SERMON BY PASTOR DAVID LAYMAN

October 15, 2006

Mark 10:17-31 The Message

What must I do to get? was the question posed by the rich young ruler.
What must I do to get eternal life? This young man was obviously into
the stock market, into futures and commodities. What must I do to
get?, he asks Jesus. Hed already accumulated, or inherited, much
wealth. Now he wanted more. He wanted to acquire eternal life. This man
is to be commended. After all, he is interested in more than wealth and
comfort. He was desirous of the better things, spiritual treasures. He
wanted to get eternal life! Good for him! Not only was he wanting to get
eternal life. He was conscientiously seeking to follow the law. He
confessed he didnt commit adultery, steal, lie, or murder. Hed honored
his father and mother. Mark tells us that Jesus looked at the young man,
and loved him! Every pastor in Richmond would love to have such a member
in their church!

But following Jesus involves more than keeping rules. It requires
setting aside our desire to have status and power over others. This
teaching is consistent with Jesus telling the disciples when they were
arguing which one of them was the greatest, that Whoever wants to be
first must be last of all and servant of all. That was when Jesus
placed a humble child in their midst. One of the greatest challenges in
our relationship with God is developing a servants heart. The
accouterments of what make us feel powerful and successful are very
close to our hearts. Jesus left His throne in glory to be born in a
humble manger. He was superior in every way to the scribes and
Pharisees, the temple priests, the Roman soldiers, to King Herod and
Governor Pontius Pilate. Yet Jesus came into the world via birth in a
humble stable, without the trappings and appearance of power or status.
He didnt drive around the Holy Land in a Hummer. He walked! He came
into our world as a servant!

Our initial reaction may be to be critical of the rich young ruler. We
can tell ourselves that if we had lots of money, we would be willing to
give it up to follow Jesus. It was stewardship time, and a church member
who farmed was talking to his pastor. The farmer was saying If I win
the lottery, and get that $10,000,000 jackpot, Ill gladly give a tenth,
one million dollars, to the church. The pastor posed this question:
Lets say you had 50 hogs. Would you give 5 to God? The farmer
sputtered Hold on, pastor, hold on. You know Ive got 50 hogs! In
theory, we may see ourselves as doing the virtuous thing. But when a
concrete situation arises and God asks us if were willing to give up
something, its no longer so easy. The rich young ruler story is really
not just about money. Its about authority. Its about whether you and I
are willing to have servants hearts, and let Jesus be our Lord and
Master. Its about whether we want to maintain control of what it is
were willing to give and share, or whether well simply say to God:
Lord, Im your servant. You tell me what you want me to do, to give, to
give up, and Ill do it. Servants dont get to call the shots. Servants
know their master will do the calling!

Four people were flying across the great northwest: the pilot, a person
who considered himself the smartest man in the world, a preacher, and a
Boy Scout. The pilot turned around and told his passengers that the
instruments showed the plane was going down. There were only 3
parachutes. The pilot explained he had a wife and family, grabbed one of
the parachutes, and jumped out of the plane. The smartest man in the
world told the others he had too much to offer the world; his life must
be preserved, and jumped. The preacher looked at the Boy Scout and said
I know the Lord. Ive lived a long and fruitful life. You take the last
parachute. But the Scout responded Thats ok, preacher. The smartest
man in the world just jumped out with my back pack. Those who are
willing to serve Gods kingdom will experience the truth we read in Mark
10: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.

It is a servants responsibility to obey. George Buttrick said Gods
providence is not in baskets lowered from the sky, but through the hands
and hearts of those who love him. A boy without food or shoes made the
proper answer when a cruel woman asked, If God loved you, wouldnt he
have sent you food and shoes? The boy replied, God told someone, but
he forgot. We are the servants God calls to do his work and will in
the world.

Phil Hodgkin story: I was serving as interim pastor in the northern
part of the state, and one Sunday John, one of our faithful members,
lost consciousness during worship. He was carried to the back of the
sanctuary and carefully laid on the floor, while the ambulance was
called. I spent my time checking with John, and relating updates to the
congregation as they sang and prayed. Initially, we didnt know if John
would survive or not. But John regained consciousness, and was
struggling to reach into his coat pocket. With help, he pulled out an
envelope, gave it to a Deacon and said I dont want to go to the
hospital, taking with me the tenth that belongs to God. Johns concern
in the midst of those anxious moments impressed the congregation with
how seriously John took the servanthood of Christian stewardship. I
first became a believer while in the service, serving in Europe. A
Christian friend introduced me to tithing, and Jan and I since that time
have committed a tenth of what God has blessed us with to the Lord.

We dont always get to choose the roles we are called upon to play in
life. Servants arent choosers! Kay Warrens husband Rick pastors the
huge Saddleback Church in California. At the age of 49, Kays 3 children
were grown, and she decided the next venture in her life would be to go
to Africa in order to help lead her church in an outreach to the victims
of AIDS. On the very day her flight was to depart, she was diagnosed
with breast cancer. Kay postponed her trip and went through surgery,
chemotherapy, nausea, exhaustion, hair loss. She couldnt help but give
way to tears and discouragement at times. After all, she was all set to
serve God in a very worthy outreach, and now this detour. But Kay
persisted. She contacted an Orange County AIDS outreach organization
about the Saddleback Church enlisting volunteers to visit AIDS victims.
But the organizations director was fearful of a church wanting to judge
his clients, having an ulterior motive. The leader said Im sure youre
sincere, Mrs. Warren. But Im still not certain your church is a good
fit with our organization.

Kay found herself responding Okay, I understand your concerns. But
before you go, I want to explain the reason I invited you here. I dont
know what its like to have AIDS. But I do know what its like to have a
life-threatening illness. Last year, I had breast cancer. I underwent
surgery and chemotherapy. It was awful. But during those months, what
mattered most was having people around me. Just holding me. Just knowing
they were there, I wasnt afraid to die. The AIDS coordinator responded
Maybe we can work with you. As Kay reflects on this experience, she
concludes I dont believe God wanted me to get cancer. But once I had
it, I believe he used it to change me--to teach me, in a way I had never
known, what Jesus meant when he told his disciples: Love one another.
(GUIDEPOSTS, October 2006, p. 26)

The world is constantly asking What must I do to get? Were hardly
ready for Jesus answer: You must give, you must be a servant. Deep
within our hearts, we long for recognition, the acknowledgment of
others, a sense of prominence. Service in Gods kingdom promises no
swift fulfillment of these desires. Sometimes we serve for many years,
wondering what if any progress is being made. Several months back I read
the Pulitzer prize winning novel Gilead. Its not a cheerful book. It
tells the story of an elderly pastor in rural Iowa, and his Presbyterian
minister friends son, Jack Boughton. Young Boughton grew up to be the
opposite of what his father desired. Sometimes they say preachers kids
turn about to be the worst ones, and Jack Boughton was such a case. He
was such an embarrassment to his parents, and to the whole town, that
perhaps it was best this prodigal son moved away. But when he heard his
father was dying, the prodigal son returns for a visit. Its not one of
those feel good stories. This prodigal son doesnt come back saying
Father,I have sinned against you and against heaven. Make me your
servant. The prodigal son comes back confused, and searching, but not
yet found. The author empathizes deeply with his minister friends pain,
and does what he can to reach out to his friends wayward son. As the
prodigal son is waiting at the bus station to depart, the author goes
and awkwardly asks if he could bless the prodigal. Young Jack asks What
would that involve? The author says Well, as I envisage it, it would
involve my placing my hand on your brow and asking the protection of God
for you. But if it would be embarrassing.... as there were several
people in the street.

The young man replies No, no. That doesnt matter. He took off his hat
and closed his eyes and lowered his head. The old pastor and friend of
his father laid his hand on the mans forehead and said The Lord make
His face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up
His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Then, as young Jack
didnt seem eager for the moment to pass, the old pastor continued
Lord, bless [Jack] Boughton, this beloved son and brother and husband
and father. The prodigal son opened his eyes, looking as if he was
walking out of a dream, and said Thank you, Reverend. The old pastor
said it was an honor to bless him, believing that hed have gone through
seminary and ordination and all the years intervening for that one
moment. The old pastor concluded There are a thousand thousand reasons
to live this life, every one of them sufficient. (Marilynne Robinson,
Gilead, Picador, New York, 2004).

The reasons we live this life, are to be servants of Christ. We dont
live to get eternal life, although that comes to us as undeserved
grace. We live not to achieve fame or prosperity or even success. We
live to serve Christ. We may look at our lives, in moments of
reflection, and especially in times of disappointment, and ask What did
I accomplish? Sometimes, that question may lead us into the valley of
the shadow.

But the accomplishments of life are not something for CPAs to add up,
but for God to calculate! Gods math is not the same as ours. We, like
the rich young ruler, run around asking What must I do to get?

Jesus looks at us with love, and says You must give. You must become a
servant.

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