Next Year

Message Transcription

Well, if you have your Bible with you, open over to John 13 if you haven't already done so. We're going to do kind of a one off here as I think about the next year, this year to come. This is one of my favorite times of the year. And on one hand, it's also one of the most challenging for me. Uh, this it's a time of year where we get a chance to look back on the year that we've just lived, the things that have happened to us, with us, through us, in us, by us. Uh, we get a chance to think about the year to come. What's ahead? What's in store? Uh, so many dreams and opportunities and ideas are out there. Uh, as a campus minister, this was one of my favorite times of the year. Because it was a reset. It was a chance for many of our students who maybe had struggled through just challenging opportunities and classes to to get a chance to kind of reset their mindset and go into a new semester. Uh, maybe for some of our faculty, our our teachers, our staff, it feels the same way. Like, okay, we survived 23. We can go on to 24. Uh, but it's also a chance for us to think about who we are and who we're trying to be. Uh, over this break, I read or rather listened to Matthew McConaughey's memoir. He just turned 50 or so, and so he sat down and wrote a memoir.

I'm not necessarily recommending it to you. It's got some weird, weird, wacky, wild stuff in there. Uh, so just know that going in. But the thing that I, I appreciated about it was he called it greenlights. So I'm looking back through his life, thinking about those moments that became opportunities when he was challenged and given a chance to to try something new, to do something new, to learn something new, to become more of who he was intended to be. Uh, thinking some about red lights and yellow lights and how sometimes he thought that was a yellow, or that was a red when it really was a green, he just didn't know it. It took a little perspective, a little looking back and reflecting to think about, to see that that was actually a green light. I've been trying to do some of that myself. You know, we have these moments that happen to us that come up in our lives where we think about who it is that we're trying to become, these life events. You know, for some of us, it's a wedding. Maybe it's a funeral, uh, a birth, maybe it is a, uh, an opportunity to gather for a graduation, a baptism, these moments that just invite us to find ourselves in those moments. I know whenever I go to a wedding, it makes me think about my own wedding and the commitments that I made.

And I start thinking about how am I doing at keeping those commitments? How am I doing at living up to the commitments that I've made? Uh, how are you at taking directions, getting instructions? How are you with following through, especially when you know there's a time limit on it? I was thinking about, and I think I've told this story before. Kayla and I were first married, living in Abilene and married student housing. Kayla was working, going to school. I was going to school full time. And so we were having some friends over and we were going to have this dessert, chocolate eclair cake, which is fantastic. It's wonderful. It's not good for you, which makes it really wonderful. And so it was my job to make the recipe, and Kaylee hands me the recipe, and then she kind of starts getting the ingredients out and I'm like, hey, I got this, all right? I'm in graduate school. I've got a college degree. I can do this right. You see where this is going? Right? Okay, so I make the rest. I get the pudding out, I make all the pudding, I get it all together. I put it in the in the the the refrigerator to cool, to kind of freeze up and and get ready for that evening. And yet I'm left with this enormous bowl of pudding.

I'm thinking, what happened? How do I have all this extra pudding? And Kaylee got home and I said, she said, you make it. I said, yeah, I made it, except for one small thing. I got this big bowl of pudding over here. She said, well, did you read the instructions, Mr. Graduate student? And I said, well, no, I didn't, because I know how to make this right. Well, I made all the pudding in the cupboard. Not the one box. I made three boxes. How are you at taking and following instructions, especially when you know there's a time limit? You know, we've been thinking about being disciples. A couple of months ago, we did a series called Imperfect Disciples Learning and Thinking and Wrestling with what does it mean to be a disciple in our real life, in the real world, with the challenges and the obstacles that we face? What does it mean for us to live that way? And we kind of boil down this, the definition of discipleship to these words from this definition from Dallas Willard, where he says, discipleship is the process of becoming who Jesus would be if he were you thinking together about what? What would it look like if Jesus were living my life? If he were married to my spouse, or had my children or grandchildren, or had my parents, what would he look like if he were a student at at my school, or a coworker in my office, or a neighbor in my neighborhood? Right.

Thinking some about what does it look like to be an everyday disciple? And we did that. We were wrestling with that because of this other truth that we spent some time chasing around in that series. And that's this. The most important thing God gets out of your life is not the stuff that you do. It's not all your accomplishments and all the gold stars you get in school. Those things are great, but that's not the most important thing that God gets out of our life. It's who who we become. It's the person that we become. And so we want to spend some time thinking about that. In fact, the starting next week, we're going to do a four week series where we look at the sermon on the Mount, where Jesus greatest teaching on what life in the real world really looks like. So I invite you to to grab a friend and come next week, especially as we dive into that series. But we want to spend some time reflecting back on this year. How did we do? How did we do on that? In the psalm Psalm 90, Moses spends a little time reflecting and he says, God, would you teach us to number our days, that we would gain a heart of wisdom? Uh, Chris Rice, what a wonderful song.

Teach us the count of the days. Teach us to make the days count. How are we doing at at our purpose? Our mission? How are we doing with the instructions that Jesus has given to each and every one of us? And knowing that that there's a time limit, right? We have a time limit that every one of us does, and we don't know what it is. We just know that we have one. How are we doing living out that life? Well, this is a great Sunday for us to stop and think about that process, how it unfolds, because we get the chance to see that moment. One of those moments, at least in Jesus life here in John 13, where I think we learn a few things about this process of of where will it lead us if we if we stop and spend some time reflecting on what does it mean to be a follower of Jesus? Here in the first three verses of John, John gives us this detailed intro not only to this event that's about to unfold, to take place, but it's also pointing us to the rest of the gospel kind of introducing us to where this gospel is headed. But it's also a chance for us to to think about a couple of things like this expert painter John, and three quick brush strokes. He fills in a few gaps for us. See if you can hear it.

Verse one. It was just before the Passover festival. Jesus knew the hour had come for him to leave this world and to go to the father. Having loved his own who were in the world. He loved them. To the end, to the full. To the max. And here John points us in a couple of ways. If you've are familiar with John's gospel, you know that any time you hear a Jewish festival mentioned that he's connecting that to Jesus, that's going to be defined or redefined now in light of who Jesus is. But we see Passover. It was one of those reflection moments, right? Once a year, God's people would gather together and they would celebrate this meal, and they would remember what God had done and what he had called them to. And then think about, okay, what is this? What is God wanting us to do now, in the future in light of this great part of the story? So this is one of those moments in Jesus life where he can stop and think about his instructions. In his time. Jesus had Jesus had been given a purpose, a mission, and he'd been given a time. Jesus knew his time had come. John tells us the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the father. Too often we think about that just means he's he's going to die and go up to heaven.

Well, yeah, he is going to do that. But it's not just that. That John actually tells us Jesus died and then was raised to life, and then he spent some time with his disciples, and then he went to be with the father. That this process of, of of connection and being together with, but also heading to the father, this was all part of God's plan. It wasn't an accident. He knew what he was doing. But not only that, we're told, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Right. This is a thread that we see all through John's Gospel. John 316. Perhaps the most famous verse in all of Scripture. For God so loved the world. Here we see Jesus having loved those who were in the world, love those who were given to him. Jesus loved them to the max. It harkens back to John chapter ten, where he talks about being the good shepherd. I'm the good shepherd. The shepherd loves his sheep, and his sheep love him. And the greatest thing that a shepherd can do for his sheep, Jesus says, is to lay down his life for his sheep. In John 15. He'll say, the greatest thing a friend can do is when she lays down her life for her friends. At that. Love is the full extent, he says. Jesus loved them to the end, to the fullness.

It's not just that he. It's that grit and through and just all the way got to do it to the end, right? That's a part of this love. But it's this idea of there's nothing. I love how N.T. Wright says this. There's nothing that love would do that Jesus didn't do. Everything that loved requires, Jesus now embodies. Jesus understood he had a purpose and he had a time. And so John tells us in verse two, the evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Jesus, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God. Jesus understood his purpose. He knew his time. And therefore then John tells us he lived in a particular way because he understood his purpose and his time. It says it then expressed itself in his way of life, which then verse four, he gets up from the meal and he takes off his outer clothing, and he wraps a towel around his waist. After that, he pours water into a basin and he begins washing the disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. And he gets to Simon Peter who said, Lord, are you going to wash my feet? And Jesus replied, you don't realize what I'm doing now, but later you will.

Later you will understand. No, said Peter, you shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered, unless I wash your feet. You have no part with me. Well, then, Lord, Simon Peter replied, not just my feet, but my hands and my head as well. Jesus answered, those who have had a bath need only wash their feet. Their whole body is clean. Jesus knew where he had come from and he knew where he was going. And it led him to surf. You know, in our house we talk sometimes about the half two versus the get two. Do I have two or do I get two? Uh, one of Kaylee and I's favorite movies I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, but one of the scenes in there is they're in a bookstore, and this guy is looking at a very old, rare book, and he's kind of flipping the pages very carefully. And so the the bookseller says, well, you know, these pages are hand tipped, they're, they're painted and, and each one delicately done. And he goes, oh, is that why it costs so much? And he goes, yeah, no, no, no, that's why it's worth so much. All right. Jesus Jesus chose right. He understood who he was. And when he was, he understood the mission that was in his life. And and it led him to serve. He didn't have to. He chose to. It wasn't in spite of him being God's son, it was because he was God's son.

He gets up from the table and he wraps a towel around his waist. You see the foot washing. And ultimately, as we look forward in John's gospel to the crucifixion, this is the ultimate sign of who God really is. And for those who understand and know and see and believe. The idea is to serve. Paul would say it this way to the church in Philippi. In your relationships with one another have the same mind as Christ Jesus. And how you treat one another, how you interact with each other. I want you to to do it the way Jesus would do it if he were you. If Jesus were living your life, if he had the relationships that you had, the kind of coworkers that you have, the kind of kids or grandkids or parents that you have. I want you to behave. I want you to have the mindset. That Christ had. And this is that mindset who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, of being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. You see, Jesus didn't wash his disciples feet begrudgingly. Oh, this.

Is the worst part of this moment. I know I've got to do this, but right.

Instead, he did it willingly. He did it out of love because that was his nature. Because that's our God's nature is to love. It's to serve. If we know who we are and where we come from and where we're going, Jesus says it's going to express itself by finding ways to serve in love to the people around us. Now, some people didn't understand, right? We read in verse two about Judas, where evil had already dissuaded him, right? Evil had already creeped in. Have you ever noticed how, at the very moment that love is about to do its ultimate expression, that evil kind of creeps into the shadows and into the the cracks and crevices? Right? Just trying to find a little place. You know, Judas didn't understand it. Neither does Peter. Right. Peter's going. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Jesus, you're the one in charge. You know, we hear this, uh, washing of feet. It's kind of an odd thing in our culture now, because it's kind of been twisted around to say, well, true leaders wash each other's feet. So when we see someone washing someone else's feet, we go, wow, what a leader. That's such a great leader. You know, that was not the picture that Peter and his generation had of washing feet. That was a slave's job, right? That was a servant's job.

Jesus, why are you doing what? The lowest guy on the totem pole. Why are you doing his job? That's someone else's work. And that's why Peter says, no, no, no, no, you're not washing my feet. You're the. You're the. You're the person most important. I can't I can't allow that to happen. And Jesus says, you don't understand what I'm doing right now. Clearly. But one day you will. I one we we get the the benefit of of Peter's experience. And in our honest moments, we have that same wrestling with humility that Peter did. It just expresses itself a little differently. But we see how washing of the feet actually takes a lot of courage, and it takes a lot of humility and a lot of love. Have you ever watched someone's feet? Have you ever watched someone's feet in your finger go between their toes? Have you ever had someone wash your feet and then put their finger between your toes? It's like, hey, buddy, those are my toes, man. That's kind of an intimate, awkward moment, isn't it? It's also this weird. Like it's dirty, grimy work, right? Some people, when you think about washing their feet, you're going, ooh, nasty. But then it's also like this incredibly intimate moment, right?

It's this mix mash up.

Of this expression of how close do you have to be to someone to do that? Not because you're being paid right, but because you love the person. Jesus says, I know where I'm coming from and I know where I'm going. So, church, as we hit this last Sunday of the year, the last day of the year, I invite you to spend a little time thinking about where are you from? Where have you been coming from? Right. God's put you on a mission. He's given you some instructions and he's giving you a time limit. How are you doing it? Following those instructions. And one of the beautiful things about the kingdom of God is that it's got space for every single one of us who have different gifts and passions and ideas and thoughts and opportunities. And yet somehow God weaves us all together into this beautiful expression of love in the world. That not everybody has to be just one part, right? Paul spends a whole two chapters of a letter talking about it's not about everybody being the same one, it's about everybody being their part of the one. So churches, this year comes to an end. How is God challenging you to reflect on where you've been and where you're going? And do you have a better understanding of that? Because if so, it's going to begin expressing itself in your life through loving service to those who are around you.

Jesus says this verse 12, when he finished washing their feet, he put his clothes on and returned to his place. Do you understand what I've done for you? He asked them, you call me teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that's what I am. Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you'll be blessed if you do them. Jesus set an example for us. Will we follow his example? Will we listen to his instruction? Will we live out our days? Well, we count them so that we can develop a heart of wisdom. How is God inviting you this next year to live out a life of humble service to the people around you? In what ways is he encouraging, inspiring, and challenging you? And how can we help you? That's one of our great desires at Broadway, is to be a church that that helps every one of us. Live out that mission, live out that purpose because we believe this is all heading somewhere. Every single one of us.

We're heading somewhere. Will we live out this life next year? God. That's the question that will chase us around this next week and hopefully into the next few months. But what it means to be your servant, a man, a woman who knows who we are, that we're your child, that you love so much that you would send your one and only son. To liberate us from bondage to sin and brokenness and ultimately even death that so many in our world today. God. We look around and we see them living in fear of death. It may not have the words to express it. Man, it's being lived out in their lives all the time. God, sometimes, if we're honest, that's that's us. We get caught up in thinking and that all that matters is the here and now. We stop thinking about the the eternal. Oh, God. This year, as we get a chance to spend a few moments thinking about reflecting on this year that has just finished. Would you help us to prayerfully, graciously walk back through the year with you? God, where are those moments where I lived out your instructions and we got to see the beauty of of your loving service expressed in our lives, either by someone else to us or by us to someone else. God, where are those moments where we're tempted to gain and and grab control, grab the reins, get back into control of our own life? Father, as we head into 24, we want to do a better job of this.

We want to be your witnesses. Your hands and your feet. God, we want to proclaim the gospel to so many in our world, especially now, maybe even more than ever, who don't know. God. We see so much pain and hurt all around the world. We see it in wars that just won't end. In relationships that are so complicated, there's not an easy, simple fix. In relationships that aren't going the way we hoped. And personal health challenges. God, you know it all. Would you help us to find ourselves in the midst of that? To remember who we are. To remember where we're going and then live in light of that. God has brought gathered us around the table just a little bit ago, reminding us of the common life we share because of Jesus life given for us. Father, may that be our example this next year. Would you help us to love really well? To love the people in our families and our neighborhoods and our workplaces and our schools and our church and in our community? Yeah. Would you help us to be the first in line to take that towel and wrap it around her waist? Because we have to.

Because we get to.

Because we get to be an expression of your loving kindness in the world. And God, that washing of feet may take many different forms. Yeah. Would you give us eyes to see and ears to hear the ways that you want us to. To embody that loving service in 2024? God, thank you for your faithfulness to us this year. Thank you for the generosity of this church family. Thank you for so many who have given so much. How would you help us to be inspired and challenged to do likewise again in 2024? God, we thank you most of all for Jesus, for his humble service and model of life before us. Help us to become better students of his this next year. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.