“Called To Serve”

Acts 6:1-7 and Mark 9:33-37

Pastor Deb Troester, STHPC, September 29, 2024

If you ask a child, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” he or she might say: a teacher, a doctor, an engineer, a fireman, and so on, but what child is going to say, “When I grow up, I want to be a servant”? Yet, this is precisely what the seven men in Acts were signing up for: to serve food to poor widows. In order to be chosen, they had to be “persons of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom,” in other words, people who were respected and trusted in the community. The apostles were selective in whom they chose for this task of feeding the poor. They didn’t just motion to someone standing on the sidelines and say, “Hey you, we want to put you in charge of our food distribution ministry.” So these seven men were all at least somewhat well-known. They were “somebodies.”

Yet they were called to serve people often looked down on as “nobodies” – people at the other end of the social pecking order - poor widows. Women who had lost their husband in those days were dependent on the charity of others. If they had no kind-hearted relative to take them in, they might even starve to death. In Africa, even in Cameroon, we have heard of such situations, where if the husband dies, the widow is chased off of the property and left to fend for herself. It was not that different in Biblical times – remember the story of Ruth and Naomi, how Ruth gleaned barley in the fields so that they wouldn’t go hungry. Many widows were among poorest of the poor. In Bible times, men had all the power. Women were expected to serve, not to be served. Yet these seven men accepted the task of serving poor widows. A certain amount of humility was required.

Maybe they were thinking of what Jesus had said, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” These seven were willing to lay aside their pride, follow Jesus’ example and serve.

Sometimes this passage is entitled “Choosing the First Deacons.” Why? The word “deacon” is not mentioned in the passage. But if we go back to the Greek, the language the New Testament was originally written in, we find the answer. The word “deacon” comes from the Greek word “diakonos,” which means servant. It occurs in verse one as: διακονίᾳ or “service,” which can also be translated “ministry.” So we could paraphrase “distribution of food,” as the ministry of giving food to the poor. The first task given to the first deacons was that of serving the poor and ministering to their needs.

Already we see why wisdom was one of the requirements for these deacons. We read that “The Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.” There were two main ethnic groups in the early church in Jerusalem: the Hebrews and the Hellenists. The Hebrews were from Palestine, and observed the traditional Judean culture. According to Justo Gonzalez, author of our Bible Study on Acts, Three Months with the Spirit, the Hebrews  “considered themselves more faithful and pure than the Hellenists.” They spoke Aramaic, a language closely related to Hebrew. The Hellenists, on the other hand, “were Jews who had been raised outside of Palestine, or those in Palestine who had very strong connections with other lands.

They generally spoke Greek, and that is why they were called Hellenists. Both groups were represented in the early church.”

Gonzales also notes that “The Twelve [apostles] heard and accepted the complaints of the excluded group. They did not wait until such complaints resulted in an open conflict.” Rather, they “took the complaints seriously,” did not blame the people who complained and “acknowledged the need for change.” Here we see an example of how to handle conflict in the church – try to catch it when it starts, listen carefully to the people who have a complaint, and validate their feelings  – acknowledge that something needs to be changed. Then go about finding a positive solution without blaming or shaming anyone. In these basic principles, nothing has changed in 2000 years. Listening to people who are being unfairly treated and changing the system so that things can be more equitable never goes out of style.

I chose to read this passage about the first deacons this morning partly because this afternoon the deacons and elders of our congregation are having their annual joint meeting.

Even if we are not an elder or deacon, servant leadership is a good topic for all of us to consider. Even if we are not a leader in the church, we may be a leader at home or in our work or elsewhere, or we may be a future leader.

In today’s gospel passage we read how Jesus became aware that the disciples had been arguing, and he asked them what it was about. Mark tells us that the disciples “were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest.” In the verses immediately preceding this passage, Jesus warned his disciples of his impending death, saying “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But the disciples did not understand this and were afraid to ask him what he meant. Jesus must have felt sad and disappointed. He wanted his disciples to know that his death was near. He had been trying to prepare them for what was coming, and he still had much he wanted to teach them. But instead of focusing on what Jesus was telling them, they had been discussing who among them was the greatest.

Jesus must have felt disappointment and sadness at their lack of understanding and their desire for earthly power.

Most people would have been ready to give up at that point, but not Jesus. Instead he sat down – a sign that he was about to teach them something important, since rabbis normally sat to teach. He said, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child in his arms, saying “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” If we love Christ, we will welcome even those seen as least important in the eyes of the world, the weak, the vulnerable, the marginalized, those with no power or influence, even a little child.

A true Christian leader does this. The best leader is not the strongest, richest, most powerful or even most respected. No. If we want to follow Christ, we must become like him, the good shepherd who watches over his sheep, even and especially the weakest, smallest ones.

In Mark 10 we read, “Whoever wishes to be first among you must be servant of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.” Jesus is our example. The night he was betrayed, he washed the feet of his disciples. Washing someone's feet was the job of a servant, even a slave. But Jesus, the King of the universe, knelt down to wash the feet of his disciples. If he did that, those of us who are leaders in the church or community must also be willing to do the most humble of jobs, and not care if we are recognized for doing them or not.

           When I was preparing to enter seminary, I came into the church one morning and found our pastor sweeping the floor. He had moved some furniture in the office and found a lot of dust under where it had been. He did not consider this task of moving furniture or sweeping beneath him. In doing so, he gave me an powerful example: if you would lead others, you must be willing to serve as well. We need to take Jesus’ words seriously: we are called to serve, not to be served. 

Remember Mother Teresa, who started an order of nuns to care for the poor who were suffering from HIV-AIDS, leprosy, and tuberculosis, without access to medical care, who were dying without dignity on the streets of Calcutta. Even after she became an internationally known figure, she still spent time comforting those that the rest of the world had overlooked. To God no one is unimportant, and no task is too small, if it helps others and is done to the glory of God.

All of us have known people who simply went about quietly doing good, helping out wherever it was needed, but never asking for any recognition. Some of you are here this morning. These people are the ones Jesus spoke of when he said: “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). These people are quiet leaders. They lead by example. They may not ever be seen up in front of the church or at the head table – they are more likely serving the food at the buffet table, but they are leaders nonetheless. We need this kind of leader, too.  

That day in Capernaum, the disciples quarreled about which of them was the greatest. But the Gospel overturns the wisdom of this world: in the upside-down kingdom of God, embodied in Jesus Christ, the greatest is the servant of all. We who claim to be Christian leaders, let us follow our good shepherd, Jesus, and let him teach us how to have a servant’s heart. May God, who called us to become servants of all, bless you today and always in your service to the last and the least. Because in welcoming even a little child, you welcome Jesus. Amen.

©Deborah Troester 2024