Whom Shall I Serve?

“Whom Shall I Serve?” Reflection for Remembrance Sunday November 5, 2023 

Matthew 23:1-12 Jesus addresses the crowd against the Pharisees and  scribes. “Do as they teach, but do not do as they do.”  

Introduction to the Scriptures  

Jesus is still in the temple. He sees the Pharisees swooping around in  their long robes. They teach the law of Moses, but they do not follow it.  Instead, they oppress the people and give them heavy burdens. 

Jesus addresses the crowd and his disciples.  

Do as they Pharisees teach, but do not follow them for they do not  practice what they preach!

No, they do not.  

Jesus is tired. In a week, he will be taken in by the temple police and the  Romans who will crucify him on a cross. 

It will all be over then.  

Or will it?

Now he must warn his followers.  

Do not follow the Pharisees example! They exalt themselves before men,  but they will be humbled by God.
 
Do not set yourself up to be great on this earth but serve only God and  others and then you will be great in heaven.

If you want to sit by me in heaven, you will need to humble yourselves. If you follow me, you will have to sacrifice yourselves.  It will not be easy.  

It will not be fair.  

But it is the Way I am showing you.  

It is the only Way out of here.  

SERMON  
TITLES, REVEREND 
In less than two weeks, I will be attending my Readiness for  Ordination interview with the United Church of Canada – it is the last  hurdle after 3 years of divinity school and 2 years of SME. 

If I pass this interview and all goes well for the next eight months,  I will be ordained, and be given the title, The Reverend Krista Moore.  I’m not sure how I feel about that.  

It is an honorific title, a title of position.  

But what does it mean? 

Reverend means: “To be worthy of reverence or respect”and “a  title assigned to clergy.”

But Jesus said, do not take titles for yourself on earth or seek  honour from people, but only from God.  

A title to identify someone’s position or level of responsibility is  one thing, but to be worthy of reverence? Not so much.  

Jesus is not trying to tear down the church system or civic system  or military system of assigning honorific titles of respect for authority.  He is challenging those who seek titles to flout power over others.  As Christians, he is asking us to see each other as equals,  brothers and sisters; to serve one another with kindness and love, no  matter who we are.  

In other words, the greatest among us will be a servant.

 If I become a Reverend, I would rather it signify,  
“one who reveres God, or  
“one who is reverent.” 
Better still, “One whose vocation it is to revere God and serve others.”

Respect is different than reverence.

Revere only God. Love your neighbour as yourself.  

Jesus was able to call out the Pharisees because he represented  God and knew they were not following God’s law; they were abusing it.  He had a right to reprimand them as the Messiah.

He advised those listening to still follow the Law and listen to what  they teach; but do not follow their example.

So, their position deserved respect, because they sat on the seat of  Moses and had authority given by God. That they abused it is a sin  against God – and Jesus called them out.  

That was the role of the Messiah – which means “anointed one” or  “one ordained by God to lead the people of Israel; or Jesus Christ.”  The Christ means the same thing, “anointed one.” It is a role, a  title given to Jesus because he fulfills that role; he is the Messiah, the  Christ. He was both fully human and fully divine. His human name was  Jesus, his title was the Christ, the Messiah. 

Jesus was balancing the scales or upturning them. He was  defending the innocent, those who had no power or social standing  according to the societal rules.

That’s why he says those who are humble now will be exalted; and  those who hoard their power over others will be brought low. It is not  that positions of authority are wrong, it is that they are abused. 

STORY – POLICE, SERVICE 
We respect police officers, fire fighters, military officers and  soldiers, the mayor, boards and directors, councils, clergy – not because  the people are without fault, but because they have a role to play that  carries some weight and responsibility.  

On a South Simcoe Police car I spotted recently it says:

To Protect with Courage, To Serve with Compassion. 
Service is the key.  
Public service, military service, religious service – we are servants  of a higher cause.  
We are asked to serve God by serving others.

Christ said in another scripture,  

“The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.” 

Even Jesus was a servant. The right example to follow. And we can all follow him as servants of each other. All of you serve in the church in some way, and we, along with God, appreciate your service.  

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY –THOSE WHO SACRIFICE & SERVE
Today we celebrate Remembrance Sunday. We honour those who  serve in war or sacrifice themselves to serve others. 

I have never been to war.  

I have never witnessed the destruction of it, nor seen the people  suffer or kill or die because of it.

We have all seen images of war on the news, in movies, and on the  internet. If we wanted, we could hear about it 24/7 if we watch news  channels. It seems to be everywhere. 

WAR: THE FALL OF JERUSALEM 70 A.D. 
When Jesus was standing in the temple that day, he knew what  would happen next. There was already a war brewing.  

The Romans were already fed up with the Jews, and now these  Jesus followers were starting to raise a stir. Jesus had just turned the  tables at the temple, and crowds were gathering all around him. The  Romans, and the Pharisees and Sadducees feared a revolution. They  feared they would lose their power.

Jesus knew that in forty years’ time, in 70 A.D. there would be an  uprising against Roman occupiers, and the temple and all those who  were now in charge would be gone. The temple would be destroyed for  the second time.  

Those who fought against Rome were sure they would win this  time.  

They did not.  

So what survived?  

God’s Word Survived. 

THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS 
Is everyone familiar with the Dead Sea Scrolls?  

Well, they were the scrolls of the Old testament and some New  Testament fragments, and many community documents and  Deuteronomic texts (in other words not included in our current bible).  They were hidden in clay jars, by priests or zadoks, whom some call  Essenes. 

During the war of 70 A.D., these priests or zadoks, hid them in  caves at Kumran, near the Dead Sea, in the West Bank. They were  discovered, over 2000 years later, at the end of the second WWII, by a  young shepherd boy in 1945.  

Wars between Israel and the Arab world continued to threaten the  findings at Kumran, as they fought over ownership, land, power, and  other political and religious conflicts which continue to this day. 

Yet, scientists, archeologists, and biblical scholars are still  assembling the pieces, teaching us more and more about the original  texts that constitute some of our modern-day Bible, which have survived  countless attacks and persecutions through the ages. 

What Jesus predicted came true. The temple was destroyed, but  God’s Word, God’s law would never be destroyed. Those who followed  it may not be honoured or remembered on earth, they may have fallen  away and been forgotten to time.  

Those who seek honour and greatness on earth, who oppress others  will be humbled, Jesus says – even if they seem to win. (The Romans  did not survive either – Rome fell, too).  

And those who are humbled on earth and seem to be lost to time,  will be saved, and honoured in heaven.

It is a difficult lesson.  

Jesus was pointing to the pride of the Pharisees, but he is also  warning his disciples, and us.  

Do not follow those who seek glory or power for themselves on  earth. Follow the Way, the humble way.  

Jesus never fought against the Pharisees and scribes and religious  leaders. He could have started an uprising. The Zealots wanted him to. But he taught the humble way.  

He knew it would be difficult. 

He knew it wouldn’t seem fair.

Revenge is easier.  

Anger is easier.

Pride is easier. And is rewarded on earth. 

But God’s ways are not our ways.  

TODAY – HOW THIS IS RELEVANT – WARTIME 
Today we honour the dead. Those who have fallen in war, or in the  line of duty, or in service to others. Those who sacrificed themselves in  times of conflict, violence, or danger.

We honour them because of their humility. Their sacrifice.  

Many lost their lives.  

In all war, loss of life is unimaginable. Sacrifice immense.

There is no glory in war.  

But there is honour in sacrifice.

Jesus says in another scripture, “there is no greater love than to lay  one’s life down for one’s friends.” 

For those who have witnessed this, or lived this, we honour you  today.

We thank you for your service.  

We pray for the safety of all soldiers, service people, and those  who serve today in our military, police forces, RCMP, fire and other  posts.  

We pray for God to lift those who are fallen and humble those who  oppress the innocent. 

We pray for an end to war.  

We pray for peace. 

We pray for humility.

Christ humbled himself for us.

May the greatest of us be his servant. 

In times of war, and in times of peace.  

God is with us.  

Thanks be to God.

Amen.