Sermon Summary: Embracing servanthood in a world obsessed with power
“Do you want to be somebody? Then be a nobody,” our pastor implored.
This sermon was given by Bishop Thad Barnum at Good Shepherd Anglican Church in Cornelius, North Carolina, on Sept. 22, 2024. The scripture for the sermon was Matthew 20:20-28.
Thad said the last three verses “define everything for me.”
“If you grasp those verses, I promise you they will change you forever. It will literally reposition how you live life,” he said.
Click here to see and hear the entire sermon. The sermon starts about 19:45 into the service.
Another great sermon by Thad. Inspirational. I also learned a couple of Greek words and lots of things about deacons. 😃
Matthew tells the story of Salome — the mother of James and John and (probably) the sister of Jesus’ mother, Mary — asking Jesus to put her sons at the top of his power structure in the kingdom to come.
Thad said that Verses 20-25, with Salome playing power politics, paints a picture of the kingdom of this world. He said the world asks:
Are you going to be great?
Are you going to be first?
Are you going to be seen?
Are you going to be known?
Are you going to make your mark?
“‘Who is going to sit at your right hand?’ is the stuff of the kingdom of this world,” Thad said.
But Jesus upends everything in Verses 26-28:
The first becomes last.
The great becomes least.
The leader becomes the follower.
The highest becomes the lowliest.
“Do you want to be somebody? Then be a nobody,” Thad implored.
Then Thad taught us about these Greek words, which are used in Verses 26-28:
Diakonos, which is “servant.”
Doulos, which is “slave.”
“The Lord Jesus is defining his character and his mission in the terms of a servant,” Thad said. “He is one who has come to serve. This is who he is. This is what he does. This is him.”
He comes to serve us.
A perfect example of this is when Jesus washes the feet of the disciples.
“That is the work of a slave, not the work of a family member,” Thad said. “It’s an invitation for us to come and serve. … We are not here for us; we are here for others.”
Then Thad taught us about the roles of Deacons (diakonos) in the church. He said Deacons:
Serve the church.
Serve the alter (table) in preparation for communion.
Read the Gospel message.
Make the final declaration to end the service and send us out into the world.
“Do you know why they read the Gospel? Because the deacon is reading the story of the deacon,” Thad said, referring to Jesus as diakonos — or servant or deacon.
Thad continued: “What’s the last thing the deacons do with us? They send us to serve. It’s the last voice in the church. The key is the last voice, because you and I are about to go out in that world — and that world needs to see the love of Jesus. They need to see that we are called to be servants.”
Thad wrapped up his sermon with this powerful message:
“We’re not called to be great, but to be least. Why? Because Jesus became least. We’re not called to be first; we’re called to be last. Why? Because Jesus came to be last. And when he became last, he gave us the greatest gift on Calvary’s hill — telling us, ‘I have come to love you. I’ve come to serve you. Come to me and I will rescue you. And I will teach you the greatest thing of all. That we are here for a purpose. And that purpose is to serve others.’”