3/28/04

Exodus 18:13-27
Acts 6:1-7
Matthew 5:13-16

We begin today with Moses and his father-in-law Jethro. Whether the name Jethro reminds us of Jethro Tull or Jethro on the Beverly Hillbillies or whoever, I don't know, but our Bible Study groups always start giggling whenever he gets mentioned. Jethro. Anyway, back at the beginning of the Exodus story, Moses as a young man rises up against the Egyptians for harming one of his fellow Israelites, flees to Midian where he performs another courageous deed, and is rewarded by Jethro (also known as Reuel) by receiving his daughter, Zipporah, in marriage. Moses then goes to work for his father-in-law as a shepherd, is confronted by God in a burning bush, goes on to confront Pharaoh, and eventually leads his people out of their bondage. During this latter time, for their safe keeping, he sends his wife and children back to live in Midian. Prior to today's lesson, Jethro returns them to Moses, who is now firmly encamped in the wilderness.

Our story picks up today with Moses is sitting, passing judgment on all who come to him desiring a verdict. They are lined up as at the Post Office the week before Christmas. As far as the eye can see people are waiting for Moses to arbitrate their disputes, settle their claims, or do whatever legal business that needs to be done. Though the text doesn't say, we can imagine that they are not enjoying having to wait in line for hours. At other times these folks have not been shy about complaining, so I'll bet their grousing and mumbling is reaching a fever pitch. Moses is either unaware or so overwhelmed that he's rendered helpless.

Whether Jethro sees Moses' dilemma on his own or whether someone else points it out to him we don't know. Could be it's Moses' wife, unhappy with all the time he is spending at work, who asks her dad to counsel him. The Hebrew Bible is very patriarchal, but as those of you who have been studying it know, women sometimes take on important roles - often in the background.

Picture the scene. Moses arrives home after a long day and Zipporah meets him at the door. "Moses, where have you been? You missed dinner again!" "Well, I had a heavy counseling load today, had to finish writing my sermon, and then had to meet with the Trustees." "I thought you met with them last night?" "No, that was the worship committee." "I was sure you'd be home to eat tonight. It's my birthday, you know! I'll tell you, when you said you felt called to go into the ministry, I didn't expect this! Something's got to change, Moses!" So she goes and puts the word in daddy's ear. This may not be exactly what happened, but you get the idea.

Moses is good at persuasion (with God's help); he's good at leading his people through one crisis after another (with God's help, especially at the Red Sea); but he falls into the trap of many dynamic leaders - thinking he must always be "the man," always doing everything himself, or it won't get done. He has not learned the art of delegating, and if he doesn't soon learn to use the gifts of all God's people, as Jethro says, he's going to burn himself out and have a huge bunch of very unhappy campers to contend with. Jethro's solution is simple: appoint some capable assistants, some wise, sincere people known for their integrity; train them properly; and let them do the day-to-day stuff that they're able to do with the gifts that God has given them. Save Moses for the biggies, like living face-to-face with God, meeting large crises, casting visions, and establishing community standards. Move Moses up to the Appeals Court where he judges only the most difficult problems. (i) So they try this, and it works.

Something similar happens in the early church as described in today's lesson from the Book of Acts. The church has been growing so fast that some cultural conflicts have developed between the foreign-born Hellenists and the Hebrews. Conflict is something normal in growing organizations, even in churches, especially in transition times. These folks need to think "outside of the box" as we'd say, to better meet the needs of their people, just as Moses had to learn new methods of administration in the wilderness. A complaint has arisen on how widows are being neglected in the food distribution. The apostles are killing themselves running around delivering food to the needy and staffing the dining rooms - and apparently not doing these functions very well - and they themselves are neglecting both prayer and "serving the word of God," their primary responsibilities. So the community selects seven people who have gifts for this type of ministry, and they do it superbly. These seven, often called the first deacons, do the work God has equipped and entrusted them with, and the church takes off, multiplying in size and in spirit.

One of the seven chosen is Stephen, "a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit." Our Stephen Ministry is named for him, for this one with the gift to care for others. Stephen also could preach a powerful sermon; unfortunately, this was also his downfall, and later in the story, after a stirring testimony of his beliefs, he becomes the first Christian martyr to die for his faith. As important as his martyrdom was, we remember him today for the caring ministries he performed, upon which the Stephen Ministry movement is modeled.

Some folks are so weak that they are constantly changing their minds; others, so inflexible that they can never change their minds. Moses and the apostles were strong enough to be open to new ways of looking at their leadership roles, to be open to delegating tasks, to be open to recognizing and affirming the God-given gifts of others. It's common sense in business, the military, volunteer groups, and other organizations that spreading responsibilities around gets a lot more done, usually in a much better way. But religious leaders have often been blind to the reality that all Christians have gifts - a variety of gifts - and that all can do important ministries, (ii) not just menial tasks or mundane committee work, as important as these are.

You know where this sermon is going, I'll bet. We and most churches look to the pastors and maybe a few other leaders to provide the needed guidance, support, and care for members who may be hurting. Most of the time pastors do this very well initially. They are there for a particular crisis or difficult situation. But caring for the number and needs of a large congregation usually requires far more time than is available. The result is that people who need care and support often receive far less than they need, and they may feel lonely and neglected, or that no one really cares. (iii)

The Stephen Series system of lay caring ministry, in which we have recently enrolled and for which we are about to take applications from interested folks, Stephen Ministry provides a great solution to this problem, as in our two scriptural examples. By training gifted individuals to help with caring, we can multiply the amount of caring - we can literally multiply our ministry - by helping individual care receivers experience the support and concern they need for as long as they need it. (iv) And this benefits our entire church family.

Two points of clarification. We have not embarked upon this new form of ministry because we clergy are swamped with work and are about to burn out, but rather, because we know the unmet needs are so great, and there are only so many hours in the week. Second, as far as we can see into the foreseeable future, Stephen Ministers will not be replacing either our Pastoral Associate, Bev, or myself. They will only be multiplying our ministry, thus benefiting everyone.

Before I conclude, just a few words about what one might expect if one feels called to Stephen Ministry, applies, and is accepted for training. First, as a Stephen Minister, you will not be thrust into ministry all alone. You won't be tossed into deep water without knowing how to swim. You will be prepared. You will receive 50 hours of in-class training, taught by our Stephen Leaders. There will be outside reading, class discussions, and lots of practice in how to support and care for others effectively. You will engage in peer group supervision throughout your time as a Stephen Minister, and will also receive continuing education beyond the 50 hours. You will learn about the importance of confidentiality, how to pray with others, how to refer people with serious problems to professional help. You will learn how to listen, step one of which is: breathe through your nose and keep your mouth shut. You will meet once a week with your care receiver, not necessarily to solve his or her problems, and certainly not to try to cure them. God cures; all we do in ministry is care, support, and pray. As a Stephen Minister you will be a disciplined friend who is present on God's behalf and in Christ's place, to show concern for your care receiver. Being a Stephen Minister will not be easy, but it will be incredibly fulfilling. (v)

A family was talking over dinner one Sunday afternoon - do families still have Sunday dinner together? - and the parents asked their son how church school had been. "Terrible," he answered. "Why?" they asked. "Because we read that we were going to go into all the world to bring Jesus' love to others, and then we just sat in the room talking." Have you had enough just talking about the faith ? Are you ready to put your faith into action? Does the idea of being a Stephen Minister stir you? If the Spirit has granted you the gifts to be a Stephen Minister, such a calling may be difficult to resist. Come to the forum in the Parlor after worship and find out more.

I am confident that Stephen Ministry will multiply our ministry here at Pilgrim Church. Reflecting on our Scriptures for today, our congregation has made the transition. We have left behind the myth that only one or two people are the real ministers in our church. We recognize that God bestows many gifts, and that we are all ministers, each with our own specialty as we have been gifted. If you haven't looked at the listing of our staff in awhile, take a look on the back of the bulletin today. Check out the top of the list - we are all ministers. Believe this, my friends, for it is true. And listen for the whispering of God, who may be calling some of you to a specialized ministry, to a ministry of Christian lay caregiving. God bless us all as we continue our journey together. Amen.

The Pilgrim Church of Duxbury
Rev. Kenneth C. Landall

i Stephen Ministry Sample Sermon, S-3A, p. 75.
ii Ibid., p. 79.
iii Ibid., p. 73.
iv Ibid.
v Stephen Ministry Sample Sermon, S-4A, p. 80.