b______________!
Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.