"Who are you?"
There is a classic tombstone in a Vermont cemetery upon which is written "Samuel Brown: born a child of God,
died a grocer." You and I know lots of people who think that they are little more than what they do. It really
wouldn't be any sadder if that stone had read: "born a child of God, died a CEO of a Fortune Five Hundred
company, or born a child of God, died a competent soccer mom and mother of three, or NASA astronaut, or winner
of the Nobel prize in Physics." A child of God…what more could one want?
Everyone is more than their job. Most of us have families, significant people in our lives, hobbies, habits good
and bad,..yet the major part of our identity we take from what we "do."
Going hand in hand with that choice of identity is the race to be extremely successful in whatever "what we
do" happens to be. Everyone wants to be good at it. REALLY GOOD! So what makes a "leader" as opposed
to an "also ran"? After all, with the exception of Boston few people will remember for very long who
came in second.
I read recently that, "of all of the essential characteristics of a good leader, perhaps vision is the most
important. Combined with good planning and good followers, vision can result in positive action." Every generation
needs new leaders who will be effective - not just efficient - empowered from within; flexible; visionary; value
driven; and informed about the larger world,--for action without vision just passes the time, but vision with action
can change the world!
In many ways James and John, the sons of a fishing entrepreneur one Zebedee of Galilee were visionaries. They saw
themselves as leadership potential. They wanted to be at the top…with the two best seats-right along side of Jesus,
and as we have been learning in the Monday and Wednesday morning Bible studies the biggest issue in the communities
of the early church was the debate over who Jesus really left in charge when he returned to heaven. Some said Peter,
others Thomas or Mary Magdalene, some John the "beloved disciple." So why not James and John?
After all they only asked: "We want you to do for us whatever we ask of you" - how unusual is that? Much
like "I want my inheritance and I want it now." Or "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"
They were not aware of the fact that the power and prestige they were seeking from Jesus would be every bit as
much a hindrance to their entrance into the kingdom of God as was the wealth of the rich young man in last week's
gospel; and the desire for it was not limited to James and John alone. Mark goes on to tell us that when the other
ten heard of the request they were very angry-most likely because they had not thought to ask first, or were concerned
that the positions had already been granted!
This is just one more example of a very important story told in all three of the synoptic Gospels with some variations.
Mark has the boys ask for themselves, Matthew says their mom stepped forward to do it for them, and Luke just says,
"a dispute arose among them."
The main point is that we all go to God from time to time saying quite earnestly "I want You to give me whatever
I ask…Okay?" Apart from just excusing our selfishness, perhaps the real lesson here is that God's understanding
of our ignorance is among God's greatest gifts to humanity!
Clearly this is the case in the story of Job where God has countered even Job's sincere demands for justice regarding
what he feels has been obviously a terrible mistake in God's judgment. God counters Job's arguments with some undeniable
facts about the vast difference between their abilities and understandings. It's basically God saying to Job in
all kindness "Just who do you think you are Job to make demands of God?"
How do we make demands as an "equal," of someone who is so much greater than ourselves and always will
be? The answer is we cannot, but we do it all the time in terms of our expectations of God. The lesson here is
simple to hear, but very difficult to practice: Love alone will cause our superior to stoop to our need.
Randy Bricker spoke to us a few weeks ago about his experiences showing "random acts of kindness" as
a token of Jesus' love for us when he attended the "Celebrate Jesus" event in Florida. Those who gathered
as an evangelism team this past week, and we were sadly very few in number, pursued that idea further. Our assignment
was to come up with a list of things we might be able to do as a group to demonstrate our understanding of God's
love.
I was thinking about that when I remembered that last week Jesus told the disciples that "the last will be
first and the first will be last"? How often do we try to demonstrate that? Placement seems to be very important
to us!
For example, did you ever notice how everyone wants to find a parking space as close to the door of the church
as possible and a pew as far to the back? When was the last time you thought about intentionally parking as far
away from the church door as you could to allow for a visitor or someone who has difficulty walking easier access,
and then took a pew as far forward as possible so that those who don't want to sit down front could have your pew?
That too would take a discipline born not from right and privilege but from love.
So too one could just as easily ask "do you prefer spending time with people who tell you what you want to
hear or what you need to hear?" It's a trick question of course because we all know we should spend time with
people who tell us what we need to hear-but the reality is that we voluntarily spend time almost exclusively with
those who tell us what we want to hear. To do otherwise would take a discipline born not from desire for status
but from humility.
Servanthood begins in very simple ways. According to Jesus it's a kind of "random acts of kindness" we
do to ourselves. It's about the choices we make every day.
Those firefighters, police officers, and rescue teams who rushed up the World Trade Center towers two years ago
in order to serve and save rightfully became our models of the heroic. On a day that exhibited the worst of human
activity, they and others revealed the best. Watching from afar, many of us wondered whether we would have been
able to muster up enough courage and devotion to do the same for strangers.
After all the attention paid to them, do you know their names? Probably not. No more so than we remember the names
of the countless martyrs throughout history who in ways large and small gave themselves up for the good of others.
Servanthood is rarely accompanied by personal recognition.
Today Jesus invites all his followers to let such patterns of self-giving and serving become a model for normal,
daily living. He invites us to find our way in the shape and pattern of his suffering, death, and resurrection.
He would have us open our eyes and ears to those with whom we gather around the communion table and the baptismal
font: those with whom we share in common a Creator and a Savior; those who like us, come with open hands and hungry
hearts to receive a gift that gives life as it is given away.
Jesus would also have us go out and serve those who haven't yet come to this font or this table. To be witnesses
of God's life-giving "Yes" in a world full of shadows and "No's". To be those whose living
points to the one who gave his life as a ransom for the creation.
Jesus seeks out a community, a body, which will serve and give itself away. Some of that activity will be dramatic
and powerful; some will be found in quiet acts of grace and mercy. For all of us it means we are invited to become
last so that others might be first; it is how we find our equality in love.
Last week when the disciples asked Jesus, "How is this possible?" he responded, "With mortals it
is impossible, but with God all things are possible." This week we hear that when we are brave enough to surrender
our egos and souls to the grace of God, "we are able" to do great things because God is with us. How
wonderful to have that confidence, a confidence born of God that enables us to do all things through God who strengthens
us.
Every year at about this time churches all over the country begin a time of stewardship emphasis. It's usually
during that time period that you hear people say "All they ever talk about is money."
No doubt about it, "fundraising" is what keeps all organizations functioning, but "faithraising"
is the real task of the Church. We are expected to empower people throughout the year with lessons that will teach
them the challenges of servanthood not only in the "season of stewardship" but always.
Being a servant and a slave is not about subservience to Jesus, but about joining him. He doesn't ask us to do
what he himself has not done. John's gospel even has Jesus declare that the disciples (and we) are to be his friends
not his servants (15:15). This is not just task related, as if it pertains to a particular mission and a particular
time or role. Jesus' comments in 10:43-44, which almost mirror those in 9:35, declare that this is about what it
means to be a person, what it means to be great. We have to add: in the eyes of Jesus and in the eyes of God. Jesus
espouses these values for himself!
So "Who are you?" Let me suggest that you are:
Formed by God,
Nourished by God's love,
Preserved by God's mercy,
Open to God's promises,
Expectant of God's future.
You are the human _expression of the Divine hope.
You are God's best and last chance in the world.
You are the means for hope and love in the world.
Who are you?
You are all of that and more.
You are equality in love, and for that, we praise God!
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