“Joyful Stewards” by Rev. Cody Sandahl – November 12, 2017

Lay Reader = 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

⁶The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. ⁹As it is written, “He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” ¹⁰He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; ¹²for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. ¹³Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, ¹⁴while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. ¹⁵Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Introduction

This week we are looking at a text from Colossians, which is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to a community in great turmoil. They were wrestling with how “Jewish” their faith needed to be, which was a big deal to the non-Jewish converts in the church. If I told you that you needed to switch to a Kosher diet starting tomorrow or your eternal salvation was in question, would you happily throw out your pantry and fridge and restock? Would you joyfully kiss bacon cheeseburgers goodbye for Jesus? I’ll tell you what would actually happen. You’d find a new pastor! Don’t mess with my dinner, Pastor! That’s gone from preaching to meddling.

As Paul helped this church see that Jesus was more important than cultural differences between Jews and Greeks, he also urged them to think about and focus on and put into practice the most important things. And we see a nice summary of those most important things in Colossians 3.

Colossians 3:12-17

¹²As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. ¹³Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.¹⁴Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Just Be Average

I have to tell you, there is something strange about Denver. Alone among cities I’ve lived in or near, Denver has a peculiar ability to take people who have moved in from all across the United States and convert them to the True Church of the Denver Broncos.

And in my household this has caused a small amount of strife. Because my wife Becca absolutely hates it when she gets into one of our cars and I’ve left it on AM sports talk radio – and that usually means Orange and Blue 760. I think I deserve some kind of sponsorship for this. Maybe they can send me an orange and blue stole or something.

But the local radio hosts have been saying something this season that has absolutely fascinated me. When they were talking about the offense heading into the season, during the early winning streak, and during the recent losing streak, they kept saying the same thing. “Hey offense – all we need you to be is average. Just be average.”

And they’re probably right. With a great defense, an average offense can win a ton of games. But somehow I doubt that’s what the coaching staff is telling the offense. I sincerely doubt the quarterbacks coach is starting their film sessions saying, “Just be average, Brock. Just be average, Trevor. Paxton, you’re almost healthy now, so get ready to be average for us.” Anyone think that’s what the coaches are saying?

Or if football isn’t your thing, it has been that most wonderful time of the year here at First Pres Littleton – time for staff performance evaluations. I can guarantee you that I don’t tell them to “just be average.” When the personnel committee meets with me to review my performance, I doubt they’re going to say, “you were pleasantly average this year, Cody.” That’s not the goal.

Or we’re celebrating Veterans’ Day today. So for the veterans among us, would your basic training drill sergeant accept average? Would average make them stop yelling at you and being generally cantankerous in your general or very specific direction? Somehow I doubt that. Average isn’t the goal. Are you with me?

Do Everything for the Lord

In Paul’s letter, “average” is definitely not the goal. He writes, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Think about that. Do EVERYTHING – whether word or deed – EVERYTHING in the name of Jesus. That means that when I meet with our homeless friend Brian to make him peanut butter sandwiches, I need to make those the best shockingly overladen peanut butter sandwiches this side of the Mississippi. It has to be a peanut butter sandwich worthy of Jesus.

This text haunted me when I had the worst job of my life running the warehouse at a tourist trap shop in Port Aransas, TX. Because I only had enough work for about two hours a day at my normal level of activity and efficiency, but I was paid to be there way more than that. But they also didn’t want me interacting with customers or other employees, either. They had me stuffed away in the Harry Potter closet in the back filled with junk.

So first I endeavored to reorganize the warehouse. I inferred that the previous warehouse-ians weren’t quite as industrious as me, because the warehouse seemed to be organized based on how desirable the item would be to a drunken chimpanzee. So I tried alphabetical organization, but that wasn’t quite right. Then I tried categories, but that’s hard when everything ends up filed in the “junk” category. Finally I landed on a scheme that used the sections of the store, and that worked great. But here’s the problem – reorganizing the warehouse that many times still only put me a couple of weeks into a three month job. Cue the useless boredom again.

Sometimes our task isn’t grand. Sometimes our job today seems like a cruel joke. Sometimes what we need to do is beneath us. Sometimes what needs to be done is pointlessly difficult – typically measured by the number of bureaucrats you need to get around to complete it. But even then, Paul says, “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

What’s your task? What’s your next purpose? Whether it’s uplifting or fingernails on a chalkboard annoying, what do you need to do? And how can you honor Jesus in it?

In our first text that we heard earlier, Paul was asking another church to give a substantial offering for the poor. He was asking this church to give deeply from their pockets to a group of Christians in another city whom they would never meet. And he knows this is a hard ask. He tells them, “each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” But he also says, “through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience.” In other words – he tells them they are to decide how much of their personal finances constitutes a gift that honors Jesus. If your task is giving, do it in the name of Jesus.

In our sermon text today, Paul was asking the church to recommit to their faith in Jesus and to reconcile their differences “clothed in love.” If your task is healing relationships or bridging differences, do it in the name of Jesus.

If you are bored at work as I was in the dark dungeon of a warehouse, work in the name of Jesus.

If the Holy Spirit has placed upon you a burning desire to help in a ministry or to start a new ministry, do it in the name of Jesus.

If you are concerned for another person, pray for them and help them in the name of Jesus.

What’s your task? What’s your next purpose? Whether it’s uplifting or fingernails on a chalkboard annoying do it in the name of Jesus.

Word from the Lord

But here’s the hard part: what does that look like? I have to admit, I never really figured out what to do with all that extra time in the warehouse. I taught myself to write my reports left handed because it took longer and I learned a skill on the side. I didn’t wreck the warehouse for the next guy as my predecessor had done. And I kept every shelf in the store stocked at all times. Maybe that was enough. But the hardest part is to figure out what I need to do so that Jesus is proud. It’s not just a question of what I think is good enough, it’s asking Jesus what’s good enough.

So I want to give us some time to ask that question. We’re going to have a minute or two of silence, and I want to give you two different directions for prayer. If you know your purpose, if you know your task, if you know your next challenge, ask the Spirit to help you see how you can honor Jesus in it. Ask for specific actions, specific behaviors, specific attitudes that will help others see the love of Jesus through you. You may get a sense of confirmation that your plan is Jesus-honoring. You may get a sense that Jesus has a different plan in mind. Ask the Spirit for guidance for your next purpose or task or challenge.

But what if you don’t know your task? What if you don’t know your task? Well this is your chance to ask God. Ask God to reveal where you are to go, or what you are to do, or how you are to speak. Ask God to open the door. And ask God to help you to see that open door. Ask God for a Jesus-honoring vision.

What better place to ask these questions than surrounded by other followers of Jesus?

Let’s take the time right now to seek God’s will in our lives. [LONG PAUSE]

Closing Prayer

Will you join me in prayer? Holy God, we seek your vision. We seek your guidance. We seek your holiness. We seek your smiling face, not just the smiling faces of those around us. So open our eyes and hearts. Guide our hands and feet. Shepherd our thoughts and emotions. Clothe us in the love of Jesus Christ. Help us to do our task, our purpose, to do your will JOYFULLY in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.