Someone once told me that she wanted to move beyond a transactional relationship with God.  A transactional relationship is where we pray and follow God’s rules, and, in exchange, expect good things; when we don’t get what we expect, we’re frustrated.  This woman loved Jesus but was aware that she sometimes did things expecting blessings in return.  She asked my advice, and I said, “Try to accept the dryness you’re feeling right now,” because she was in a state of spiritual desolation.  “If you can accept that Jesus, at various times, will not give you rest, good feelings, or what you want, and still love Him, then you’ll be at the level of friendship!  As long as you’re hoping to get something back, you’ll be in a transactional relationship.  However, if you say, ‘Jesus, from now on, I’ll always love You even if I never get anything in return,’ then you’ll be at a new level of faith.”

In the Gospel, “The Apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’  The Lord replied, ‘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’” (Lk 17:5-6).  Faith, even when small, can do miracles.  But what would be the greater miracle: moving a tree by our words or perfecting our love?

Remember the parable I’ve shared before: There was a father who never loved his children; he was mean and neglected them, and when they grew up, they wanted nothing to do with him.  Then he gets cancer, and as he’s lying on his deathbed, his children visit him.  Now, what would be the greater miracle: that he’s healed or that their relationship is healed?  In the same way: What would be the greater sign of faith, that we move a tree by our words or that we promise to love Jesus even if we get nothing in return?

He goes on, “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing 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’? (17:7-8).  The life of a follower of Jesus is a life of service.  As soon as we’re done one task, there’s another to be done.  This was Jesus’ life.

Caveat: We’re not talking about letting people treat us like slaves or take advantage of us.  And we’ll talk about proper rest in a moment.  For now, we’re contrasting Jesus’ vision with our culture’s.  Our culture teaches that after school or work, we have evenings and weekends to ourselves.  Jesus implies that evenings and weekends belong to Him, to praise Him and serve others.

So, if we’re always taking care of others and are often tired, that’s a life of service.  There are exceptions: Excessive service to the neglect of our time with Jesus or family, or service which damages our health, is not good.  But service that stretches us outside of our comfort zone?  Thumbs up!  If we have doubt about where the line is, talk to mature and generous disciples, not those who don’t push themselves.

The alternative to a life of service is a kind of emptiness.  Some years ago, a number of times, a woman talked about leading ministries and was enthusiastic!  And she received permission!  But nothing ever came of it.  After a few times of this, how could we depend on her?  On the other hand, I’ve noticed, after the death of American Christian Charlie Kirk, how many people are invigorated to stand up for the pre born against abortion, for marriage against LGBT movement—a life of service.

Jesus says, “Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?  So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’” (17:7-10).  Three times here, Jesus uses the word ‘slave.’  In the original Greek, it also means servant.  In Philippians, St. Paul says, “Christ Jesus… though he was in the form of God… emptied himself, taking the form of a slave” (2:5-7).  God serves us in perfect humility.  When He died for us, He got nothing in return.  Yet He still loves us.

I believe we tend to measure things based on what we’ll get.  We go to events based on what we’ll get.  We volunteer based on what we’ll get.  We choose ministries not only to help others, but first because we get something out of it.  Why do I believe this?  Because I’ve seen it in others, and, years ago, my spiritual director exposed it in me.  I was volunteering at youth ministry because I loved God and others, but mainly because I got something out of it.  As soon as God asked me to go to the seminary and get nothing in return, I didn’t want to do it.  My faith was real but primarily self-focused.  After two weeks I wanted to leave.  I went to my director and said, ‘I’m miserable here.  How long do I have to stay before I know if God wants me to be a priest?’  He said, ‘How long are you willing to trust?’  I couldn’t argue with that, and so I stayed.  It was very painful: Every morning, I marked off on the calendar the day that just went by.  By the end of the year, however, I said to him, ‘I’d like to come back.’  He said, ‘You’re ready.  You’ve made a big shift from the subjective to the objective.’  ‘What do you mean?’  ‘When you got here, you were primarily focused on how you felt, what you were getting.  Now you’re focused on what glorifies God, what helps other people.’

When Jesus tells us to say, ‘We are worthless slaves,’ He’s getting us ready to die for other people since we don’t think we’re worth more than they are.

But notice that He doesn’t treat us as worthless.  He died for us because we are of infinite value to Him.  And so, when it comes to proper rest,  first, follow Jesus’ pattern: a life of prayer and service, which means we aim for necessary rest but accept when we don’t get it, and we accept that we don’t have much time for ourselves.  Two, we rest not only for our good but for the good of others.  When Deacon Andrew was working full time, he was always serving at Canadian Martyrs’; when he went home, his family, for many years, had people with developmental disabilities living with them.  Now that he’s retired, he’s always serving.  And he rests just enough that he can serve.  In fact, he would serve more if he could, but he rests just enough to help others.

The call today is, can we make this prayer of faith: ‘Jesus, from now on, I’ll always love You even if I never get anything in return’?

This is how He loves us.  This is how we move from a transactional relationship to one of friendship.