The Power of Love: A Call to the Deacons
Cynthia O’Brien
Luke 7
January 15, 2006
I love my deacon.
She calls me once a month to see how I’m doing, she gives me lots of encouragement, she prays for me, and she sent me a lovely birthday card. Dougie Bright is my deacon and I think she’s just great.
But Sonja Flener was my deacon once, and she was great, too. She called me and prayed for me, and made me pumpkin butter.
Marie Squires was wonderful when she was my deacon. She called me and prayed for me, and she even gave me a ride to the airport.
But Lillie Parno has to get the prize. Not because she’s necessarily a better person than my other deacons. But it was on Lillie’s watch, when she was my deacon, that Michael had that freak accident and shattered his knee. It was a traumatic experience for our family.
During Michael’s recovery at home, I had to go away for a week, as I was inescapably committed to lead the Presbytery Junior High Camp. I knew he could take care of himself if I took Rachel with me, but I was nervous about him going upstairs to take a shower every day. I asked Lillie, our deacon, if she would do us a huge favor: come over every morning and be there, just in case he fell, really just to make me feel better.
So while Rachel and I were gone, every morning, Lillie came over and cooked breakfast for Michael while he went upstairs and came down again. I was so grateful to her.
As for Michael, I don’t think he missed us too much, as it was World War II week on The Discovery Channel and Civil War week on the History Channel and American Revolution week on A&E.
I not only love my deacons for what they do for me and my family personally, but for what they do for me as a pastor. They extend my love to the whole congregation. They call everybody once a month. They visit, care, listen, and when there’s a problem, they ask me to pray for you. They watch over every family in our congregation.
I am giving an encouragement to the deacons today. How many of you are or have ever been deacons in the church? (hands) The rest of us also have people to care for, so we can all draw something from today’s message and apply it to our own lives.
My call to the Deacons today is first to keep doing what you are doing. You are so good at calling and keeping in touch. True, some people don’t really want to talk to their deacon. They don’t want to tell you their troubles and they don’t want to make friends with you. That’s OK. But many people are blessed by your contacts. When you call, follow up, pray, get to know people, send cards, visit people in their homes, you are sharing God’s love and you are making a difference in the lives of people in our congregation we love very much.
I want to go a little deeper this morning in my call to you. It comes out of some of the things I’ve been thinking about, and a challenge from this book I read, Reggie McNeal’s The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church.
The story about the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet is a story driven by strong characters. As we go through the story, see which character do you identify with.
The sinful woman -- Simon the Pharisee -- Or Jesus.
Open your Bibles and we will walk through the text.
Luke 7:36-50
LK 7:36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37 When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38 and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
LK 7:39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is--that she is a sinner."
Let’s stop there a moment. Can you identify with the woman?
She knows that she is desperately in need of God’s forgiveness, and she knows that she will be forgiven. What else could make her love him so extravagantly? Is this your kind of love for God? Perhaps someone looks down on you because you are so in love with God that you appear to be a little nuts.
Or maybe you can identify with the woman because you really don’t have your act together at all, and you’re just holding on. You have made some bad choices and you may even have a bad reputation. Someone has put you down. You are the sinner, and you are used to being judged and marginalized.
Jesus knew what the man was thinking.
LK 7:40 Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.
LK 7:41 "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
LK 7:43 Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
LK 7:44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?
Simon, a Pharisee, was by definition a religious and righteous type person. But this story casts him as the one who ultimately doesn’t get it. Jesus said “do you see this woman” but Simon couldn’t see her – truly – He couldn’t see the good in this very sinful person. He judged her rather than having compassion on her.
The way the Pharisee is judging this woman is wrong. Jesus makes sure we understand that in the story of the two debtors, leaving no doubt that he’s identifying the Pharisee as one who doesn’t love as much because he doesn’t believe he needs forgiveness as much. Then Jesus drives it home by identifying Simon’s sin of inhospitality:
I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
Have you ever badly overestimated your ability in some area? Maybe you asked someone to play tennis or one on one basketball and you got blown off the court. Or you volunteered to perform with a musical group and found out the music was far beyond your abilities. It’s humbling and enlightening. Simon had a similar experience. He badly overestimated his own righteousness. He looked at the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with her perfume and her tears as someone of less value, morally inferior.
When you see someone caught in some kind of notorious sin, how do you respond: “thank God I’m not like that” or “Lord, have mercy on me, the sinner?” Life Application Bible Commentary
LK 7:48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
LK 7:49 The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
LK 7:50 Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
I asked, which character do you identify with? You don’t want to be the host who unfairly judges a person coming to faith. You may feel more like the sinful woman, in need of forgiveness and loving God for accepting and forgiving you.
Maybe in a way, we can see ourselves in the position of Jesus. Not as divine, certainly, but as a person who recognizes a sinner in need and accepts her.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?” Can you be like Jesus and see that person, not what he or she looks like on the outside, or their traumatic past, or their drug addiction, or their past behavior, but see a person that God loves, a person that might be able to turn their life around if only they received a little understanding, a little mercy, a little breathing room, someone to love them.
And you never know who that might be. As Deacons, you will mostly be ministering to nice people who have some struggles in their lives and who appreciate your prayers. You will enjoy becoming their friend and keeping in touch with them. But there are two special people on your list you should be concerned about.
There’s the person, maybe a little like the Pharisee, who really has his act together. Strong, successful, has a good life, may or may not be a Christian, but doesn’t seem to need you. You might say, “There’s nothing I can do for him.” You’re not even sure you want to tell him about Jesus, because he just looks like he doesn’t need anything.
You might be tempted not to call on him. You might just leave a message. But don’t abandon him. Don’t assume everything is all right with him. He may have troubles you’ll never know about. He may be so successful that he doesn’t trust in God even though he is in church every Sunday. He needs your love and your prayers, even if he acts like everything’s perfect.
Then there’s a second kind of person, perhaps like the sinful woman, the one who seems hopelessly damaged and lost. Everything is wrong, nothing can be fixed, she is in terrible need. If you offer advice or help, it never seems to make it better. You feel like whatever you do, your help is going into a black hole. Nothing gets better. She may even blame you for not doing enough.
She needs you, too. There is a limit to the help you can provide, but you must do what you can. Start with what Jesus offered – compassion and acceptance – and help as it is within your power. Then you must face the fact that only God can change her life. You can’t fix it, but you can introduce her to God, who loves her and knows what she needs.
She may want a new start, but she may not believe it can be done. Your love may be the ray of hope that gives her a tiny bit of faith in God. When she receives God’s grace and forgiveness, she is on her way to a better life.
Wouldn’t it be great if people could just clean up their lives, then come to Christ? Wouldn’t it be nice if people would get their act together and then become part of the church? But that’s not how it works. In fact, that is the cart before the horse. God offers grace, invites people to have faith and be saved. Then the lifetime cleanup begins. God invites us into a relationship that turns us into the best that we can be.
Deacons, each of you have received a list of people in our church to care for. On Tuesday I will go over those names with you. Start praying for them now. Open your heart to them. Watch for people who need your compassion and acceptance.
You may be standing at a hospital bed and meet family members who need the Lord. You may meet people in your work, or in your mobile home park, who need you to accept them, right where they are, so they can know God loves them. This is your call.
Each of you deacons has taken ordination vows that you will show God’s love, work for peace in the world, and care for God’s people. The congregation has vowed to respect you and encourage you. I’ll be standing with you, too and I’m available anytime if you need support.
For the rest of us, we know that Deacons aren’t the only ones called to show God’s love. Let’s give some thought to this story of the sinful woman, a woman who was scorned by a right religious man, but who found forgiveness and love through Jesus.
Do you see this woman? Ask God to give you eyes to see her.
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