Many times in my life I have been amazed at God’s perfect timing and this week provided me with yet another opportunity. You see, going into Holy Week I knew in the back of my mind that deacon ordination followed Easter Sunday—and I assumed I had made that part of my sermon plans. But Easter Sunday evening when I got my day-timer out and began to work out my weekly study schedule, I happened to glance at the Sower and when I did I realized I had inadvertently planned to do the next message in our “Walk Through Ephesians” series today. I panicked because I could see that there was no way to skip this passage and make it up later and at this point I did what Christians are never supposed to do: I worried! I thought, “What am I going to do? How am I going to correct this blunder?” Then I felt God’s Spirit suggesting I look at the part of Ephesians I was supposed to preach on this morning and when I did I relaxed because I saw that it was a perfect text to use for a deacon ordination charge. About that time I remembered Proverbs 16:9 where it says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” Thank You God for determining my steps! Okay, join your humbled pastor and follow along as I read Ephesians 4:1-7.
Ephesians 4:1 – I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 – Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
3 – Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
4 – There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—5 – one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 – one God and Father of all, Who is over all and through all and in all. 7 – But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
This is the WORD of the Lord…thanks be to God.
Does that sound like a great deacon charge or what?! I can almost hear Paul saying, “DEACONS…I urge you to live WORTHY of the calling you have received…”
I’m reminded of a story from the life of Alexander the Great, who was of course was one of the greatest generals who ever lived, conquering almost the entire known world with his vast army. It is said that one night during a campaign, the great general couldn’t sleep so he left his tent to walk around the camp. As he did Alexander came across a soldier asleep on guard duty—a very serious offense. The penalty for falling asleep on guard duty was instant death. In fact, in those days, sometimes the commanding officer would pour kerosene on the sleeping soldier and light it. Well, this particular soldier began to wake up as Alexander the Great approached him and recognizing who was standing in front of him, the young man feared for his life. “Do you know what the penalty is for falling asleep on guard duty?” Alexander asked. “Yes sir,” the soldier responded in a quivering voice. “Soldier, what is your name?” demanded Alexander. “It’s Alexander, sir.” Alexander the Great repeated his question, “What did you say was your name?” “My name is Alexander sir,” the soldier repeated. A third time and more loudly, Alexander the Great asked, “WHAT is your name?!” And a third time the soldier meekly said, “My name is Alexander sir.” Alexander the Great then looked the young solider straight in the eye and said, “Soldier, either change your name or change your conduct.”
Mike and Cyndi and Dan, you have been given a special calling. You are to be given the NAME: “DEACON” — a very important name—a name that should always remind you that you have been given a very important JOB….that of SERVING the people of this church. In fact, the word “DEACON” literally means “servant” and as a deacon you will be expected to live up to that name…that title.
In our text Paul not only charges leadership people like yourselves to strive to be worthy of their name or calling. He also explains how we can do this.
(1) First he says to be worthy of our calling to serve the church, we must “…be completely humble and gentle.”
Now, that doesn’t sound like the conduct of a typical leader does it? But—you three are not being charged as “typical leaders.” Your charge is to SERVICE. Yes—you are being given a HIGH calling—but the way to do it is to be LOW—to not think highly of yourself….to be like Jesus Who humbled Himself…and took the form of a servant. In short, you are being called to LOSE YOURSELF in ministry to others.
As I thought of this I remembered reading about of something the Miami Dolphins did forty years ago—something very unique—something unprecedented. I’m referring to the fact that they won all 14 games in the regular season, then had a 3-0 run through the playoffs culminating with a Super Bowl victory. In other words, in 1972 the Dolphins had a PERFECT record. No other team has done this. As you can see in the next slide, after that amazing year they said they had entered the city of Perfectville, population 1. And as far as I know that’s still the population. No other team has ever had a flawless record. Sure…every year 30 some-odd teams try, but for almost four decades, the Dolphins’ record is unmatched. Sports enthusiasts all have their own opinion about who might be the GREATEST TEAM OF ALL TIME, but as someone once put it, “Perfection has a way of quieting the critics.”
Well, the opposing coach going into the ‘72 Super Bowl was asked to comment on the awesome unbeatable Miami defense. His reply was, “I can’t recall any of their NAMES, but the are a matter of great concern to us.” Now—does anyone remember the nickname of the ‘72 Dolphins Defense? It was referred to as, “The No-Name Defense.” This is because what made that defensive team special was not the handful of superstars who were so good at stopping any other team’s offense, but rather the humble dedication of every defensive team member. Every player was willing to execute his position with excellence with no concern as to whether or not his NAME would be known.
I share this story to remind you that this is the kind of humility required to be a deacon. You have to focus on simply—humbly—meeting the needs of others…whether you receive praise for doing that or not. Effective deacons don’t worry if they receive any kudo’s for what they do. They are too humble for that. No—their goal is simply to help others. They don’t work to have their own name praised—but rather the name of Jesus. Praising and pleasing Him is all that matters.
And please note: in verse 12 Paul infers that the example you set with your servant attitude will help inspire—and prepare all of our people for works of service.
(2) The second way Paul says you can strive to be worthy of your calling is to “Be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Richard, Dan, and Cyndi, you will each be given several families to serve. Your job is to make sure they don’t fall through the cracks and the way to do that is by ministering to their needs…sharing both their joys and their sorrows. Now—ministering to people who are going through a time of crisis can seem like a daunting task but I have found that what people most need in times like that…is for someone to simply love them. They won’t need you to come up with some brilliant solution. No…usually what they need most is for you to simply, patiently listen. In that lovingly empathetic way you will make yourselves more worthy of this name…DEACON.
As you know I have a granddaughter. She’s a little over seven months old now—seven months and four days to be exact. Her name is Lydia—and I have to tell you. I LOVE being a granddad. There is nothing like it. One of the most fulfilling times for me comes when Sue and I happen to be babysitting and it’s time for Lydia to take her nap. Like the rest of us when Lydia gets tired she gets a bit grumpy. She’s kind of caught between a rock and a hard place in that she wants to stay awake and play…but she’s tired. She needs a nap…but she doesn’t want to take one. And—being torn between wants and needs frustrates her so she get’s grumpy. She cries and cries. Well, what I do is just patiently hold her and walk around with her while she cries. I talk to her soothingly assuring her that everything is going to be alright. Then I sit in the rocker and sing songs to her and after ten minutes of that patient loving she calms down and puts her head on my shoulder and goes to sleep. That is such a WONDERFUL feeling! Then I put her in her crib and she sleeps soundly for the next 90 minutes or so.
Now—as a deacon, I don’t think you’ll have to do any holding or rocking or singing—but to serve in a way that reflects this high calling, you will need to patiently love people. You’ll need to bear with them in a long-suffering way—faithfully serving them in good times and in bad… helping them through times when they feel stuck between a rock and a hard place.
By the way, your patient and loving ministry is part of the “glue” God uses to bind us ALL together as a church family. Once again, the example you set inspires each of us to do our part to build up the body. In this way our church family is “…joined and held together by every supporting ligament.” This leads me to one final way Paul says you can strive to be worthy of our calling.
(3) You must, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
You may remember that the book of Acts records that the incident in the early church that led to the invention of deacons was the ABSENCE of unity in the church in Jerusalem caused by the grumbling and complaining and gossiping of the Grecian widows who felt they were being overlooked and even shortchanged in the daily distribution of food. With the help of the first seven deacon/servants, peace was restored and the church in Jerusalem resumed its growth.
Well, just like those first seven deacons, you are charged with preserving the unity we enjoy here in this church. You are to do all you can to built up our body—to strengthen our fellowship. You are to do your best to help us always remember that we are to let the PEACE OF CHRIST RULE in our hearts, since as members of one body we are called to peace.
Now, Richard, Dan, and Cyndi, I want you to understand that this may very well be the most important thing you do in your efforts to live up to the calling of deacon…because harmony in a church is one of the KEYS to health and growth. It is one of the “foundational pillars” on which our church is built. Harmony is what keeps our body strong….and our spirit sweet.
I always ask the prospects and new members who attend my RBC101 class to share their first impression of Redland and the majority of them comment on the friendliness they sense here.
They repeatedly say that it is our HARMONY…that draws them in to this place and that’s great!
But we must remember that DIS-harmony….has the opposite affect. When people are unloving to each other…when the rumor mills are turning in a church….guests can sense that as well. This kind of UN-health in a church family will repel a visitor better than higher taxes will repel a Republican. Deacons like yourselves help us to get along as a church family. They support each other and our staff publically and privately. They know how important church unity is so they guard it and cherish it by lovingly reminding people of Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 18—His very clear teaching about how we are to restore harmony when we are in conflict. Deacons do this because they know unity is absolutely essential if we are to do anything for our Lord. We must be ONE to do anything for God.
This week I read that for years scientists were baffled by the mystery of floating fire ants. They saw that when one ant is placed in water it will flounder, struggle, and then eventually sink. But when a group of fire ants are put in water they band together they form a living life raft. This is how this particular species of insect survives the flash floods of the Brazilian rain forests. Scientists have observed that as a unified “fire-ant-raft,” they can even travel for months before reaching dry land. An article in the Los Angeles Times summarized a new research study that has unlocked the secret of this natural mystery. After collecting a bunch of ants, scientists dropped them into containers of water. The ants quickly spread out and formed themselves into a huge raft. Each individual ant used its claws and the adhesive pads on their legs to grip onto each other. One researcher said, “At first it just looks like a tangle of bodies and limbs everywhere, but the longer you look at the picture, the more you’re able to distinguish between different body parts and see the connection. The insects use air pockets that form around their bodies to keep themselves afloat. The research sheds light on how deeply social insects act together: almost as if they’re part of a super-organism. The individuals acting together create this awareness of the environment that no individual ant has.”
A church with healthy relationships—-a church with a sweet, sweet spirit—is like these fire ants.
It’s members bond together in a way that helps each individual member withstand the storms of life. But—when bonds are broken—through gossip or rumor or a lack of patiently loving one another—that church flounders.
When we have strong bonds as a church family—bonds that are strengthened by following your example as deacons…your example of humility, patience, and love—the whole church matures spiritually and is stronger. Then, as Paul puts it, “We are no longer tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind…” I’m saying when our UNITY is strong, we can ride out any storm.
Richard, Dan, and Cyndi, “I charge you to be worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
If you accept this charge and the responsibilities that come with serving as a deacon…would you take the responsive reading that is printed on the insert in your bulletin and stand and read as indicated? Congregation please join us in this.
RESPONSIVE READING
DECLARATION OF INDUCTION – Mike, Dan, and Cyndi, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the authority committed to me as Pastor of this congregation…I now declare you to be set apart and commissioned for the work of a deacon, and duly called and installed to that ministry in this wonderful church.
ORDINATION PRAYER — Don Mayberry
We close now with a song of commitment. Let’s all pledge to strive to be more worthy of our calling as Christians. But if you have a special commitment to make…we invite you to make it public at this time. Perhaps you need to respond by giving your heart to Jesus…professing publically that you have asked Him to forgive you and take control of your heart and life. Or…you may feel led to publically commit to become part of this church…moving your membership here to this place. Whatever decision you have to make I invite you to walk this aisle and share it with me now as we stand and sing.
BENEDICTION:
Let the PEACE OF CHRIST rule in your hearts
since as members of one body you were called to peace.
Let the WORD OF CHRIST dwell in you richly
and whatever you do…in word or in deed
Do it all in the NAME OF CHRIST giving thanks to God the Father
through Him.