Gonna Put on My Robe

April 16, 1989

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Scripture: “Who are these clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?” (Rev. 7:13)

Who are these clothed in white robes, and whence have they come? If it’s too melodramatic, I apologize. Maybe it is stretching it a bit, and yet I wonder. The more I think about it, the more appropriate it seems. Why not use this vivid apocalyptic image from the Book of Revelation as a symbol for voluntarism? Why not, indeed?

Big image....big concept. Why not put them together?

I admit I would never have thought of it on my own. I was looking for some way to get a handle, a Biblical handle on our theme for today. You know it....We’re lifting up for special deserved recognition our volunteers in the life of the Church.....Today is VAD, Volunteer Appreciation Day....-2nd annual observance. I wanted some way to tie into that....a good, gripping Biblical volunteer story.

And I thought of some--- Maybe, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us”, from Isaiah. That’s always a good one.

Or, the troops who responded to the call of Deborah the prophetess to fight against the Canaanites----they were volunteers. Or, the women who went early Easter morning to anoint the body of the Lord---they didn’t have to do that. There are a number of possibilities.

But suddenly, there it was, staring me in the face....right there, in the Lectionary reading for this very Sunday morning. Why not? From the Book of Revelation, of all places, that strange, bizarre last book of the Bible....the one we’re skittish about, he one we leaf through, roll our eyes, shake our heads, and throw up our hands in despair over, comes this graphic picture from John’s vision of the beyond. It’s the scene in heaven of the ultimate, consummate Volunteer Appreciation Day. Is it too far out to draw a parallel?

Picture it in your imagination---- the splendor, the radiance, the glory of heaven, as only John can splash the colors.... the throne of the Almighty in the center, and there, all around, the faithful, loyal volunteers of the ages, bedecked in the gleaming white robes, with beautiful ribbons on them, just like yours---- well, it doesn’t exactly say anything about ribbons, but you know it must mean that---- gleaming white robes, anyway, and they’re standing before the throne to praise God and receive their certificates of recognition. Robbi Walker is right in the middle, leading a chorus of “The Joy of the Lord is my Strength.”

O.K., maybe it is a little melodramatic. Maybe it’s even a dangerous interpretation. If you know anything about the background of the Book of Revelation, you know you can’t press it too far. Revelation was written against a backdrop of intense persecution. The white robed ones are martyrs, who have been put to death for their faith and activities. That doesn’t exactly convey the kind of image we are hoping to project for today, nor does it bode particularly well for future recruitment to identify what we’re doing with those who have died in service.

Remember the little boy who asked his father one day in Church about the banner that was hanging out in the vestibule? What is that banner out there with the blue and gold stars on it? What do those gold stars mean? Well, said the father, “they stand for the members of the Church who died in the service.” The little boy said, “Was it the early service, or the 10:55 service?”

We certainly don’t want to imply that voluntarism produces that kind of consequence.

BUT LOOK AT THAT WORD “martyr” A LITTLE CLOSER. For us it carries a kind of negative,

pejorative connotation as we use it today. We talk about a person who has a “martyr” complex, We say, Don’t be such a martyr, and we don’t mean it as a compliment.

But that does disservice to a great New Testament word. Look it up. In Greek, “martyros” really means witness. Often it’s translated that way in the New Testament. It’s translated both ways. A martyr in the original sense is a WITNESS--- one who testifies by word or action, one who shows up at the right time, one who bears testimony in some way....and when you remember that, it becomes more palatable, and more positive and pertinent.

John is not extolling these people because they’ve been killed. He’s extolling them because they’ve been FAITHFUL. That’s what voluntarism is all about.

So maybe it’s not such an exaggeration, so outlandish to think of these white robed people in John’s vision, these self-effacing, quietly loyal, steadfast folk as volunteers in the best and broadest sense. Maybe it’s not such a bad parallel. They were witnesses to God’s grace and God’s grandeur, at a time when it cost something to do that.

And while we live under different circumstances today---at least partly, I remind you, because of their faithfulness and loyalty...God help us if we ever forget it---- While we live under a lot more favorable circumstances now, I think we can to a great extent identify with these noble predecessors in the Faith, and even more importantly, I think we can learn something from them.

John’s inspired, picturesque portrait of the heavenly panorama gives us some clues. Hear again quickly in this context what he says about the martyr/witness/volunteers of heaven: “Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night within the Temple (How does He know some of you so well?) And He who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence. They shall hunger no more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Volunteer Appreciation Day in heaven. It’s on a bigger scale than we’re doing it.

Now notice an interesting thing here. What’s in it for them, the white robed people, according to this account? What do they get out of it? What are the rewards, the compensations for being a volunteer? Here they are, spelled out by John in this beautiful passage.

I have to be honest. The rewards are not monetary in nature. John never says that. I tried to read that into it somewhere, but it’s not there. Don’t expect that. We who are professional get paid. You who are volunteers have to be good for nothing.

But there is compensation, of another type....maybe even a better type. I think John implies as much. There may not be money, but there’s more than money on this payroll.

1)  In the first place, there is a sense of JOY that comes from being a part of volunteer ministry. Is that too saccharine sweet and Pollyanna-like to go down easily? I hope  not. I really mean it. Most volunteers I know just have a lot of fun doing what they do, and I think that’s where you start.

Monday mornings around here are an wonderfully alive and interesting experience. Stop in sometime if you haven’t recently, but be careful. Don’t get in the way. The money counters arrive early and eager, rubbing their hands in anticipation..... The Rise Again Bakers show up in force, lean and hungry guess because they knead the dough (I’m sorry, that was inexcusable). Before you know it, they’re pounding out bread dough on the kitchen table... You’d think sometimes it was dynamite going off, it’s so noisy.

The Dorcas Sewing Group then comes in and spreads out in the Bethel-Wesleyan Room.

They’re making lap robes, and quilts, and a hundred other items of exquisite beauty and intricacy. They talk and sew and carry on.

A study group meets in the Parlor; the ladies who clean and straighten the Sanctuary come and go about their work. There is usually some special committee in the Conference Room....

Staff members scoot about....and those too tired to scoot, creep---but at least they’re moving.

People drop off by the office----everybody drops by the office.... Bedlam City. Sometimes

by contrast Grand Central Station looks like lunar landscape… humanity crawling all over

the place.

I can sit in my office, and unless I close the door, which I sometimes do in sheer self-defense, I can hear all the interaction and sounds without---- Mostly they’re sounds of merriment, happy sounds---people greeting, sharing, reminiscing, laughing....having a good time.

John says, “They shall hunger no more, nor thirst...” In our version, people are nibbling leftover cookies, and slurping coffee.

“The sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat” .... unless the air-conditioning breaks down.....A typical Monday morning in ol’ 1st Church.

BUT IT’S WONDERFUL. I really believe there would be value in all this intramural commerce even if no substantive work got done at all. Is that unpardonable heresy? It may drive the efficiency obsessed mad, and please don’t go out of here and tell the Bishop I advocated the abolition of substantive work....

But I think there’s something special, something uplifting, for its own sake, and something peculiarly Christian, if you will, about the joy, the fun people who are a part of the Body of Christ enjoy together in the fellowship through the Church.

It’s been beautiful to see friendships begin and flourish between people who didn’t even

know each other a few weeks earlier, but who have learned to know each other by working together in some volunteer activity. It’s happening.

It’s been beautiful to see networking develop. It’s been beautiful to see one activity spawn another. It’s been beautiful to see relationships deepen and appreciations grow. It’s been beautiful to see people having a good time.

I don’t know any people who have more real fun than Christian people. That old stuff about having to give up enjoyment to be a follower of Christ is just nonsense. Don’t let anybody ever peddle you that worn out line. If anybody wears a long face and has to keep pushing, keep driving to stir up a little diversion, it’s not the Christian, it’s the pagan, who doesn’t know the difference between pleasure and joy.

I’m not going to stand up here and try to tell you that being a part of a volunteer program in the First United Methodist Church of Winter Park is going to keep you in stitches day after day, or that it will solve all your problems or turn your life around......If you’re a corkscrew to begin with, about all we can do is give you another twist and send you on your way again.

But I do believe you can have some first-class fun here. On the simplest level of all, the basic, beginning level, I commend what’s going on in this program, and invite you to be a part of it, if you’re not already. Our volunteers have a good time. They enjoy themselves. They enjoy each other. They enjoy what they’re doing.... And that makes it a worthy undertaking.

2)  Of course, there’s more than that. In the second place, I think our volunteers derive a sense of genuine satisfaction from being a part of the program. This is deeper than just having fun, and it’s part of what makes the participation fun.

John says about the heavenly witness/volunteers, “He shall guide them to springs of living water.” What satisfies more profoundly and refreshingly than a cool drink of water.

There’s satisfaction here, too.

The jobs that volunteers perform in our program are jobs that need doing. We don’t have any busywork jobs. They’re not all on the same level of significance, admittedly maybe some seem small, and relatively trivial..... Maybe you think something as simple and unglamorous as stuffing bulletins on Friday morning, or checking the attendance is not worth the time and effort, but those mundane things make it possible for the machinery of the Church to operate smoothly.

Did you know that Altheda Olsen comes down to the workroom every Tuesday of the world to check the registration forms you fill out at offering time? I hope you don’t begrudge the time it takes to do that. And I hope you do it legibly. Altheda Olsen doesn’t enjoy robust health, but she can do this, and she likes to. It’s a rare thing for her not to be here, and when she can’t come, her daughter, Irene, fills in for her. She performs this function as a volunteer.... checking attendance, everybody who is here... And THEN, when somebody who has been regular, begins to miss a few Sundays....who knows why, for whatever reason.... she makes a note of it and passes it along.

Another group of people, then, other volunteers, make some discreet telephone calls.... “We’ve missed you. Is anything wrong? Is there something we need to do, or know about?”

Maybe the preacher said something that made ‘em mad. Maybe the air-conditioning was too cold....or not cold enough. Maybe the organ was too loud.... We’d really like to know. It might be possible to do something about it.

It’s probably inevitable that some people are going to slip through the cracks, or go out the back door. BUT WE SURE DON’T WANT IT TO HAPPEN, and this helps us try to keep it from happening.

When people do drop out, more often than not, it’s because of some relatively little thing that could have been prevented. That’s why these details are so important---- the bulletin stuffing, the right information disseminated, the record keeping, maintaining good lines of communication. The more people working on it, the less chance to slip up, and the better informed the congregation. Those who stuff bulletins on Friday morning read the bulletin ahead of time. I’ve seen them do it. They know what’s coming up, and sometimes they tell others.

It’s all part of a diabolical scheme. No job is insignificant. It all has ramifications, so it all brings satisfaction. Some jobs, of course, involve hands on ministry, direct, personal give and take with people.... Teaching does that---thank God for our faithful, competent Sunday School teachers.

Those who work monthly down at the Homeless Shelter are engaging directly in Christian service. I’ve never heard a single person who did that say he was sorry. You may go home tired, but you go home with a song in your heart.

Some of you volunteers are working in a literacy program.... teaching adults in the community to read. There are more illiterate adults around than we know. And to see the light come on in a person’s eyes when he realized he can comprehend printed words on a page.... that may constitute just about the ultimate satisfaction.

Now, I believe in the importance of the Church worship service, what we’re doing right here. You know I do. As far as I’m concerned, this is the most important ONE HOUR of the week. This is where the Body gathers, where the People of God come together, to pray, to praise, to get something to eat, for the week’s journey one there. If you can’t do anything else, this is the hour you ought to be here.

But I know that those who get the most out of this worship service, the focal point of Church life, are those who are ALSO involved in the unfolding implications of our being here, AFTER the benediction is pronounced, when the gathered community becomes the scattered community, and the Church moves out to do the work for which this is training and preparation.

There’s a place for everybody in that unfolding, maybe within the walls, maybe beyond,

but somewhere. Indeed, in our understanding of Church membership, you know, your baptism is your ordination. Isn’t that exciting?

Initiation implies immersion, not necessarily into the water, but into the work. If you are a part of the Body of Christ, then voluntarism is not an option. It goes with the territory, just like prayer and stewardship and fellowship dinners. When you were engrafted into the family tree, you were issued more than just a certificate of membership. You were also given a white robe. That’s your uniform... both dress uniform and work uniform, multi-purpose, one size fits all. You can check it in for cleaning every now and then, but it ought to be dirty when you do.

Well, I commend our volunteers. I commend what’s going on here, and I invite you to

be a part of it if you’re not already.

Our volunteers have fun, but there’s more. They’re doing things that are important, things that matter, and because of that they’re finding in the doing of them a sense of significant satisfaction. That, in itself, makes it a worthy undertaking.

3)  But there’s even more than that, isn’t there? Part 3. Joy, satisfaction...these are rewards, these are compensations of voluntarism. I believe there’s an even bigger dimension, and an even more far-reaching reward. You could call it by any number of names, I suppose. I’m going to call it a sense of PURPOSE, the knowledge that you’re contributing to something that is important and that is lasting.

John says of the witness/volunteers in heaven, “They are before the throne of God, and serve Him.....” Serve HIM, notice, not just the Church.

To me that implies something big, something grand, something cosmic, even....and enormously purposeful. It says that what we’re doing, even the tiniest fragment of it, even the smallest contribution, is a part in God’s encompassing economy of a great redemptive drama that embraces the full sweep of human history.

We talk about Church work, but that’s not the end of it. It’s bigger than that. The purpose of Church work is in order to do the work of the Church. THAT’S the point.

A certain amount of upkeep, institutional maintenance is necessary, of course. We all know that. You have to keep the machinery oiled so it will function. But the purpose  of all that is not just as an end itself. If it is, the Church will die, and ought to die. God will raise up some other instrument.

The Church of Jesus Christ is God’s agent, God’s called and appointed agent for the proclamation of the Faith and the redemption of the world. That’s its business.

It’s primary business, underline primary, is NOT to grow, to expand, to enlarge its programs and facilities, not even to build itself up, EXCEPT as doing those things strengthens its mission. When those things happen, it usually means something right is going on, and that’s encouraging, but in the long run, all the voluntary activities that take place in the Church have little permanent value UNLESS they have the effect of sharpening the focus in some way of the Church’s central task.

Bearing witness to the transforming love of God in Christ and making disciples is what the Church is called to do. Volunteer activities, or any activity should be evaluated by that criterion.

It can be scary to think of it in those terms, but it can also be a wonderfully uplifting and encouraging thing. Your personal contribution, on whatever level, has the potential to be taken by God and woven into His tapestry of human redemption....into HIS great purpose.

Even the little things, or what seem like little things--- the way you answer the phone for a stranger, the way you conduct yourself in a committee meeting, the way you maintain a level of decorum in conversation around the worktable, the way you make newcomers feel welcome..... even the way you sing, and show up, and take an interest, and appreciate, all may have an impact beyond your immediate awareness but may add an indelible luster to the luminousness of the Christian story.

The Church itself is not the purpose, but is in a position to point to the purpose, the big purpose, and when its members point winsomely, through their speech, and actions, and attitudes, God is able to weave his tapestry more beautifully and hasten the day of the coming of the Kingdom. So it’s a big thing you’re involved in, a transcendent thing. Each person has something to contribute and each contribution is important to the whole.

A few weeks ago, Nancy and I were given tickets to the Symphony....down at the Bob

Carr Auditorium. It was a night of Mozart and Salieri. The Salieri was endurable, but the

Mozart was rapturous.... the violins, the cellos, the woodwinds, some brass inserted subtly.

I don’t understand it technically, but the various voices of the orchestra, out of Mozart’s

genius, and Kenneth Jean’s direction, moved separately and yet together to make a melodic, harmonious whole. Every part was necessary for the work to be balanced.

At one point, I noticed at the back of the orchestra, on the far side of the stage, a young woman, a member of the orchestra, a tympanist, stand up, holding some kind of tubular percussion instrument in one hand, and a little mallet in the other. She stood there for a long time, not doing anything while the orchestra played on. She had her eye on the director,

And then came the moment. Mozart had planned it. Kenneth Jean had memorized it. He

nodded to her, at the precisely correct time for her contribution....She drew back her

mallet...and pinged....one note...and then sat down. I don’t know if she did another thing

the rest of the night.

But the symphony wouldn’t have been complete without her.

Volunteers...Thank you. We appreciate you. Whether you have a major, solo part in the performance, or just one little ping to play in the divine Symphony, your part is indispensable. I hope you know that. The Author/Conductor knows that.

There is joy in what you do. There is satisfaction. But best of all, there is PURPOSE...

that the music of heaven might be heard in its completeness.