May 3, 2022

Matthew 23:11-12; NASB
11 But the greatest of you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

The other day I was invited to preach at a friend's church. It was an honor to be invited, and I was thankful to be there and share from God’s Word to another church body.

As arranged, I arrived early in the morning to walk through the service and acquaint myself with all the people serving and all the moving parts that day. Where do I fit in? Who is introducing me? What should I do when I finish speaking?

After going through all that, there was some time before the service. As I was waiting for the service to start, a gentleman approached me. “Excuse me,” he said, “I was just asked if I could get some volunteers to help me set up the bounce house for the children’s ministry. Would you mind helping me out?”

I thought to myself, “Is this really happening right now? Is there no other person to help? Can he not see that I am wearing the microphone to be the speaker for the day?”

So I said, “Sure, I would love to help.” He tells me to hang on one minute as he grabs another volunteer (ironically, it turns out the other volunteer was visiting this church for the first time that day).

It’s a funny story and a memory to me. Sure we could laugh about it and joke about what this person was thinking asking these two people to help that morning. But at the same time it was a great lesson God was teaching me that day: “Brian, you are never so good that you cannot help others.”

Jesus has a great take on what it means to be “great.” It doesn’t mean having power and authority. It doesn’t mean to have an abundance of money. It doesn’t mean that you are in a position where you command others what to do and they do it.

It’s not about degrees. It’s not about connections. It’s not about heritage.

None of these things are bad or wrong in and of themselves. There are a lot of great people that are in situations like those above.

No, for Jesus, what makes a person great is humility. Not looking for recognition. Not looking for fame. Greatness is found in being mindful and watching out for others, lending a helping hand whenever and wherever you can.

Did you see the movie “Bruce Almighty?” In the movie, Bruce Nolan (played by Jim Carrey) is asked to fill in for God. And to be honest, he is not a great God. Why (other than the obvious fact that there can only be one true God)? Because Bruce is only concerned with himself, using and abusing the power of God for his own fame, benefit, and recognition.

The only person he was interested in serving was himself. And that was the lesson he needed to learn in the movie. That there are far greater things in the world than just our own fame and power.

There’s plenty of people we can call out in today’s society who think they are great but fall far short of Jesus’ definition. That’s not the point.

The point is, Jesus is telling His disciples (the 12, you, me….us) to change the way we do things. Jesus is calling us to be servants to all. 

So get out there and serve others. Serve in your neighborhoods, your family, your workplace. Maybe it’s gardening, or helping someone clean/organize. Maybe it’s helping an organization. Opportunities abound.

Even when you are asked to be a guest speaker, you’re never too great to serve and serve with others.

Go be great!

-Pastor Brian