In His Service
Stories
Contents
"In His Service" by Keith Wagner
"Remembering" by Keith Wagner
In His Service
by Keith Wagner
John 13:1-17
One time a confirmation class I was leading was learning about the many symbols in the church. I asked them what they thought I H S meant, which was inscribed on the altar at a church I served. One of the youth said, “In His service?” Many think that, but the letters I H S (iota-eta-sigma) actually mean “Jesus” in Greek.
On the other hand the youth was right. Jesus does expect his followers to be “in his service.” At this point in the gospel of John, Jesus had very little time left to teach his disciples. In order to leave the world with followers who would truly be “in his service” he had to demonstrate the importance of unconditional love. If the disciples didn’t love each other, how could they possibly build God’s Church? How could they possibly teach others how to love?
Jesus used foot washing to enable the disciples to understand their love for one another. Foot washing was a tradition at the time that a host showed for a guest, even a total stranger. It was their custom to wash the feet of a weary traveler to make them feel refreshed and welcomed.
In our society we are more likely to hang up the coat of a guest or offer them something to drink. Foot washing is a thing of the past. Nevertheless it is symbolic of genuine hospitality and humility.
Jesus also wants us to be humble, putting aside our pride and placing ourselves in another’s shoes. Humility, as understood in the New Testament, means a lack of concern for one’s own prestige and consequently valuation of others above self.
One time my wife and I were waiting in the hospital family waiting area during her mother’s surgery. At one point some volunteers arrived with a cart. They were serving free coffee, juice and cookies. I was getting hungry and I got in line for some refreshments. While I was standing in line, a woman asked “who are you here for?” I replied that my wife and I were waiting for her mother who was having surgery. We had been there since 6:30AM and it was almost noon. Then she got a call on her cell phone and I received my refreshments and returned to my seat. Later I thought, “I never asked her who she was waiting for.” A total stranger showed me concern for my family but I had not returned the favor. I saw her awhile later and wanted to respond but she was talking on her cell phone. I wish I had the opportunity to find who she was waiting on but I didn’t have the opportunity.
I was humbled by the fact that some stranger actually showed empathy for us. I didn’t get the chance to respond since she was talking on her cell phone. No doubt she was relaying the status of her family member to a friend. I wish I had waited until she had finished her conversation and went back to her but I was eating my cookies and forgot about it. You could say I had my feet washed but did not return the act of love.
Foot washing has to do with unity and intimacy. Peter was struggling with this too. He thought that Jesus wanted to wash his feet as to cleanse him. But, foot washing isn’t about water, it’s about a relationship.
For me, washing the feet of his disciples has a deeper, symbolic meaning, not to mention a theological one. You can wash people’s feet until your arms fall off, but that in of itself will not make you any closer to Christ.
One time I performed a wedding ceremony for a couple who wanted to be married by a minister. But, no area clergy-person would marry them since they had a two-week old baby. The couple didn’t want a civil ceremony because they wanted their marriage to be blessed by a pastor. The groom’s mother knew our church secretary and she asked her to ask me if I would do the ceremony. I agreed and now the couple is legally married.
I tell this story because of what I took away from the event. I was aware that the woman had a child from a previous relationship. It turned out that her first child was bi-racial. The mother was part American Indian. But what impressed me about the couple was their sincere genuineness and interaction of the family members that were present at the wedding ceremony. What I witnessed was complete acceptance and unconditional love. I felt honored to be part of that union.
May all of us as followers of Jesus truly be “In His Service.”
* * *
Remembering
by Keith Wagner
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
One morning I had a meeting with other United Church of Christ ministers in my area. There were about a dozen of us who gathered at one of the smallest, rural churches. We met in the basement or fellowship hall. The church had no educational wing and the sanctuary was not suited for our gathering. The church was in the middle of nowhere. They had about 35 people who attended on Sunday mornings. They had actually grown recently because they had a new pastor and some very committed people.
It reminded me of my first church, also a rural church, which had no educational wing and about 40 people present on Sunday mornings. That was where I began my ministry. I hadn’t thought about that congregation in a long time. It made me wonder how they were getting along. Since I was just beginning my ministry at that time, it also made me remember how supportive they were of a man who had little experience. As I look back on my early sermons they had to be very tolerant and forgiving.
Gathering in that small, rural church helped me remember that every church, no matter how big or small, is still important to God and especially the people who make up the congregation. It reminded me that every church, regardless of its size, has a small beginning. The church is not like a professional baseball team that can go out and spend millions of dollars and assemble a team of great players. Nor is the Church like a city which can create bond issues to build an athletic stadium or ballpark. A church has to rely on the resources of its people.
Paul told the church at Corinth to “remember.” They had apparently forgotten what it meant to be a church. There were divisions among them, not because they were different but because each was doing his/her own thing. It wasn’t the supper of the Lord they sought -- it was to feed their own stomachs. Some just ate, ignoring others who were late or different. Some ate privately as if the meal was just for them. In the process some went hungry and some got drunk. Everyone was looking out for number one rather than see themselves as a community.
Paul said, “I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better, but for the worse.” This was a people who had forgotten their roots. They needed to be reminded that they were the body of Christ. And as the body of Christ they were to “wait on one another.” In other words, they were to make sure that everyone was included, that the body was more important than any one individual.
Early in my ministry I had the opportunity to go to an orientation meeting at the new Honda plant. All the associates were gathered in one room, along with their guests. We took a tour of the plant then reassembled in the conference hall for a time of questions and answers. That didn’t begin, however, until everyone had gone to the refreshment table for coffee, sodas, and cookies. Then we got down to serious business.
As I looked around the room I saw men and women, some old and some young, people of color and from many different cities and towns. They were all together with a common purpose. In their case it was producing new automobiles. The production of a quality product was totally connected to their ability to work as a team. They were all different, they were all together, and they met over food.
Rev. Dr. Keith Wagner is the pastor of St. John's UCC in Troy, Ohio. He has served churches in Southwest Ohio for over three decades. He is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and has an M.Div. from Methodist Theological School, Delaware, Ohio, and a D.Min. from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He has also been an adjunct professor at Edison Community College, Piqua, Ohio. He and his wife, Lin, live in Springfield, Ohio.
*****************************************
StoryShare, April 13, 2017, issue.
Copyright 2017 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
"In His Service" by Keith Wagner
"Remembering" by Keith Wagner
In His Service
by Keith Wagner
John 13:1-17
One time a confirmation class I was leading was learning about the many symbols in the church. I asked them what they thought I H S meant, which was inscribed on the altar at a church I served. One of the youth said, “In His service?” Many think that, but the letters I H S (iota-eta-sigma) actually mean “Jesus” in Greek.
On the other hand the youth was right. Jesus does expect his followers to be “in his service.” At this point in the gospel of John, Jesus had very little time left to teach his disciples. In order to leave the world with followers who would truly be “in his service” he had to demonstrate the importance of unconditional love. If the disciples didn’t love each other, how could they possibly build God’s Church? How could they possibly teach others how to love?
Jesus used foot washing to enable the disciples to understand their love for one another. Foot washing was a tradition at the time that a host showed for a guest, even a total stranger. It was their custom to wash the feet of a weary traveler to make them feel refreshed and welcomed.
In our society we are more likely to hang up the coat of a guest or offer them something to drink. Foot washing is a thing of the past. Nevertheless it is symbolic of genuine hospitality and humility.
Jesus also wants us to be humble, putting aside our pride and placing ourselves in another’s shoes. Humility, as understood in the New Testament, means a lack of concern for one’s own prestige and consequently valuation of others above self.
One time my wife and I were waiting in the hospital family waiting area during her mother’s surgery. At one point some volunteers arrived with a cart. They were serving free coffee, juice and cookies. I was getting hungry and I got in line for some refreshments. While I was standing in line, a woman asked “who are you here for?” I replied that my wife and I were waiting for her mother who was having surgery. We had been there since 6:30AM and it was almost noon. Then she got a call on her cell phone and I received my refreshments and returned to my seat. Later I thought, “I never asked her who she was waiting for.” A total stranger showed me concern for my family but I had not returned the favor. I saw her awhile later and wanted to respond but she was talking on her cell phone. I wish I had the opportunity to find who she was waiting on but I didn’t have the opportunity.
I was humbled by the fact that some stranger actually showed empathy for us. I didn’t get the chance to respond since she was talking on her cell phone. No doubt she was relaying the status of her family member to a friend. I wish I had waited until she had finished her conversation and went back to her but I was eating my cookies and forgot about it. You could say I had my feet washed but did not return the act of love.
Foot washing has to do with unity and intimacy. Peter was struggling with this too. He thought that Jesus wanted to wash his feet as to cleanse him. But, foot washing isn’t about water, it’s about a relationship.
For me, washing the feet of his disciples has a deeper, symbolic meaning, not to mention a theological one. You can wash people’s feet until your arms fall off, but that in of itself will not make you any closer to Christ.
One time I performed a wedding ceremony for a couple who wanted to be married by a minister. But, no area clergy-person would marry them since they had a two-week old baby. The couple didn’t want a civil ceremony because they wanted their marriage to be blessed by a pastor. The groom’s mother knew our church secretary and she asked her to ask me if I would do the ceremony. I agreed and now the couple is legally married.
I tell this story because of what I took away from the event. I was aware that the woman had a child from a previous relationship. It turned out that her first child was bi-racial. The mother was part American Indian. But what impressed me about the couple was their sincere genuineness and interaction of the family members that were present at the wedding ceremony. What I witnessed was complete acceptance and unconditional love. I felt honored to be part of that union.
May all of us as followers of Jesus truly be “In His Service.”
* * *
Remembering
by Keith Wagner
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
One morning I had a meeting with other United Church of Christ ministers in my area. There were about a dozen of us who gathered at one of the smallest, rural churches. We met in the basement or fellowship hall. The church had no educational wing and the sanctuary was not suited for our gathering. The church was in the middle of nowhere. They had about 35 people who attended on Sunday mornings. They had actually grown recently because they had a new pastor and some very committed people.
It reminded me of my first church, also a rural church, which had no educational wing and about 40 people present on Sunday mornings. That was where I began my ministry. I hadn’t thought about that congregation in a long time. It made me wonder how they were getting along. Since I was just beginning my ministry at that time, it also made me remember how supportive they were of a man who had little experience. As I look back on my early sermons they had to be very tolerant and forgiving.
Gathering in that small, rural church helped me remember that every church, no matter how big or small, is still important to God and especially the people who make up the congregation. It reminded me that every church, regardless of its size, has a small beginning. The church is not like a professional baseball team that can go out and spend millions of dollars and assemble a team of great players. Nor is the Church like a city which can create bond issues to build an athletic stadium or ballpark. A church has to rely on the resources of its people.
Paul told the church at Corinth to “remember.” They had apparently forgotten what it meant to be a church. There were divisions among them, not because they were different but because each was doing his/her own thing. It wasn’t the supper of the Lord they sought -- it was to feed their own stomachs. Some just ate, ignoring others who were late or different. Some ate privately as if the meal was just for them. In the process some went hungry and some got drunk. Everyone was looking out for number one rather than see themselves as a community.
Paul said, “I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better, but for the worse.” This was a people who had forgotten their roots. They needed to be reminded that they were the body of Christ. And as the body of Christ they were to “wait on one another.” In other words, they were to make sure that everyone was included, that the body was more important than any one individual.
Early in my ministry I had the opportunity to go to an orientation meeting at the new Honda plant. All the associates were gathered in one room, along with their guests. We took a tour of the plant then reassembled in the conference hall for a time of questions and answers. That didn’t begin, however, until everyone had gone to the refreshment table for coffee, sodas, and cookies. Then we got down to serious business.
As I looked around the room I saw men and women, some old and some young, people of color and from many different cities and towns. They were all together with a common purpose. In their case it was producing new automobiles. The production of a quality product was totally connected to their ability to work as a team. They were all different, they were all together, and they met over food.
Rev. Dr. Keith Wagner is the pastor of St. John's UCC in Troy, Ohio. He has served churches in Southwest Ohio for over three decades. He is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and has an M.Div. from Methodist Theological School, Delaware, Ohio, and a D.Min. from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He has also been an adjunct professor at Edison Community College, Piqua, Ohio. He and his wife, Lin, live in Springfield, Ohio.
*****************************************
StoryShare, April 13, 2017, issue.
Copyright 2017 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
