Two weeks ago, I had the honor and privilege of being ordained at NCFC VA campus. It was such a special moment to be ordained at the church I grew up in from 6th grade to a college graduate. It was special because my father was also ordained at NCFC back when we were worshiping at Watkins Mill. What made it really meaningful was my father’s message to me during the ordination service.
The first words he said to me was “Be a nobody.” My first thought was “thanks?” But then he began to explain that the world always tells us to go be somebody. Go and make a name for yourself. Live the American dream. That’s why we study hard and get into a good school and find a good major. By good major we mean one where there’s money to be made. Not something like sociology (my major). The world is preoccupied with trying to be somebody.
In high school, I had a Chinese friend who was so obsessed with his grades. Depending on his grades, he would be either “building up the Zhou dynasty” or “destroying the Zhou dynasty.” Zhou was his last name. I remember I would crack jokes about how ridiculous he was acting, but I think we all do that. We may not say his exact words, but in the back of our minds we want to make sure we’re building our name. We want to build up our “dynasty.”
That’s the opposite of what the Bible tells us. Jesus said things like “the last will be first, and the first will be last” and “whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant.” John the Baptist said “He must become greater; I must become less.” As Christians, it’s easy for us to follow the mindset of the world. It’s inevitable because we live in this world. So we want our kids to be the best. We want them to be successful. That’s why we don’t see bumper stickers that say “My kid is a so-so student at (insert school name here).” Also as parents, we want to leave behind some kind of legacy to our kids.
Perhaps, the best “legacy” that we can leave for our children is teaching them how to be a nobody. Being an example by reading God’s word and following it and teaching them that it’s not about what you become but who you are in Christ. As we lower ourselves and humble ourselves, that’s when God can be glorified through us. If you think about it, all the characters we find in the Bible were nobodies. God used people who were too old or too young or uneducated or Christ-haters or had speech impediments to do His work.
We’re in the book of Judges according to the M’Cheyne reading, and we find the story of Gideon. God calls him a “mighty warrior” before he’s done anything. If you look at Gideon, there’s nothing “mighty” or “warrior” about him. In fact, he needed multiple signs before obeying God’s command. It’s safe to say that Gideon wasn’t called a “mighty warrior” because of anything he had done. God calls him a mighty warrior because of what He planned to do through Gideon.
It’s great being a nobody. When we become a nobody that’s when God can be a somebody in us. As a Christian, it’s not about making our name known, but it’s about making God’s name known to everyone around us. As a pastor, my hope is to be a nobody. I’m fine with not being remembered and not being known as long as God is being known through me. I hope that NCFC would be full of nobodies. When newcomers visit, they won’t really remember the people they met, but they would remember how they met God through us during worship that day.
From Pastor Eugene’s Heart
July 26, 2015