November 6, 2005

Servant Saints Among Us

Isaiah 6:1-8
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 6:12-16

This Sunday we celebrate All Saints' Day; technically it was last Tuesday, the day after All Hallow's Eve, Halloween. It's the time in the church year when we give thanks to God for the saints who have walked the way of faith before us. In our church tradition, these are not just the big saints of centuries ago, or even the more-than-human folks of our own generation, like Mother Teresa, but also, the very ordinary folks who have gone before us for whom we are grateful, and who may have helped shape our lives. During our prayer time we will remember the saints of Pilgrim Church who have gone on to their glory in this past year, and then give you the opportunity to speak aloud the names of those who have been special to you who are no longer with us, and for whom you want to give God thanks and praise.

Also today I want for us to recognize that there are servant saints living among us right now, and - in the words of our last hymn - that these saints of God are folks just like you and me, and perhaps you might want to think about becoming one also. Even more specifically I want to emphasize Stephen Ministry here at Pilgrim Church, just one of many ministries we have here, but an important one. Maybe you've thought about becoming a Stephen Minister, someone who after extensive training, is equipped to provide quality Christian care to people facing a variety of personal crises. Maybe you're hearing about this for the first time and would like more information. Maybe you have some specific questions about exactly what's involved and what's the commitment. As is true every Sunday, one of our Stephen Ministry Leaders, this week, Lee Tenney, will be available by the baptism font after worship with application forms in hand. There is a new class starting in January; perhaps God is calling you to be in this class.

The whole notion of calling is seen in our passages from Isaiah and Luke. In Isaiah, the prophet finds himself in the temple, and in a dramatic encounter, experiences the powerful presence of God. With fear and trembling he expresses his own unworthiness, but he is touched by the Lord in a special way, and then he hears God say, "Whom shall I send?," and he responds, "Here am I; send me!" Not every call of God is as dramatic as this one, for sure, but most have the same emotional tug, a sense of being pulled toward something, and then, hopefully, there's a response.

Near the beginning of Jesus' ministry, he goes out to a mountain and spends all night in prayer. We can imagine him praying, "What do I do now, God? You know I need special help to continue sharing my message. Who should I pick?" As a result of this prayer time he chooses twelve apostles out of the larger group of disciples he has been training. The Greek word apostle means an appointed representative, one who has been commissioned with a task to do. These apostles are a very ordinary yet diverse group. They include Peter, their spokesperson, who sometimes trips over his own humanity, and who often gets real confused about how best to serve Jesus. And impetuous James and John, who anger the others by their desire for special treatment. There's Matthew, the tax collector, who because of his occupation is disliked by many. We know from his description, that Judas Iscariot takes on a terrible role at the end of the story. And the others. We may want for the most part to make this group out as a bunch of heroes, but truth be told, the stories we read about them portray them in a pretty unfavorable light. They hardly ever understand what discipleship is all about, and when the chips are down, Judas betrays Jesus, Peter denies him three times, and the rest turn tail and run away. Instead of choosing superior, capable, proven people to be his appointed representatives, we are surprised when Jesus chooses some very ordinary imperfect folks. But before he chooses them, remember, he prays.

We have been praying for more people to volunteer for Stephen Ministry training. I'm please to say that currently all our Stephen Ministers have a care receiver. We trust that God has been working in people's hearts and lives, calling them, summoning them to this kind of service. Maybe some of you have considered being a Stephen Minister, but have hesitated because you know too well your own imperfections. Take heart! Look at those imperfect, ordinary apostles. Truth is, Jesus only chooses those who are imperfect, folks just like you and me.

My gracious, look at the Stephen Ministers we already have. I'm not going to name them by name, but, there's not a movie star, American idol, or sports hero among them! They're the opposite of this world's flashy, shallow heroes. They don't come across as profound or super important. They don't brag about what they do - in fact, everything their care receiver says to them including that person's name, is kept in strictest confidence. If you saw our group of Stephen Ministers together, you probably wouldn't be overly impressed! They're just ordinary parishioners of Pilgrim Church, who have heard God's call ... and responded. After they responded they were trained - it took a total of fifty hours, very thorough, professional training - and then they were assigned to a care receiver with whom they meet for about an hour once a week. In their ministry they remember the four points of the Caregiver's Compass, to be caregivers who are: compassionate - able to share in the sufferings of their care receivers; full of faith - relying solely on God to be the one who heals all wounds; skilled - knowing how to listen, understand, and empathize; and trustworthy - visiting care receivers regularly, maintaining confidentiality, and remaining committed to their ministry. For sure, Stephen Ministers are not the only ones who support, care for, and nurture others in our church. There are many people who are caregivers. Our Parish Nurse, Lisa Williams, and those on her committee are caregivers; our Deacons are also. Then we've got our church school teachers, our youth leaders, the "Helping Hands" folks of our Pilgrim Women's Fellowship, people who assist in outreach efforts, and the hundreds of others of you who do a myriad of things here at church and in your own lives beyond here. There are indeed many servant saints among us.

But, you may be thinking, "I can't be a Stephen Minister! I'm not qualified; I'm not saintly enough. I'm not holy enough." There's an old story about a rabbi who prays, "O Lord, make me holy! Make me like Moses!" Then he hears God say, "Why do I need another Moses? I already have one! What I really could use is you." The story relates a profound truth. It reminds us that God has no need for clones, not even clones of the greatest of the saints. Rather, God "needs" originals, one-of-a-kind-ers - like you and me. And we bring God the most joy and glory when we accept our uniqueness just as we are. (i)

Maybe you're hearing God's call to become a Stephen Minister. Oh, I hope so. If you respond and are accepted for training, and become a Stephen Minister, you won't do much out of the ordinary, but it will be so very important. Maybe every week you'll visit a person who is recently divorced, and listen to her problems, and share her pain while helping her glimpse the hope that God offers to us in the midst of suffering. Maybe you'll show up regularly to meet with a person whose wife has died, and who can't imagine what he's going to do in the days and years ahead without the one he loved. You'll listen and pray and offer the comfort of the God who suffers with him. Perhaps you'll spend time with a new mother, overwhelmed with learning the details of caring for her new child, while still thanking God for the new life that has been brought into her family, and dealing with the problems this sometimes causes. Or perhaps you'll invest your time with an elderly person who's losing his interest in life as he loses his health. And you'll listen, encourage, and help him trust God who promises to be with us always, even to death and beyond.

None of this is earth-shattering or may seem crucial in the opinion of the masses around us. But for those who are on the receiving end of such compassionate caring by servant saints among us, it is everything in the world. We also may be surprised to come to the realization that when we serve others, we are serving Jesus himself. Servant saints in the Gospel of Matthew ask: "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?" And Jesus answers, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these ..., you did for me." (ii)

When we remember the saints who have gone before us today and at other times, let's not forget what we owe to them, so many positive things in the world and in our lives. Let's also remember that we are called to continue in their stead, to be servant saints to those we live among. This is our calling as Christians, to be Christ to one another and to the world. So may it be for each of us. Amen.

The Pilgrim Church of Duxbury
Rev. Kenneth C. Landall

i Melanie Svoboda, Autoillustrator #27771.
ii Sermon based on one in Stephen Ministry S-4A, Booklet 2, pp. 90-97.