On Sacrifice and Service ~ Psalm 40:6-17 ~ January 18, 2011

On Sacrifice and Service

Psalm 40:6-17

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

What do you call it when answering God's call to ministry means leaving behind your home, your job, your community, and maybe even your family?

What do you call it when serving God’s people means going to a hospital at 3:00 am?

What do you call it when following Jesus means being rejected or even hated by others?

I would have to call it sacrifice.  We give up so much to serve God, the church, and the world.  And spouses, children, and entire families join in these sacrifices…  Being a servant means giving up our right to live the life we want to live.  Being a servant means surrendering our selves and our will to the will of God. 

But in today's Psalm, we hear that God has opened the ears of the psalmist to say that God has no desire for sacrifice and offering; that God requires neither burnt offerings nor sin offerings.  Knowing this, the Psalmist presents an offering of self: “Here I am; I come.”  The psalmist brings praises, thanksgiving, and above all, an offering of obedience, saying “I love to do your will, O God; your law is deep within me.”

What makes the psalmist’s praises and offerings pleasing to God is that they are offered in light of God’s saving work in the psalmist’s life.  This is not one person’s effort to achieve righteousness before God.  The psalmist is presenting a sacrifice here—but a sacrifice arising from the outpouring of God’s grace.  In light of all that God has done, the psalmist’s passion is doing God’s will—namely, keeping God’s law, and publicly proclaiming the good news of God’s salvation. 

In a vocation when so much is required of us, it is God’s grace that enables us to make the many sacrifices that are necessary to be God’s servants…  God gives us the faith to make our sacrifices; to believe that God has greater things in store for us to receive—and for us to do. But one of the greatest challenges of ministry is that there are so many voices calling out for our time and attention.  With every voice comes the temptation to sacrifice ourselves to something or someone other than Jesus Christ.  We are tempted to become people-pleasers who never say “no” to anything asked of us, and who do whatever it takes to keep the pews full and the financial contributions coming…  We allow people to set our agenda and make our priorities.  We come to see a fruitful ministry as one that makes everyone happy.

There are even voices within our own selves, making demands of us.  Guilt tells us that ministry comes with a mandate to always be busy; that we must say yes to every request; and that because we are servants of God and God’s people, our spiritual, physical, and emotional needs aren’t as important as the needs of others…  Pride tempts us to do whatever it takes to achieve greatness.  Pride even fools us into thinking that we alone carry the weight of everything the church is called to do. 

Make no mistake—the needs of the congregations or the institutions we serve, as well as the needs of our communities and our world grow greater by the day.  We are called to lead the church in its commission to proclaim God’s saving Gospel, care for the needy, and work for peace and justice.  But we are called to do all these things for the sake of Christ alone.  We are ministers of Christ’s sacrifice.  We are called to do God’s will.  If we obey any other voice, either from outside of ourselves or from within—we aren’t serving God anymore.  Any offering or sacrifice we make for the sake of anything or anyone else is meaningless in God’s eyes.  And little by little, these sacrifices will drain the life out of us, and our ministry will not bear fruit.

For every Christian, there is a time for ministry—but there must also be time for God’s ministry to us.  The psalmist testifies to God opening their ear—which in the original Hebrew text is literally translated “you dug ears for me.”  God digs through all the noises of life so that we can hear God speaking—for only then can we be obedient and do what matters to God.  Like the Psalmist, we must also take time to speak to God; to bring forth praises and thanksgivings as well as our fears, and our cries for help—knowing that God listens to us.

As important as it is for us to pray, to meditate, to contemplate, and read Scripture, God ministers to us in so many other ways…  God’s ministry to us extends to all aspects of our lives—socially, emotionally, physically, financially, vocationally, and intellectually…  All aspects of our being are sacred.  The time we spend learning, taking care of our bodies, managing our stress, and nurturing relationships is just as holy as the time we spend ministering to others.  If we are going to proclaim the love of Christ and care for God’s people, we need to take time to let God care for us. 

Much is required of us who are called to serve God, the church, and the world.  Much is required of spouses, children, and families as well.  But it is God’s ministry to us that enables us to do God’s work—and make the necessary sacrifices.  The ministry to which God has called us isn’t just for the blessing of other people; it’s also for our blessing—and for the joy of the Lord.   In the midst of the busyness of life and demands of our ministries, let us always say “yes” to God’s invitation to be nourished, renewed, and reenergized.  Let us never say no to God’s invitation to fill every part of our lives.