October 22, 2006 Sermon
This page is offered for those unable to attend the service or who would like more time to study the message.
Proper 24 – B
October 22, 2006 Allan Conkling
That Jesus was a person of controversy cannot be denied. There’s an old saying that goes, “Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable” and this week’s Gospel from Mark, we can detect a definite note of scorn for the political rulers and systems of the day. The Roman and Oriental systems of government were ones in which great men and rulers dominated—and were expected to dominate—those below them by exploitation, imperialism, colonialism, and pursuit of personal advantage. Nice rulers or emperors could show beneficence as they ruled. Rome had what was called the “Pax Romana”—but peace was always achieved through domination, rather than any consideration of the populous. Even the Old Testament is built upon the image of power, where God is described with words such as mighty, awesome, and victorious. God showed his strength by defeating the Canaanites, and raising up his chosen people through conquest. We have discussed a lot in our weekday Bible Study, that the Old Testament understanding of blessings and rewards was that those who were not great, not strong, not prosperous or victorious were obviously doing something wrong.
So it is no
surprise that Jesus would have some explaining to do with his followers
who assumed that the new Messiah would rule by power. Like Abraham and
Moses this new Messiah would be a charismatic leader, who would stand up
to the Government, signs and wonders. Like Aaron and Joshua, who else
but the disciples would sit at his right and left hand in Glory? How
could they ever have guessed that
Today we live in a culture of greatness, one that has defined for us what it means to be a “success” in life. From all around us, and within us there is the pressure to be a winner, get ahead and be successful and look out for #1. The very law of evolution is built upon the survival of the fittest. We teach our kids that to get ahead you have to be the best, make the best grades. And to some degree that is valid. When you are sick you want to go to the doctor who is the best in the field. In court, you don’t want a lawyer who is a nice guy, but one who knows how to fight and win. To say, “If you want to be great you must be a servant” is like saying, “if you want to have a great football team you have to lose all the time!” Just ask Central and Lakeview, or the Dallas Cowboys how popular that is!
Even in church we often measure faithfulness by power and prosperity. You will see the Crystal Cathedral, Joel Osteen, or Max Lucado on TV every Sunday, but I guarantee that no one will ever ask Emmanuel to be on TV. No one will ever choose the next bishop, or presiding bishop or pope from San Angelo or Bronte or Sterling City. Our current “War on Terror” is for many evangelicals holy crusade to defeat forces of evil and end Muslim extremism. How many times have we heard that our cause is just, that God has blessed America, and that we will win because God is on our side?
But there is another side to our Christian faith, and in the Gospel today we have a call to another standard of living: an outlook, an attitude, a belief that true greatness is not measured by power or conquest, or worldly success. To discover the mind of Christ is to discover that true greatness comes in faithfulness and obedience. True Christian maturity is rooted in “otherness,” and moves from the notion of being served, to the service of others. Very simply, true Christianity and spiritual depth is a movement from “first person singular” to “third person plural”: from “I”, “me”, and “mine” – to “we,” “us,” and “ours.”
The call of Jesus Christ is a call from a passive to active one. We begin in the passive voice: we are acted upon before we act. We are loved before we love. But true depth of faith means crossing the line between our own needs, to needs of others: to active interest in the other, our neighbor and God. Our prayer life is at its fullest when we move beyond “God, do this for me” or “God give me what I want” or “God, make the church the way that I want it to be” to, “Lord, make us an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord union; where there is despair, hope; where is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.”
Faith like this is costly. It requires looking at things and the people around us, and ourselves in a new way. As much as any miracle or wondrous sign he did, the greatness of Jesus was shown most vividly when he took a bowl of water and washed the feet of his friends. As they were served, they tasted his greatness; they learned from his example and followed it.
Experience true greatness! Think of someone who has shown you their greatness by serving you. Then get up and do the same to those who need your love and help today.
Copyright © 2003 Emmanuel Episcopal Church. All rights reserved.
Revised: 10/26/06