• Evotional Home
• Archive of Articles

Subscribe to Evotional

Throw in the Towel

September 5, 2007

Next week we begin a new series at NCC titled The Elephant in the Church. This week’s message is titled Throw in the Towel from John 13.

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. ² Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

⁷ Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

⁸ "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."

Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

⁹ "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. ¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. ¹³ "You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.</em>

A few weeks ago we were on vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and one of our vacation traditions is hitting Grotto Pizza and then window shopping on the boardwalk. And one of the things I love doing is checking out all of the t-shirts hanging in the windows. Some of them are pretty witty. Some of them are pretty dirty. And some of them are pretty funny. And this year, one of the shirts that made me chuckle said I’m Kind of a Big Deal. And it didn’t just make me chuckle. It made me think. I honestly believe that a lot of people spend a lot of energy trying to prove to other people that they are kind of a big deal. Anybody know anybody like that? I think all of us have spent our fair share of time and energy trying to let other people know what a big deal we are. Most of us don’t resort to wearing a t-shirt that says I’m Kind of a Big Deal. It’s a little too overt. And we don’t go up to people and introduce ourselves: Hi, I’m Mark. You may know me. I’m kind of a big deal. But we have covert methods.

And especially in a town like Washington, DC, so much energy is spent jockeying for political appointments or calling press conferences or analyzing public opinion polls that it is easy to forget who you are and what you’re about. And in stark contrast to a culture where a lot of people are spending a lot of energy trying to prove to other people that they are kind of a big deal, you have Jesus putting a towel around his waist and washing feet. It was the job that was reserved for the lowest ranking servant in that ancient Jewish culture. And to use language from Philippians 2, Jesus made himself nothing and took the humble position of a slave.

And the irony to me is this: Jesus was kind of a big deal. He was the Son of God. He is the only who could “wear the shirt” with any degree of integrity. But Jesus wasn’t about propping himself up. In fact, he said, “I did not come to be served, but to serve.” Jesus is the God who washes dirty, stinky feet. And in doing so he set an example for us to follow.

I have a friend who has a great definition of success. He says the world tends to measure success based on how much you make and how many people serve you. God measures success by how much you give away and how many people you serve.

The Least of These

Can I suggest that we need a redefinition of success? We need to tweak our definition and turn it on its head. </strong>

Let me offer an example of <strong>what success looks like. This week I got an email from an NCCer who just got back from spending a month in India. How she got there is nothing short of a miracle, but I’ll tell that story another time. But let me share one of the stories she shared with me.

I am back from a wonderful month in India and wanted share with you the blessings that I experienced.

To be honest with you, my first week or so I was very unclear about my role in the clinic. There was a big language barrier with both the patients and staff, plus the nursing role was quite different than I expected. I naively thought I would be able to jump right in and start providing care in the manner I was trained to do so in the States. After all, English is one of the official languages in India, and nursing skills are nursing skills. I was wrong!

While I was eventually able to use more of my professional skills, God showed me that they were to serve primarily as a ticket to establishing rapport with people and sharing God’s love and Good News in a very direct way.

Most people I talked with had heard about Jesus but did not know anything about him. Through God’s grace, I was given the desire, a never-experienced-before-boldness, and even the words to share and introduce Jesus to many people.

One of them was a newborn girl born with spina bifida, full paralysis of both legs, and hydrocephalus. In many parts of India, baby boys are significantly preferred over girls, so you can imagine the mood among the family when they learned their little girl was born with such serious disabilities. The hospital staff was actually worried that the parents would abandon the baby in the middle of the night or take her home and kill her. In the first few days following her birth, the parents would not touch her, feed her, or talk to her. The grandmother was the only one that demonstrated any sort of warmth towards the baby.

Again, I used my novice nursing skills as an excuse to go visit the baby everyday. At first the feeling in the room of about six family members made me feel like chickening out, but by God’s power I boldly asked the father if I could pray over the child. I was surprised that he said yes. I prayed over the baby out loud and despite the language barrier, the whole family heard the name of Jesus repeatedly. I talked to the baby, stroked her, and whispered to her that Jesus loves her. About the fourth day the father asked me to NAME HER!!!!! Wow! After prayerful thought, I chose the name Gloria. They accepted it and the father even said it was nice. With the help of an English speaking nurse, I also had the chance to share with him that there were many people in the U.S. (my NCC small group, friends, and family) who were lifting Gloria and the family up in prayer. I continue to pray for a miracle and am excited to see what the Lord does.

I had the chance to see Gloria before leaving India. The doctors are amazed that she is even alive. Her cry which was barely audible in the hospital was stronger and she had a stronger suck which means she is feeding better. She was also nice and pink. Praise God! I will continue to follow up with the family.

And I love the way she signs off. It is so appropriate!

In His service!

Jesus said, “Whatever you did for the least of these you have done it unto me!”

Loving a little girl named Gloria with spina bifida and hydrocephalus is loving Jesus. Serving her is serving Jesus. But we have a hard time connecting those dots. And I think that is why some of us view servanthood as an obligation instead of an opportunity. But if you learn to connect the dots, then the obligation turns into an opportunity! And I’ll circle back to that in a few minutes.

Can I make an observation?

I think the world would listen more if we talked less. Talk is cheap. But if we quit talking and started serving then I honestly think the world would be all ears!

Our problem isn’t lack of education. We’re educated way beyond our level of obedience. Our problem isn’t lack of resources. We’re the most resourced church in the most resourced country in the world. Our problem is lack of action. We just need to put a towel around our waist and start washing feet.

A few months ago I came across something that Peter Marshall wrote. Peter Marshall is the former Chaplain of the Senate in the 1940’s and pastor of New York Avenue Presbyterian. I can’t stop thinking about what he wrote.

I wonder what would happen if we all agreed to read one of the Gospels until we came to a place that told us to do something, then went out to do it, and only after we had done it, began reading again?

There are aspects of the Gospel that are puzzling and difficult to understand. But our problems are not centered around the things we don’t understand, but rather in the things we do understand, the things we could not possibly misunderstand. Our problem is not so much that we don’t know what we should do. We know perfectly well, but we don’t want to do it.

Divine Drum Roll

Let’s jump back into the story.

Jesus is hanging out with his disciples. The countdown clock to the crucifixion is ticking. And it says: Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

This is a huge statement: the full extent of his love. If you don’t know what is going to happen next there is a little suspense. What is Jesus going to do? It must be a big deal. I like to think of this as a biblical drum roll. Can you give me a little drum roll?

So Jesus got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

I probably would have saved this statement for the cross. You know what I’m saying? Isn’t that the full extent of his love? But John uses that phrase to frame this act of service. And I wonder if we don’t take it as seriously as we should. This is going to sound awfully simplistic, but in the context of this passage, loving is serving and serving is loving! You haven’t really loved someone until you have served them.

Connect the Dots

Two weeks ago, a team of twenty-one NCCers hopped on a plane and flew to Uganda to build an orphanage. And I just want to say that if James 1:27 is true—true religion is to look after widows and orphans—then it may rank as the most significant thing we’ve ever done as a church!

Before I show you the video, let me give you a little backstory. It was several months ago that Pastor Joel told me about this idea he had to raise money to build an orphanage in Uganda. He said he wanted to get pedometers and challenge people to walk for missions. And he asked me if I thought we should do 15,000 steps for $15,000 or 30,000 steps for $30,000. And I’ve got to be honest. $15,000 seemed like a huge stretch! But thank God for people who more faith than me! Joel decided to go for $30,000.

So not only did twenty-one NCCers invest $3000 to go on the trip and serve. They also raised money to build the orphanage. And many of you walked with them or pledged money to the project. And it should be Pastor Joel and the Uganda team sharing this praise report. But as of two days ago, we raised $44,287.41.

Praise God!

Now here is what happens when we go on a mission trip. I think we’re able to see the way our servanthood makes a difference! I think it helps us connect the dots. We can see the fruit of our labor. Two and a quarter days of hard labor equates to an orphanage in Uganda. Eight orphans now have a home where they will live and be loved. But I want to push back a little bit. You don’t have to go to Uganda to make a difference! There are opportunities all around us all the time if we could just connect the dots!

I just want to take a moment to honor those of you who serve in an NCC ministry.

I want to say that we wouldn’t be who we are or where we are without you. We have small group leaders who pour their lives into their groups every semester. We have production volunteers who sacrifice sleep. They are the first ones in and the last ones out. We have worship teams that practice during the week so they can lead us into God’s presence on the weekend. As a dad, I’m blessed by everybody in our children’s ministry who loves and serves my kids! We have a hospitality that welcomes us and serves us and feeds us. And while we are sitting in church we have a prayer team that is praying for us!

So many NCCers are making a huge difference. But I want to challenge every one who considers NCC their church home to get involved in a ministry!

Sweaty

In the Uganda video, Carmel says something I can’t get out of my head. The truth of what she said keeps echoing.

I’ve never been this dirty. I’ve never been this tired. I’ve never been this sore. But I’ve never been so full of joy!

I’m guessing that everybody on the Uganda team would say that it was two of the toughest days of their lives, but also two of the most joyful and meaningful days of their lives. Why? I think it’s because they were following in Jesus footsteps!

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

When we follow His example we experience His joy! And there is nothing like it! You can spend your energy trying to prove that you are kind of a big deal and you’ll feel emptier and emptier. But if you put a towel around your waist and start serving others you’ll experience a fulfillment that can only we bound following in His footsteps!

So what we need to do is learn to live in what I would call mission-trip mode all the time! We need to connect the dots here the way we connect the dots there!

And that means you have to get dirty. You have to get smelly. And you have to get sweaty. You have to break a sweat for God’s purposes!

I’ll be honest. I don’t like the smell of stinky sweat. And every once in a while I’ll be working out at Results Gym and someone will walk by who stinks! You get a whiff and quickly try to figure out what equipment they had been using because you don’t want to go anywhere near it. It’s nasty. It’s repulsive.

But I had a thought this week: I think God loves the smell of sweat. The holiest Christians are the smelliest Christians. It’s the people who are sweating like crazy! Our body odor is a sweet aroma in the nostrils of God.

Burning Calories

I think we tend to think of stewardship in financial terms, but I wonder if we ought to think of it in caloric terms. I’m training for my first triathlon that I run in two weeks and I never really counted calories before I started training. But I started riding a stationary bike and running on a treadmill that counted calories burned. And here is the bottom line. All other factors being equal: the more calories I burn the better shape I’m going to be in. It’s not rocket science physically. And it’s not rocket science spiritually.

How many calories are you burning for the kingdom of God?

I don’t know how many calories the Ugandan team burned building that orphanage, but I wonder if God isn’t keeping count. In fact, I’m pretty sure He is.

The Great Commandment reveals four different dimensions of love. We can love God with our heart, soul, mind or strength. And we tend to dismiss strength because we don’t know what it means. I think it means burning calories or breaking a sweat for the kingdom of God. Every ounce of energy and every drop of sweat invested for kingdom purposes counts! We think of worship and prayer as being super spiritual activities. But they aren’t any more spiritual than breaking a good sweat serving God.

Some of you are tired of serving. Here’s a word from the Lord.

Hebrews 12:12 says, “Take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs.”

Some of us are tired. And frankly, some of us are lazy. Sort of like what happens when you sit on the couch or chair or toilet too long, your butt get numbs. You lose all feeling in your lower body. Some of you have a numb butt from sitting on it. And I love you. I love you enough to spur you.

Hebrews 10:24 says spur one another on toward love and good deeds. A spur is a sharp object used to poke an animal in the butt to get them to move. The church needs to be a community that spurs one another on!

We’re at the start of another football season and it reminds me of the old saying: what’s wrong with America is that millions of people, desperately in need of exercise, sit on their couches all afternoon watching twenty-two men, desperately in need of rest, run around the football field.

Unfortunately, that is a picture of too many churches.

Throw in the Towel

Now I know the tendency in a message like this is to feel a little motivated or a little convicted. But I also know that it’s easy to leave and forget about it. And we come back next week to hear about something else we don’t put into practice.

I want to challenge you to throw in the towel—get plugged into a ministry. You may not know where you want to serve yet. And we’re committed to you finding the right place. But you know how you find the right ministry? By trying the wrong ministry. It’s trial and error.

Do we need you? Absolutely! If we had one location we would need to do ministry layoffs. But we’ve decided to continue stretching ourselves as a multi-site church and that means that we always have opportunities to serve. I’m not gonna lie. It’s hard. We have a hard time fielding three bands every week and pretty soon we’ll need four! Huge props to our current team that goes the extra mile. But if you have musical gifts we need you. And you need us.

If you want get more out of church you need to put more into it. I want to encourage everybody to attend a service and serve at a service. And if you start serving you’ll get a lot more out of it than if you’re just attending. It’ll transform your experience!

Throw in the towel.

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

• « Previous entry:
  Action Verbs