This Sunday’s sermon explores how Jesus calls us to serve as disciples, through the lens of Mark 1:29-39 and 1 Corinthians 9:16-23. Most often, our call is to discipleship where we are, loving and serving our neighbors. We are set free in Christ to care for others not to gain a reward, but to share the joy of living a life of service in Jesus’ name.
Portions of this sermon are adapted from a previous sermon I gave on February 4, 2018. I also found helpful this commentary by Sarah Henrich on Working Preacher, as well as the sermon prompts for today in Clergy Stuff and Wednesday’s GodPause devotional by Gary Boschee.
Here’s the sermon podcast audio and the livestream from Christ the King.
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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
I think most of you know my kids spend a couple mornings a week at Here We Grow, Living Hope’s preschool ministry. It’s great—they get social interaction, parents both have a break, and it’s a wonderful privilege that I don’t even have to go out of my way to drop them off.
Micah’s been there since just a bit after we moved here, and Jonah started when he was about four months old. And here’s the one disadvantage: I don’t think Jonah’s gone more than about 5 days without a runny nose or sniffles since he started. I know that’s normal for daycare, but when Micah was this age, we were in the middle of a pandemic, so he was having basically no interaction with anyone.
When Jonah’s had a fever, we’ve kept him home, but most of his illnesses have not been a big deal. It’s just an annoying part of life.
A sickness in the ancient world, like what Peter’s mother-in-law—by the way, I know it says “Simon” in the text, but we usually think of him as Peter, which is what Jesus will call him later, so I’m going with Peter—what Peter’s mother-in-law is going through was a much bigger deal.
Without modern medicine or technology, being sick means you’re isolated from your role in the world. It means you’re cut off from your neighbors, from fulfilling your duties. Your life is on pause.
Over and over when we see Jesus healing someone in the Gospels, we see him not only physically removing an illness or casting out a demon; he’s also restoring people to their community.
In this story, the Greek verb Mark uses for Jesus lifting her up is the same word used for what happens to Jesus at Easter when he himself is raised up from the dead. She’s given new life. She’s restored from the brink of death, brought back from being exiled from her family and community, set free to live the life God calls her to live, set free to follow her calling.
That’s what Jesus does for people, right? That’s the work you and I are called to today as well, not necessarily the physical healing—although sometimes God does work in that way—but the work of welcoming people into community, restoring relationships, proclaiming the good news of the freedom, healing, and wholeness found in Jesus.
And when she’s healed, what’s the first thing she does? Mark says, she begins to serve them, which is fascinating. “Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.”
There’s a lot to unpack in that sentence. First of all, the woman has been in bed with a fever. Wouldn’t you think they’d let her rest for at least a few minutes?
Second, this verse has been twisted by some to say that she is supposed to be model for all women and because she served, women belong in the kitchen. If that’s what you get out of reading this story, then I’m sorry, but you’ve missed the point.
Peter’s mother-in-law is living out what it means to be a disciple. In fact, the way Mark describes her, she’s a much more spiritually mature disciple than any of the 12 men who are so clueless for most of the story.
When Mark says, “she began to serve them” it’s not just “serving” tea or something—the word “serving” here is the same word Jesus uses to describe his ministry later, when he says, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” This is what we’re all called to do. This is discipleship.
In Greek, the word is diēkonei, which we translate into English as deacon. A deacon is a person who serves God by ministering to others.
Did you know our church has deacons? You might be familiar with Catholic deacons, but did you know Lutherans have them too? I hope so, because we have one in our community, Chris Lear.
The ELCA has two categories of religious professionals called to public ministry: pastors and deacons. Pastors are called to “The ministry of Word and Sacrament,” to leading worshipping communities like this.
Deacons are called to “The ministry of Word and Service.” Like pastors, they’re called through a congregation, but usually to a more particular form of ministry, like working with the homeless, or teaching school, social work, administration, or some other form of service.
They’re intended to be a bridge between the church’s worship on Sunday mornings, and the church’s service the rest of the week, out in the world. They’re set apart for tangible work of discipleship, helping the rest of us engage in the service we’re all called to.
So this story of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law is more than just a healing story; this is a call story, just like the stories we heard a couple weeks ago of Jesus calling disciples to follow him. In some ways, I think this is a much more helpful call story for us.
In those other stories, the people Jesus calls immediately drop their nets and set off on an adventure. They leave everything behind; they change their entire life.
Sometimes, that is how God’s call works. Sometimes, Jesus does call you to radical life change, to drop your nets, step out of the boat in faith, to follow not knowing where his call will take you. Some of you heard me talk a few weeks ago about how hard it can be to follow that model.
Today’s call story is a bit different, and I think it’s perhaps a little more helpful. At least it’s another example for us to follow as we try to discern where God’s calling us today.
Jesus’ healing doesn’t set Peter’s mother-in-law off on some radical new path; instead, he sets her free to serve where she is. Jesus frees her to be a disciple right there in the midst of her life. She didn’t have a net to let go of; she had a physical illness that was hindering her from fulfilling the purpose God was calling her to.
But then, Jesus lifted her up; he called her into new life. Jesus gave her the health she needed to do what she needed to do. God might call us to do things that are impossible for us, but through the Holy Spirit, God always makes a way.
Gary Boschee writes, “It is sometimes easy to think that being touched or healed by Jesus would empower us to do amazing things. And while this is certainly true on occasion, it is much more often true that being touched by Jesus’ presence simply enables us to serve others, and to resume our usual tasks.”
If we sit around waiting for Jesus to give us superpowers, most of us are going to be waiting a long time. But if we look for where God has already equipped us to serve, with the gifts we have, within the relationships and communities we are already in, then the Holy Spirit can get to work through us.
Today is Scout Sunday, and I think the Boy Scouts are a good example of that. The Scout Law is all about growing in character in small ways, becoming more loyal, friendly, helpful in your community, being cheerful with whatever tasks come your way, being the best you can in the situations you’re in.
You don’t need to go to the other side of the world to live out that calling—you do it right here, in this community, looking for ways to serve the people around you. It’s the way you live in the mundane, ordinary parts of life that best demonstrates your character.
Members of our congregation are called to live among God’s faithful people, to be present here in this community. You’re called to serve all people, following Jesus’ example, as Paul says, not looking for pay or recognition, but because that’s what Jesus calls us to do. The reward is the joy of sharing the gospel, the joy of living God’s way, being who we are created to be.
Notice too that even though we heard about James and John leaving their father Zebedee behind in the boat because they were so excited to immediately drop their nets and follow Jesus, that doesn’t mean they never saw their families again. Simon Peter is one of those disciples who dropped his nets to follow Jesus, and yet here he is concerned about his mother-in-law.
(Oh, and by the way, notice Peter is evidently married. Little details that we forget sometimes!)
God created families. God works through families. So often the people closest to us are the exact people God calls us to minister to. Now, sometimes you might wish God was calling you somewhere else, but that’s between you and God!
The best ways we serve God are by living out our faith in our daily lives, in our families, serving our friends and our neighbors. Not usually dramatic or public, but being deacons to each other, making whatever difference God enables us to make in Jesus’ name.
In that first reading, Paul talked about becoming all things to all people.
That doesn’t mean camouflaging ourselves, pretending to be something we’re not in order to trick people into following Jesus; it means serving the people around us as they have need.
It means adapting the way we share the Gospel, sharing the good news of Jesus in ways people can hear and understand. It means following the example of Jesus as he goes throughout Galilee, proclaiming the coming of God’s kingdom in the synagogues, and setting people free from the power of their demons.
Beloved of God, Jesus has set you free. And Jesus is calling you to share the freedom you have found, to proclaim the good news of God’s love to your neighbors. Who will you serve this week?
Amen