A Peculiar Blessing

It’s Sunday morning after the Service of Worship. A couple of kids are running around in the sanctuary. One of them, a little boy, goes up into the pulpit. He sees his mother standing at the back – the sound system is turned on – the little boy speaks into the microphone, "Mommy! Mommy! Look at me! Look at me!"

A few people are still milling around in the sanctuary, and one person turns to another and says, "I think I've heard that sermon before ..."

Our story this morning from the Gospel of Mark tells of James and John, two disciples, coming to Jesus and asking him for a favour.

"Rabbi, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."

I can imagine Jesus, with a faint indulgent smile, like a kindly parent dealing with a manipulative child, saying to them, "Well, what do you want me to do for you?"

And I can also imagine the indulgence turning to frustration, pain and sadness, when John demands, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory."

Once again the disciples have shown their ignorance of the plans of God and the purpose for the life of Jesus. They perceive their discipleship as a position of power, advantage and privilege … while Jesus sees it only in terms of service, compassion, healing and hope.

The society of first century Palestine ... and our own society today, sees leadership in terms of fame, privilege, power and wealth.

To be a leader is to command respect by virtue of an office or a position - to receive special treatment because of the power one possesses, and to receive the worldly favours which the even more powerful may bestow upon those who please them or do their bidding.

These entitlements may come through being born into a particular family, by marriage, by good fortune, by knowing the right people, through clever manipulation of the system, and sometimes even by hard work and effort.

The reward of this attainment is the right to be served by others, and most often, the accumulation of great material wealth.

In the midst of such a world, Jesus stands as one who challenges our basic value system and standards of success. Although the rank and status, the greatness and importance of Jesus was higher than anyone who has ever lived, he nonetheless speaks these words, "the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

His was the way of service, and his death was for others. Jesus has nothing but scorn and contempt for those who proudly flaunt their power and greatness, diminishing and degrading those of lesser status. In his eyes, leadership is not about ourselves, not about our personal wealth, power or fame - leadership must justify itself in service to others.

Unfortunately, even in the church, we have great difficulty in setting aside the norms and standards of the world and living by the Word of God. Our hope might be, at least we who are within, and members of the body of Christ - that we might march to the drumbeat of God's love, embodied and made real in the person of Jesus - in his ministry and in his message ... and in his life - one of obedience, loyalty and service to God and to humanity.

Imagine if our lives were to be measured only by the amount of real service we render to God and to our fellow human beings. Suppose we turn the tables on the standards of our society, and look at the days and years of our existence in a new way.

Who then would be the greatest among us?

Perhaps rather than the wealthy, we may have to look to the poor. Rather than the C.E.O., we might point to the stockroom clerk and say, "Now there is a great man ... there is a great woman!" Rather than the brain surgeon, we might have to look at the compassionate nurse, or even the cheerful orderly who gives out the meals and changes the sheets, all done with a kind word and a gentle smile.

The message of Jesus is this: Although we may not view the world from this perspective, God does! Is it possible, in the Kingdom of God it will not be wealth, fame and power that make the grade - rather … compassion, love and service.

Let me tell you a story …

A few years ago, I was a speaker at a church conference. At dinner one night, I found myself sitting across the table from a woman – she looked to be in her late thirties or early forties.

We were talking, and she said to me, "In my church, I teach a fifth grade Sunday School class."

"Oh, that's great," I replied, "Does your family help you with this - you and your husband maybe take turns?"

"I'm not married," she said, "I have no family."

"Well then, you teach it yourself."

"Yes," she went on, "and I've been teaching for years. I don't mean I have no family. I have two sisters, but they're married and live on the west coast. They're older than I am. They finished university while I was still in high school. My mom and dad were both ill, and so when I finished high school I stayed at home to care for mom and dad. My sisters were both married by then. I got a job working at the bank as a teller. It's a good job."

"My dad died and I took care of my mother. And then my mother died; but living with us was my mother's brother who was an invalid. Then I had to care for him. He was a very cruel man ... very cruel. I never heard him say thank you once. I fixed his breakfast. He liked warm meals, so I rushed home at noon from the bank and fixed his lunch. I would go home from work in the afternoon to fix his supper. And I never in the eight years he lived remember him ever saying anything kind to me. He cursed me if it wasn't to his liking, or if I were a few minutes late. He was a bitter, angry man."

She went on, "When he died, some of the girls at the bank said, "Why don't you just be honest, you're glad he's dead. Now you're free! You can have a life of your own. You can start dating. You can do some things and have a normal life."

And she said, "The girls at the bank just didn't understand."

I said, "Didn't understand what?"

She said, "I loved my uncle."

I said, "You loved him? Cruel and mean to you?"

"Yup," she said, "I loved him."

It is possible! It is possible! Service … motivated by love …

This morning, two members of this congregation are acknowledging the call of God in their lives. Mark will be ordained as an elder, and Sheelagh, who has previously been ordained, will be returning, with Mark, as elders serving on the Session of this church.

There are no benefits to this calling. There’s no financial compensation. In our day, there’s little respect for the office of elder, and more than likely, people will simply watch them more closely for signs of hypocrisy, or failure to live up to the standards they profess.

Mark and Sheelagh have been blessed by God with the gifts we hope will enable them to perform the vital function of church elder. But the blessing of God is always a two-edged sword. It usually carries us far beyond our asking … for God’s blessing always comes at a price.

In trying to fulfill this role – this calling – they may be met by obstacles and roadblocks. They may face actual hostility against the Christian faith. They may have to endure misunderstanding concerning their actions and intentions. They may encounter apathy and lack of interest on the part of the people they are called to serve. This is the way God has blessed them …

In this church - in our service and in our leadership roles - this is no popularity contest. It's not about control or power or whose "will" shall prevail. It's about developing and nurturing our faith in God and our ability to discern the will of God. It's about increasing our sensitivity and kindness towards our sisters and brothers in Christ, and even far beyond this little family of “the faithful” we call St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. It's about carrying one another's burdens, and of letting our hearts be vulnerable to the suffering, distress and sorrow of those who are going through difficult or painful or challenging times and circumstances.

These are the blessings and the gifts of God for those whom God chooses for leadership in God’s Kingdom. Anyone may receive this greatness. We don't have to be rich or powerful, young or beautiful, we simply have to know how to serve.

And it will mean, contrary to popular wisdom, not less trouble in our lives, but more challenges and pain and struggle - to set aside the simplistic, self-centered concept of discipleship, and come to discover, as those original disciples eventually did, that the crown of God is made with thorns, and that the throne of God is always a cross ... always a cross …