Another huge hurricane has hit our shores - wow!  The only one I've ever experienced was in 1979, in early October when my folks and I were held over 12 hours at LaGuardia airport due to a hurricane.  As I recall, it was Hurricane Bob.  As comedian Jay Leno said last week, "With all these storms, maybe this is not a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance."

          About 150 years ago in England, a distinguished rider at the head of a hunting party came upon a boy standing by a gate.  With great authority the rider commanded the boy to open the gate.  "I'm sorry sir," the boy answered, "but my father sent me to say that you must not hunt on his property."  "Young man, do you know who I am?  I am the Duke of Wellington," he said, "and I demand that you open this gate!"  The small boy removed his cap, bowed respectfully and said, "Due respects sir, but the Duke of Wellington would surely not ask me to disobey my father's orders."  The Duke thought a moment, removed his own hat, and said, "Young sir, my hat is off to the one who is so faithful to his duty."  And with that he and his party rode away to hunt another place.

          In an editorial back in the 1990's during the presidential impeachment hearings, journalist Thomas Sowell said to congress, "It is your duty to make a judgment."  It's a commentary on our times that words like "duty" and "honor" are heard so little, and even "judgment" has a negative connotation.  But duty and honor dare never become outdated.  Duty and honor come with courage and risk.  It may not be enjoyable, but doing one's duty is always needed.

          This Bible passage is the only time Jesus speaks of doing your duty, but we'd do well to take His words to heart.  "Duty" is mentioned 32 times in the Bible.  There is something noble about "duty," something right and good.  The Scout Oath begins with the familiar words:  "On my honor I will do my duty to God and my country."  A lot of people today need to learn what that oath means.

          In the recent hurricane, there was a great deal of publicity given when some people ran away, but not as much was given to those who stayed and did their duty.  When calamity or scandal arises, it is human nature to put self first, to save one's own neck, but such times also show us who the real heroes are, the ones who put others over self.  Such are the firefighters running back into collapsing buildings to rescue others, or the soldiers sacrificing self to save their buddies, or the parents protecting their children, but losing their own lives.

          Jesus encourages us to help others, to serve those in need.  He said in Matthew 7:12, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."  We call that the "Golden Rule."  Again He said, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40)

          Failure to do one's duty often sets the stage for more problems.  We Americans have been generous these past weeks since Hurricane Katrina, and now our generosity will be tested again with Hurricane Rita.  If you find yourself asking whether or not you should give again to help storm victims, just look around at your own home.  It is still dry and safe and your trees are still standing.  Then give thanks by helping out once again.

          It's tempting to take the short-cut, but not always best.  We want a quick fix, and don't always take time to do it right.  However, doing the right thing when it is needed is common sense.  Doing one's duty benefits everyone, including future generations.  Thomas a' Kempis once said, "Duty often means doing what you do not want to do, or to refrain from doing what you would like to do."  "Duty" in the Bible is the action God expects of us, due to our position or wealth, whether rich or poor, whether family member or stranger.  This is echoed in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer when it states, "I pray for power always to do my duty in that state of life unto which God has called me."

          In this passage Jesus is telling us we should do our duty and not expect to be thanked.  It almost seems cruel as He speaks of requiring the servants to work all day and then serve dinner before serving themselves.  He seems thankless, but that's not His point.  Jesus always encourages giving thanks, both to God and to people.  His point here, however, is that the worker should not work merely to get thanked; he should work to do his duty.

          During the 1980's the Marine barracks in Beirut was bombed by terrorists, and hundreds of American soldiers were killed or wounded as they slept.  Scenes of soldiers digging through the rubble were memorable.  A few days after the tragedy, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Paul Kelly visited some of the wounded survivors in a Frankfurt, Germany, hospital.  Among the severely wounded was Corporal Jeffrey Nashton.  He had so many tubes running in and out of his body that he looked more like a machine than a man.  And yet he survived.

          As Gen. Kelly neared him, Nashton painfully motioned for paper and a pen.  He wrote a note and passed it to the General.  "Semper Fi", said the note, the Marine motto, "Always faithful."  With those two words Nashton spoke for the millions of soldiers who have sacrificed life and limb for their country, those who have remained faithful to their duty and their comrades.  And tens of thousands today still live by those words, "Semper Fi!"

          Duty means acting from what is right and what is needed, rather than from expectation of thanks.  Duty appreciates gratitude, but does not expect it.  Tell a soldier your thanks and he or she will be glad.  But even if you don't, that soldier will still do his duty.  He's not doing his work for a pat on the back.  Nor should we.  That's what Jesus is driving at here.

          But we who receive the benefits of duty dare never be ungrateful.  Not only does our gratitude give a boost to others, it helps us also.  You and I need to be grateful.  We need to show our thanks.  Not to be thankful, to expect the dutiful acts of others without giving proper thanks, makes us selfish and small.  It shows us our greed or laziness.

          When I was a boy my Uncle Bill used to send me a $20 bill for Christmas and birthday.  He was one of my baptismal sponsors and his gift came so regularly that I began to expect it.  And I also began forgetting to thank him.  Soon that $20 bill no longer came, and that was too bad, because $20 in the 1950's was a lot of money.  I heard of an elderly woman who always sent her grandchildren a Christmas or birthday card with money in it.  But rarely, if ever, did they thank her for the gift.  One year, she decided to do something about it.  She sent them all cards with a check in it - an unsigned check!  Guess what?  They ALL contacted Grandma that year.  I don't know if it helped in years that followed, but at least that year Grandma heard from each of her grandchildren.

          What does God expect from us?  According to the words of Jesus, He expects us to do our duty.  Micah 6:8 says, "And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."  A part of humility is service, doing one's duty as a Christian man or woman or child.  God expects us to do so.

          Jesus our Savior did His duty in all things.  He set the standard for us to follow, but He set it so high, it is impossible for us to achieve.  You and I cannot do our duty perfectly.  We can only try our best.  But we will fail, so we must rely on the mercy of God to forgive us.  You and I need a Savior because you and I can never do all things perfectly.  We can only do our best and rely on Christ's mercy and forgiveness.  It would be a huge mistake to think it all depends on us.  It really all depends on Him.  He is the standard of perfect duty.  He is the one who risks His life to rescue us.  He is the one who sacrificed His life that we might live.

          Cling to Jesus for life.  Trusting Jesus will not be easy.  I know of many who trust firmly in the Lord and still have one struggle after another.  Christ Himself said, "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." (Acts 14:22)   St. Paul, no stranger to hardship, encouraged us saying, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Corinthians 4:17)   Stay with it, he says, and glory will come!

          There is a fisherman's prayer that seems especially appropriate now that hurricanes threaten our nation's welfare.  The prayer goes like this:  "Dear God, be good to me; the sea is so wide and my boat is so small."  You and I are on a long and difficult journey across a wide sea.  It is easy to get lost!  Even a good boat gets tossed by the violent hurricane.  "Dear God, be good to me; the sea is so wide and my boat is so small."  But we must take care to do our duty and not to add to our troubles by taking the easy way out.  We are not the only boat in the sea and there are other boats who may need us.  We must tend the rudder and avoid dangerous waters.  We must consult the infallible compass of God's Word and be guided by the Beacon Light of His Son Jesus.  "Dear God, be good to me; the sea is so wide and my boat is so small."

          Our boat is not a battleship to ram others.  Nor is ours merely a pleasure craft; it's also for helping others who sail with us.  We can get quickly stuck in the mud if we are not vigilant.  Our hope lies not in the strength of our boat or the skill of our sailing, but in the Ruler of wind and waves.  Christ is the Captain of our journey, and only He can bring us through the danger of hurricane and high waves, into the calm of the other side.  "Dear God, be good to me; the sea is so wide and my boat is so small."  Amen!

          May God give us strength in times like these.  We need clear heads and stout hearts to do our duty.  We need courage, not fear;  solutions, not blame;  compassion, not selfishness.  And through all these storms, may God teach America a greater need for humility and trust.  May we trust Him more and our prideful selves less.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Copyright © 2005 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.