Sermon for October 17, 2021 - Change the World
GOSPEL: Mark 10:35-45
The holy gospel according to Mark.
Glory to you, O Lord.
On the way to Jerusalem the disciples ask Jesus to grant them seats of honor. Jesus responds by announcing that he and his followers will “rule” through self-giving service.
35James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” 37And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
41When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 42So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 43But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 45For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Now before we join the 10 disciples
and get after James and John
for their outlandish and naive request of Jesus,
take a moment and find yourself in their shoes.
I can identify with them,
I don’t think their request is that radical.
In my own way I used to be just like James and John,
maybe I still am…
The sons of Zebedee heard Jesus call,
“come fish for people.”
They left their father in the boat.
They’ve heard Jesus say
“the last shall be first and the first shall be last”
but it doesn’t quite compute.
They were the first to be called;
well, okay, not first,
they were number 3 and 4,
right behind Peter and Andrew.
But, at least based on Mark’s Gospel,
they’ve been with Jesus from the start.
They are part of the inner circle
that gets to climb the mountain with Jesus.
Peter has just messed up;
who could forget “Get behind me Satan!”
I get it, by human standards,
James and John are moving up in the Jesus movement,
so why not ask for places of honour
beside Jesus the King?
I’m not sure that it was wrong to ask.
You are setting your mind not on divine things,
but on human things,
Jesus could have said.
James and John have seen new life in Jesus Christ,
they’ve been part of healing,
wholeness,
forgiveness,
restoration to community,
they see hope in Christ’s work
in and through the disciples:
and they ask for some honour and power.
Faithful tangent: so are 27 mayoral candidates,
and many other candidates for councillor
and school board trustee
asking us for positions of honour and power.
Yet these are also positions of public service.
As we prepare to vote in our civic election,
Jesus helps us understand what servant leadership
looks like in the community of faith,
and what it could look like in politics:
“You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 43But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.”
Let us be faithful with our vote,
as we consider those who ask for
a large or small role of power:
Who is looking for glory?
What might servant leadership look like in city hall? (Pause)
Back to James and John,
I can identify with them asking for honour.
After all, they are changing the world
through the Jesus movement,
and they’re at the forefront.
I thought I was going to change the world.
When I began to sense a call to be a pastor,
I was a teenager,
and I was blessed to attend various
large and small youth gatherings,
hearing various high profile preachers,
charismatically preaching,
receiving shouts of Amen
for their powerful talking points.
I thought to myself -
“Self, that’s going to be me.”
The crowd will call out Amen
and clap and cheer,
and they’ll come just to see me.
I wanted my own place of honour
in the Jesus movement,
and why wouldn’t it work?
I had had a successful and growing youth ministry
as a young adult,
I thought I was coming up in the world, so to speak…
Why wouldn’t I be the next charismatic preacher
to fill the pews?
Decades later,
it turns out this wasn’t what God had in mind for me.
As I reflect on my ministry as a pastor,
any success that I have had in ministry
has not been my success.
Two brief examples:
Some ten years ago or so,
I held a floor hockey ministry;
it was simple, active, fun,
and we’d spend time in prayer.
I remember being criticized for this not being a real ministry,
but just an excuse to use the gym.
Floor Hockey wasn’t my idea.
It came from some people in the congregation,
and, pardon the pun,
we ran with it for a few months -
and I just recently learned
of the positive impact the floor hockey ministry had.
Another example is the Mom’s group ministry
my previous congregation had in the Parkland Area.
What a blessing this group was;
fostering deep trust,
learning, sharing,
helping together.
Moms in the community would gather;
in homes,
at a park,
not to complain about their husbands and kids,
but for connection and depth in conversation.
But it wasn’t a bible study,
they weren’t bringing in extra revenue for the church,
and so there was scrutiny.
Yet I heard and witnessed stories of God in that group:
stories of healing, purpose,
compassion, sharing.
None of that was me.
But what about me?
What great work am I going to do, Jesus?
I wouldn’t have framed it this way,
but, decades ago, I wanted glory.
Maybe part of me still does.
Jesus asks James and John:
Are you able to drink the cup I will drink,
or be baptized with the baptism
that I am baptized with?
They say yes,
but they aren’t ready.
When it is time for the Son of Man
to take the throne of glory,
James and John flee when the cross is in view.
Instead two bandits take their place
at Jesus’ right hand and left.
It is easy for you and I to chastise James and John:
I mean, did they even listen to Jesus?
At all?
Jesus just said “suffering, cross, death, resurrection”
and do they even know what Jesus means
by his cup, let alone baptism?
Maybe, maybe not?
Yet Jesus doesn’t chastise them -
instead, yes, you will drink the cup
and you will be baptized.
They do not know what they are asking for,
yet Jesus responds with grace and truth.
Thanks be to God, that’s how God deals with us
when we do not know what we ask for
- Grace and truth.
I hear this,
I hear Jesus ask if they can drink the cup,
and receive the baptism
and I think of our sacraments
- holy baptism, holy communion.
I know these are hopeful images,
but these words - baptism, cup,
would have been understood as images of suffering.
James and John want glory,
Jesus asks them - are you ready to suffer?
They are, they say.
Are you? Are you ready to suffer for Jesus?
Jesus calls the disciples - and us - to love:
love your neighbour,
love your enemy.
If you’re going to love, you’re going to suffer.
When you love someone, they will let you down -
when they lie to you,
when their words cut deeper than was intended,
or in Jesus’ case,
when you are abandoned in your time of need.
I say this to couples who consider marriage:
if you’re going to love,
you’re going to suffer,
even if only at your partner’s death.
It is cliche, but it is true,
grief is the cost of love.
If you’re going to love,
you’re going to suffer.
Jesus shows us what love looks like in action:
the Son of Man came not to be served,
but to serve.
I used to think I was going to change the world,
that I would be that big charismatic preacher,
that people would come just to see me,
and my preaching would change hearts
and the world.
I thought that was “my call” but it is not.
I’m not going to change the world.
Jesus already changed the world.
The Gospel turns the world upside down.
God’s Spirit convicts people to faith,
God’s Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens
and makes holy the Church.
It is not about me and my glory
and what I want God’s will for me to be.
My call is like Paul, to preach Christ and him crucified,
To point to Jesus.
That youth ministry I led;
that season of thriving and hope and success
in my younger years,
that wasn’t me,
that wasn’t my wife
or the other volunteers,
that was God.
That was Jesus showing up again and again.
That Moms group,
the connections and healing,
that wasn’t me,
that wasn’t the leadership,
that was God,
that was Jesus showing up again and again.
Even the floor hockey ministry - Jesus showed up.
Set your mind,
not on human things,
but on divine things.
Where is Jesus showing up, again and again today?
Where do you see Jesus in your home,
or in the community of faith? (Pause)
I see Jesus in relationship with you,
and I confess, that’s harder to see these days
because we aren’t gathering like we might like,
but I see Jesus in you,
with your desire to serve others,
to share hope and gratitude.
I see Jesus in our community when broken people
sinner’s & saints,
simply love other broken people.
We have insight that James and John didn’t have.
We’ve seen Peter take out his sword,
and we’ve heard Jesus say “put it away.”
We’ve heard the idle talk
from the women,
the first witnesses of the resurrection,
I have seen the Lord!
We have heard of Christ’s ascension
to the right hand of God,
who intercedes on our behalf
with the same God of all creation
who is found in all creation,
whose right and left hand is in and around us all.
James and John ask to sit at Jesus’ left hand and right in glory,
they envisioned a heavenly throne,
perhaps on earth,
and Jesus envisioned a cross
and empty grave.
We’ve limited our understanding of God’s presence,
to a tabernacle,
behind a curtain,
on a mountain,
somewhere in the clouds,
when all creation,
like the burning bush with Moses,
is filled with the fire of God’s presence.
Just as all creation burns with the presence of the Holy Spirit,
so are you too filled with God’s Spirit
by your baptism into Christ.
You embody Christ,
you are a sign of God’s grace,
You who are heirs of salvation,
are invited to love and serve,
and you who want to be great,
are invited to be last of all and servant of all.
Trust that,
as you love, as you serve,
you do change the world
- one heart at a time,
or better, God’s Spirit changes the world
one heart at a time
through you.
You are the body of Christ,
you are God’s hands and feet,
and God sees fit to love in and through
broken people like James, John,
Mary and Lydia,
and you.
My blessing for you, the church, the body of Christ:
May you take and receive the cup of suffering,
and choose to love.
May you who wish to become great
be last of all and servant of all.
And May you continue to change the world
by God’s Spirit, one heart at a time.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
