Three men were discussing the nature of fame. The first man said, “Fame means being invited to the White House for a special conversation with the President of the United States.” The second man said, “No, that’s not it at all. You’re invited to the White House for a special conversation with the President, and the hotline rings. He looks at the phone and decides not to answer it. That’s fame.” The third man said, “No, that’s not it either. You visit the White House for a special conversation with the President. The hotline rings. The President picks up the phone, listens for a moment and then hands you the phone and says, ‘Here, this is for you.’ That’s fame!” 

What constitutes fame? What constitutes greatness or success? 

Jack Welch, retired CEO of General Electric has just published a new book with his wife entitled Winning. One reviewer says of the book, “No other management book will ever be needed.” What makes any human being into a winner? Was Jesus a winner? 

“Details” magazine lists the 100 most powerful people under the age of 40. Jesus came out number 21. Far ahead of Jesus are the Google guys and the political action organization known as moveon.org. What does it mean to be powerful? 

Michael Hart ranks the 100 most influential persons in history. Number 1 is Mohammed. Mohammed is first because he founded both a religion and a state, plus he established a moral code, plus he had social/political influence. Number 2, according to Hart, is Isaac Newton. Newton was a scientist who developed a great deal in the areas of mathematics, optics and physics. Jesus comes out number 3 on Hart’s list. What does it mean to be influential? 

Robert Raines, the great United Methodist preacher of the 1960s who is now retired, wrote a book entitled Success is a Moving Target. 

What is greatness? What is success? What is power, or influence? What is a winner? I read a story about a really good preacher who had a discussion with his wife. He said, “I was just thinking about the truly great people of this world, and was wondering just how many there are. What do you think? How many great people do you think there are in the world?” 

His wife replied, “I’m not sure. But I do know one thing. There is one less than you think.” 

Jesus took the disciples aside one day for a discussion of this topic. He had overheard them arguing about “greatness” on the road. That evening he sat down with his disciples. “Sitting down” is an important detail in Scripture. It means what the speaker is about to say is very important. Jesus speaks: “The world says greatness means having influence over other people. If you can say ‘come’ and ‘go’ and have people obey, you are great in the world’s eyes.” Then Jesus adds this very important caveat: “But it shall not be so among you. “In other words, “I am here to tell you and to show you something quite different.” Jesus turned success, power, greatness and influence on their ear. Jesus turned the world’s way of thinking upside down. 

I’m sure it was hard to hear Jesus then. It’s hard to hear him now. Look for a few minutes with me at what Jesus said and what he did. Let’s learn from him. 

GREATNESS IS IN SERVANTHOOD 

First, Jesus insisted that greatness was found in servanthood. As much as that idea may make us wince, consider this: in several instances, the word “servant” means “slave.” Jesus is talking about radical servanthood here. It may not be a pretty or comforting word, but it is the Gospel. 

Jesus says, “Live the life of a servant. Live a servant’s lifestyle. I am among you as one who serves.” 

Over the years I have wrestled with the term “senior minister.” The Discipline says that I am technically the “Pastor in charge” of this church. Even if two men or women were appointed co-pastors of this church, one of them must be designated as the “Pastor in charge.” In the earliest years of my appointment here I was encouraged by a few captains of industry. They said things like, “Take charge. We want you to be a digger. We want you to be our CEO.” 

Something about all of that made me uncomfortable. I began to re-read some of the relevant passages in the New Testament. I then read the Quaker writer Robert Greenleaf’s book, Servant Leadership. I read a book by James McGregor Burns entitled simply Leadership. Burns talks about transformational leadership, or perhaps even “transformed leadership.” Jesus led in order to transform. My conclusion was that I was a servant of transformation. 

I decided to try to make this understanding work for me. I would not be the CEO of this congregation, but I would try to be a servant leader. I wrote a doctoral paper on the subject for my degree from Pittsburgh Seminary. It was entitled simply, “The Senior Minister as Servant Leader.” 

I wanted to be the servant leader of your spiritual gifts. I want to serve the gifts in this community of believers. Jack Welch says in his book, Winning, “Leadership is all about growing others.”[i] Put these words in a theological context and he is exactly right. 

I want to serve a vision for this church. I need to help set the vision and then serve that vision. Again, Jack Welch writes, “Set the vision and make it come alive.” My job is to help us stay on track with our vision. I’m in the process right now of clarifying and improving on that vision. You will hear more about that by the end of the summer. 

I think I’m still growing toward Jesus’ vision of servanthood. 

But I believe every disciple is called to this end. I love the closing hymn for today. I might re-interpret it just a bit, but it goes something like this:

  Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free.

  Force me to render up my power, and I shall conqueror be.

  I sink in life’s alarms when by myself I stand;

  Imprison me within your arms, and strong will be my hand.[ii] 

This is not the way the world thinks! The way the world thinks can be alluring and persuasive at times. But Jesus taught and lived a radically different way. He said simply, “He or she who would be great among you must be your servant.” 

A LIFE OF COMPASSION 

The second piece of all of this is to live a life of compassion. Jesus lived a life of inspired compassion for everyone. Jesus showed, revealed and incarnated God’s absolute compassion.  

The Gospel writers say that Jesus saw the crowds and had “compassion on them.” One day he saw a wealthy young man whose wealth was getting in the way of his relationship with God. Jesus knew this. The Gospel writer said, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” Jesus had compassion on him. 

Jesus met a woman one day who was brought to him as having been caught in the act of adultery. As her accusers stood ready to stone her, Jesus had compassion, and eventually set her free to go into a transformed life. One day a Roman ruler came to Jesus because his 12-year-old daughter was dying. He pleaded with Jesus to come and save his daughter. While Jesus was on the way to the ruler’s home, a woman who had a bleeding disorder touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and became healed and well again. Jesus performed two miracles in one story. Jesus presented the miracles as God’s compassion. 

The miracles of Jesus are signs of God’s gift of compassion. Someone raised the question not too long ago as to whether or not Brian believes in the miracles of Jesus. The implication was that I do not. But absolutely I do! Jesus had the divine gift of healing. I don’t think there’s any question about that. 

James Caviezel, the actor who portrayed Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ,” was traveling one day in Vera Cruz, Mexico. He was traveling among the poor. He wrote this:

I was shocked to see how people came up to me and asked for my help. I had to explain to them that I was only an actor, that I wasn’t really the Son of God. 

The greatness of our God is revealed in compassion. 

We celebrate 40 years of the Wesley Institute here at Christ Church today. Wesley Institute was born out of this congregation 40 years ago in 1965. What gave Wesley its beginning? The answer is this: compassion for youth who could not adjust to the public high school setting. Thus the Village Academy (now the Wesley Academy) was born. Some people in this congregation had compassion for children and youth who needed special mental health resources as they went through the school system. Out of this concern the Highland School was born. Both the Wesley Academy and the Highland School still hold graduation ceremonies in this sanctuary. Both of those ceremonies will happen this week. 

The way of life for Jesus’ people is the steadfast life of compassion. Churches have started hospitals all across America. You can drive into almost any large city in the United States today and see a sign on a huge building that says, “Methodist Hospital.” We are also around the world, particularly now in Zimbabwe. Such hospitals are symbols of the compassion of God in Jesus Christ. We are confronting disease and despair. We battle incredible odds. We offer a healing touch to a hurting world in some of the darkest corners of the world. 

Albert Einstein once made the observation that human beings live in a kind of delusion of our own small world. That delusion becomes a prison for us. Einstein then said, “Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures.” 

What we are doing in Zimbabwe is exactly that. We are widening our circles of compassion. The same thing is happening in Jamaica in a few weeks with 62 youth and 30 adults. The same thing happened with Wesley Institute 40 years ago. All of this reflects the teaching and the life of Jesus. 

Remember the movie entitled “Patch Adams” starring Robin Williams? Williams played a resident physician who tried to bring humor and compassion into his practice. His medical supervisor quickly suppresses that effort and snaps, “If you want to be a clown, go off and join the circus.” Sometimes Christian compassion seems like clowning to the world. 

Christians are tempted to adopt the power tactics of the world. Make no mistake—status, influence, and control are seductive sirens. Followers of Christ must be forever resistant to the temptations. 

Some years ago Henri Nouwen wrote to his 90-year-old nephew in a book entitled Letters to Marc about Jesus. Nouwen writes of upward mobility versus downward mobility. He writes of an ascending lifestyle versus a descending one. Nouwen then concludes, “It is very difficult to change directions on the ladder of life.” 

Yet this is exactly what Jesus seems to teach. He teaches it by word and by example. Jesus says that servanthood plus compassion equals greatness in the Kingdom of God.