Mark 10:35-45
Proper 24 / Year B
James,
James, James! John, John, John! Really?
Really? Really?
We
admire people who strive to be great by pursuing excellence; people who develop
their skills and assets in order to become who God created them to be. As an example, I was blessed to attend
Madison Mottley’s graduation ceremony on Friday evening. I came away impressed by how hard she and her
classmates worked to earn their degrees and how much they sacrificed in the process. She and they truly deserve to be congratulated
and celebrated.
We
do not admire people who lust for a position or title or accolade merely for
the power and prestige they suppose it will confer. We do not celebrate people who overreach in
order to fill something which is lacking in their life. We don’t honor those who seek to be great for
greatness’ sake alone. And this is why
we bristle at James’ and John’s request.
It
all seems so unnecessary. Along with
Peter, the two brothers are already a part of Jesus’ inner circle; the
disciples with whom he seems to be especially close. We would rather they not use their standing in
his eyes to preen. A little bit of
humility goes a long way. Rick Warren,
the megachurch pastor and best-selling author, states bluntly, “You are not self-serving
when you’ve surrendered [your life to Christ]”.
By this standard, the two brothers (nicknamed the “Sons of Thunder”), are
still in the early stages of their training in discipleship.
Can
you think of a time when you pushed and promoted yourself in order to get
something you badly wanted; some position or post you imagined would give you
prestige? Have you ever yearned for what
you imaged would make you great, in your eyes and in the eyes of others. And if you achieved what you desired, how did
it turn out?
When
I was a college freshman I desperately wanted to be on a student-led youth
ministry team called Young Life. Well, I
went for it, worked hard, sacrificed much, and by my junior year was actually
the leader. The position even paid a
little bit of money, which was nice, but even more it garnered me a certain
level of admiration in some circles of the campus. The thing is, I was not a very good leader at
the time. I overestimated my abilities,
did little to build up the other volunteers, didn’t mesh well with some of the
teenagers we were trying to evangelize, and nearly ran the entire ministry into
the ground.
Last
Tuesday the bishop held her monthly zoom call with the clergy. We always begin by reading and discussing the
gospel lesson for the coming Sunday. I outed
myself by relating the experience from my college years. I found it interesting everyone on the zoom who
has gone after something, as I went after the campus ministry position, confessed
it did not turn out well. They said they
were not ideally suited for those positions they sought and in the end it made
them miserable. To a person we shared that
when we have been able to relax, to be authentically who we are, and to let God
be our guide, things have worked out much better.
In
the business world there is the corporate ladder. Many people are motivated to climb higher and
higher because this is what great people do.
There is a church ladder as well; a path clergy travel from seminary, to
be a curate in a notable parish, to serving as the rector of a small, stable
church, and then being a rector of a larger church with a larger staff, to
becoming the rector of a cardinal parish or the dean of a cathedral or perhaps
even a bishop.
I
guess my experience with youth ministry in college taught me enough about
coveting power and prestige that I never was particularly motivated to make
that climb. I have never sought to be
the rector of a large parish nor have I aspired to be a bishop. Through it all I have learned what Jesus
teaches his followers in today’s reading: If you want to be great you must be a
servant to all.
St.
Paul’s has been such a wonderful place for me to serve because, whether you
realized it or not, every person here offers what they offer, contributes what
they contribute, and does what they do out of a spirit of servanthood; never seeking
prestige or leveraging it into power.
Believe me, it is not this way in every parish.
Gandhi,
in drawing on the teaching of Jesus, said, “The best way to find yourself is to
lose yourself in the service of others.”
While no one is perfect at this and no faith community can fully embody
it, I see it as one of St. Paul’s defining characteristics. We care deeply about one another and in no way
attempt to pursue greatness in order to lord it over others.
So
give yourself a pat on the back. Even
better, give someone else here a pat on the back and express your gratitude for
their unique contribution to our common life.
Last week was Pastor’s Appreciation Sunday. Lets make this, and the other 50 Sunday’s
during the year Membership Appreciation Day.
Please know how much I admire the servant-like manner in which each of
you participates in our common life.
