| Proper 22 | Heavenly Servants | October 4, 1998 |
Scripture Readings for this Sunday
Violet Jessop was a stewardess who survived the Titanic sinking. In the book Titanic Survivor she tells part of her story. After ,making it to a lifeboat. Miss Jessop was given a baby to hold. She cradled the infant all through the night and, on the rescue ship Carpathia, returned the little girl to her mother – who never once said "Thank you" on the three-day voyage to New York.
Many years later, when she was retired and living in rural England, Miss Jessop got a telephone call at 3 a.m. A woman asked if she was the Violet Jessop who had brought a baby to the rescue ship. When the former stewardess replied that she was, the caller laughed and said: "I was that baby!" and hung up.
When a friends suggested that the call was a joke, she replied: "How could it be?" She had never told anyone about the child.
It is offensive and unbelievable to us, in hearing this story, that neither mother or daughter would not simply say "thank-you."
The gospel reading presents us with two images. One unbelievable and one offensive. First the unbelievable part.
"If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." In the land of Jesus, mustard trees with their yellow flowers were as common as dandelions. The seed is so small that it cannot easily be seen - like dust. The tree it produces is not large – perhaps the size of a small dogwood – but nonetheless it is impressive, especially compared to other trees in that area of the world. If you could put the seed in a piece of glass – even with the magnification, you couldn't see one seed!
According to some ancient counsels, mulberrys had to be planted at least a certain minimum distance from cisterns; otherwise, the roots would break through the cistern walls and take all the water for itself. The roots were so extensive and widespread on a mulberry (at least, in the dry lands of the Middle East) that it was a proverb that it would take 600 years to dig up one mulberry!
The point is simple. Even with an insignificant amount of faith, that you cannot even see, you can do work that would take 10 lifetimes to accomplish.
New Statistics Canada figures show that one in three Canadian adults volunteer on a regular basis and their contribution exceeds $16 billion worth of paid work. A few more details: the average volunteer puts in 149 hours a year, British Columbia has the highest average of 169 hours, 31 per-cent of the volunteers do 80 per-cent of the work, 88 per-cent of the volunteers also give to charity.
So why do people do this? Paddy Bowen, executive director of Volunteer Canada says "People volunteer for the same reasons they go to church. It's a search for meaning, a way of connecting with themselves, with other people, with the community."
It seems that the disciples of Jesus thought their volunteer work would put them in God's good books, that they would be rewarded. So Jesus gives them an illustration: "Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here at once and take your place at the table'? Would you not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink'? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?"
In the time of Jesus haviang slaves was common, even among the relatively poor familes. The very poorest farmed out their children as a way of ensuring they were fed. The master of this story apparently has only one slave, who does both the fieldwork and the cooking. For a master to serve his own slave would be so shocking that the question "Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?" would certainly expect a negative answer.
But then we need to read between the lines. We the servants of God do not expect a reward, because we have already been rewarded. The gift of eternal life is already ours. There is a room reserved for us in heaven, a place at the heavenly banquet table, a God who is waiting for us.
Does God owe us thanks for the acts of love we do? Certainly not. We have already been paid in full.
The Greek word translated "worthless" means those to whom nothing is owed, to whom no favour is due, so when we love with the gift of love that God gave us, or we share food that God has provided–it doesn't mean that God is now in our debt. Verse ten should be translated 'We are servants and deserve nothing more; we have only done our duty.'
Today we come to the table. The food we receive is much larger than a mustard seed and it is a reminder of the gifts that God has already given us. In this act of receiving we remember the gift of our world, the gift of our own lives and the life giving gift of Jesus Christ who became a servant of all.
Those who will be serving you, will eat last–for that is the way of the servants of God. May it so be for all of us.
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