Clarke's Last Sermon

Jesus discussed the importance of humbling ourselves and not exalting ourselves in Luke 14...he says:
8 "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him;
9 and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.
10 But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.
11 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Selfishness inhibits the plan of God, but selflessness shows God inhabits our life. We testify to the presence and the greatness of the God Whom we serve by calling attention not to ourselves, but to Him Who has called us into a relationship with Himself.  He has given us a capacity to be humble and to set good priorities, being ready to do His will and to serve others.  In our service, God receives the glory and honor.

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Jesus humbled Himself by coming to earth and then submitting to a cruel death - for us. And, He
gives us the capacity to humble ourselves before Him and others. Philippians 2 states:
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus...

The writer then describes the humility of Christ.

Kelly Clarke was a youth pastor in Tyler, Texas - he had moved with his family to be missionaries in Costa Rica.  On Christmas Day, Kelly made a bold move and demonstrated his faith.

According to the KETK Television website...

...Kelly Clarke went swimming in Costa Rica with his friend, Pastor Manuel, and their families.

The excitement turned to panic when Pastor Manuel's son was swept into a riptide. Pastor Manuel went to save his son, and ended up needing saving himself.

That's when Kelly reacted.

The article continues:

Kelly saved the pastor, and the son was okay. But Kelly drowned in the midst of the chaos. Family and friends, now remembering Kelly for everything he was and everything he stood for.

His sister, Tammy Beard, is quoted as saying: "That was my brother, I mean he would give his life if that meant saving another," adding, "He loved the Lord and wanted to be the hands and feet of Jesus."

Hannah Bower, described as a "close family friend," said: ""He would have had to know what he was getting himself into when he went into the water because if it was sweeping other people under and he saw them struggling you know, he would have known it would have been a struggle going in there, but he still went after those people..."

Peter Heck, writing at The Resurgent, said: "On Christmas Day, Clarke preached his best sermon ever, not from a pulpit but in the ocean." He also stated:

Clarke is a hero in the eyes of the world, to be sure. But far more importantly, he is a hero in the eyes of the Savior he served. And if we are wise, we will allow his final sermon to reach beyond the shores of Costa Rica and challenge each of us to live as he lived: loving our neighbors as ourselves – even those who don’t look like us, talk like us, even those we may have just met.

It is a reminder that as good as our pastors preach, sometimes the best sermons don't come from behind a pulpit, and it brings to mind how all of us have been called "ministers of reconciliation," ambassadors for Christ.  Kelly Clarke was in the ministry, but he may be remembered best for his final act of ministry, laying down his life, being willing to die so that someone else might live.

This story can challenge us in the areas of readiness and humility, which actually work together. We can possess that attitude of being attentive, ready for God to use us.  And, we have to be humble before God so that selfishness doesn't get in the way of our fulfilling His calling.  We can be challenged to either look for opportunity or being ready to respond when opportunity presents itself.

And, when the opportunity comes, we have a choice - we can deny self...or we can pay more attention to ourselves than the need we see and go in a different direction.   Developing humility can help us make the right choice in real time, because opportunity may dissipate in seconds.