This week we welcome two guest preachers to the Athenaeum Web Site.

Homily I

   

Rose Ferries

Ms. Ferries is the Pastoral Associate of Westminster United Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She has extensive ministerial experience and has served her current parish for 6 1/2 years. Her primary responsibilities are in the areas of Christian Education, Pastoral Care and Outreach. She is actively involved in liturgical planning and sacramental preparation. She is married and the mother of two and the grandmother of three. 

 

James and John are sauntering along the beach. Beside the sea of
Galilee...not far from the place they used to tie up their fishing
boats. That life seemed far away now.
“Remember the day we just up and quit? Man, Dad was steamed. Said we
were tossing our futures overboard.”
It was nearly three years ago. Jesus’ invitation to them was
irresistible: “Come and follow me.” They put down their nets. They
clambered out of their boats. They waded knee-deep into shore and life
was never the same again.
Were they glad? Did they regret it? Who had time to think about it? They
were always on the move. From Capernaum , up into the hills, to the
country of the Garasenes, back and forth across the Sea of Galilee ,
stopping at Nazareth , Tyre and Sidon , and all those little villages.
Those were exciting times - an age of miracles: the blind saw, the lame
walked, the sick were healed, demons were cast out.

And now they were on the way to Jerusalem - to the big city. Wow!
Their leader’s day in the sun was coming.

James and John inhaled deeply - breathed in the sweet sweet smell of
success. They were full of confidence and hope. The journey to Jerusalem
was the road to glory. Hallelujah brother.
They continued walking on the beach, heads close together - a very
private conversation. Over the sound of the waves they could hear
opportunity knocking. A new kingdom is on its way - lets make sure of
our place in it - right now.

Suddenly they spot Jesus. They’re not sauntering now, they’re walking
briskly. Quickly they take Jesus aside:
“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. We’re
ambitious, up and coming kind of guys. But we need your help.”

“So, what can I do for you?”
“Simple - give us power, give us status, give us authority. Let one of
us sit beside you on the right, the other on the left. Doesn’t matter to
us which is which. Just make sure it’s us.

Jesus sighs. “You don’t have a clue, do you? All this time we spent
together and you still haven’t caught on.”
The most important person in my kingdom is a little child.
If you want to rule you must become a slave.
When my kingdom comes God will put down the mighty and promote the lowly.

James, John, Don’t you get it?
Your destiny is discipleship. Your future is to follow me. Can you do
this? Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptised with
my baptism?

On this day when we have baptised little children, Jesus’ question
echoes in our ears. And it jars our sensibilities.
What has this question to do with cuddly babies and beaming
grandparents. What has this to do with the hopes and dreams parents have
for their children?
What has this to do with us?

And what is this cup? What is this baptism?
The prophet Isaiah described it this way:

He was oppressed and he was afflicted...
A lamb led to the slaughter
cut off from the land of the living
And they made his grave with the wicked...although he had done no violence.
He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Jesus’ cup was death. His baptism was persecution. His throne was a cross.

On this day when we have baptised little children, Jesus’ question
echoes in our ears. And it jars our sensibilities.
What has this question to do with cuddly babies and beaming
grandparents. What has this to do with the hopes and dreams parents have
for their children?
What has this to do with us?
Well, the hard news s that it has everything to do with us. Because the
question reminds us that the Christian life has less to do with cuteness
and cuddliness and more to do with the cross.

The Christian life has nothing to do with position and status but is to
be lived as a life of self-denial; of loving our enemies, of giving all
we have to the poor.

Can we drink this cup. Can we be baptised with this baptism?
Are we able?

The answer is, of course, that we are not. We will fail; these little
children will fail, just as the disciples failed.

That’s the bad news.

Jesus and his disciples came to Jerusalem and there was that wonderful,
triumphant entry that we love to read every Palm Sunday.

But by Friday, on his right and on his left were not ambitious disciples
but a thief and a murderer.

Can you drink this cup, you who have promised to follow me?
Can you accept this baptism, you who have promised to follow me?

James and John were so ready with their answer.“Of course we can!...
We’re with you all the way. Right to the end.

But they didn’t really know the end. They didn’t perceive what lay ahead
in Jerusalem - even though they had been told. Even though they had been
warned. Even though Jesus had said “Whoever would follow me must carry a
cross.” They didn’t catch on.

The Kingdom came. Their leader’s day came. But his throne was a cross.
And on his right and on his left were not ambitious disciples but a
thief and a murderer.

We know that when the disciples came to the end of the road, they
failed. They fell asleep at prayer. They ran away. One denied. One betrayed.

But, friends, hear the good news. We heard it today in the book of Hebrews:
Jesus is the high priest who sympathise with our weakness - having
experienced temptation himself. That Jesus is the high priest who
identifies with human suffering and understands our needs but has
overcome the world. He is the we can draw near to with confidence. The
throne that was a cross is a throne of grace where we receive not only
forgiveness but strength.

Can we drink the cup? Can we be baptised? Are we able? No. Not by our
own efforts. Not with our own courage. But in the strength of Jesus who
lived and died and lives again.
Thanks be to God. Amen

 

Homily II

 

Rev. Dr. Chuck Roberts 

Rev. Dr. Roberts is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Pascagoula, Mississippi. He earned an MDiv and ThM from Columbia Theological Seminary and a D.Min. in Preaching from McCormick Theological Seminary. He is an active author and speaker in addition to his pastoral duties and is currently collaborating on a book about preaching. He is married and the father of two teenage daughters.

   

Jesus and the Great Leadership Switch – Take 2

 

James and John, two of the disciples who happen to be brothers, start walking a bit faster than the other disciples. Not noticeably so, so that the other ten really don’t notice what’s going on. But bit by bit, those two separate from the rest of the disciples, and join Jesus, and engage him in conversation.

“Master,” they say, “we want you to do whatever we ask.”

You can almost hear Jesus say, “WhatEVER?!” (Or maybe like teenagers say today, “whatEVer . . . “

So Jesus asks them what it is. “The places of honor when you come into your kingdom,” they say. “The right and left hand seats.”

“Hmmmmmm, Jesus says. An interesting proposition.” You can see the wheels turning in Jesus’ mind as he evaluates these two men. Obviously climbers, or they would not be asking these questions. Some issues with their mother, because she’s always trailing along, sometimes seeming to pull the strings to get them to do a thing or two. But their desire to separate from the others shows an ambition that is good in an organization. And they are obviously driven, or they would not have asked the question.

But then the Messiah side of Jesus enters into the picture. He knows that what they are asking is no simple task. So he challenges their hunger.

“Are you sure? Are you willing to go through what I am going to go through?” (The references to drinking the cup, and to baptism, are both figurative images meant to describe life experiences.)

“You bet,” the brothers excitedly scream. “Pile it on-give us a job, we can handle it! We’re committed!”

“Well,” Jesus says, “on second thought, let’s just wait and see. You are welcome to experience what I experience, but the places of honor and authority; well, those are not mine to give away.”

 

Not too long after that, the disciples all arrive at their destination, and one way or another, the other ten hear about the conversation. Maybe James and John were bragging; maybe Jesus referred to it; we don’t know. But suffice it to say that the ten are NOT pleased. In fact, the Bible says that they were indignant. That word is a terribly strong word, used to infer extreme anger. One of the other uses of the term in the New Testament is in the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem , when the people were so thrilled at him. We are told that the chief priests were “indignant.” It rather describes a child’s reaction upon learning that her sibling is getting the privilege that she wanted for herself.

 

But rather than blame James and John for their ambition,

rather than shame the other ten for their jealousy,

Jesus uses this as an opportunity to teach them all something about the Kingdom of God .

 

A few weeks ago, we read a passage very similar to this story. The issues were the same, just a few of the details were different. The twelve were arguing about which of them was the greatest, and that time Jesus chose a child to demonstrate the core values of God’s Kingdom. The message came across loud and clear to the twelve that day-and hopefully to you a few weeks ago. Greatness in the kingdom of God comes through service. Period.

 

In other words, one does not get ahead in the kingdom by trying to be first. One gets ahead in the kingdom by putting OTHERS, their needs and interests, first. Period.

I remember sitting in a Session meeting years ago in Augusta , GA. Jeff Brandsma, one of our elders, was leading the Session in a devotional. I don’t recall the passage Jeff read, but I remember in essence what his message was. Jeff talked about growing up in the Dutch Reformed Church. And one of the things about that church that was interesting, he said, was the fact that if it became known you were interested in becoming-or wanted to be-an elder, it automatically exempted you from consideration-FOR LIFE. In other words, ambition was a bad thing in that church’s culture.

The way of the Kingdom of God , you see, is contrasted with the way of the world. In the world, we are encouraged to get ahead, to do whatever it takes to get ahead, to look out for number one, who is you.

But the way of the kingdom of God is very different. In God’s kingdom, number one is not you, it is the other person. You do your best to be number two, MAYBE. You get ahead by putting others first, by helping others. Ambition for others is fine!

 

Jesus makes this rather clear, I think, when he contrasts greatness in “the world,” with greatness in the Kingdom. He uses two words to describe Christian greatness, and they are surprising words: servant, and slave.

 

The word servant is the common word that was used to refer to a household helper. The general idea that it conveys is the idea of personal service, as one who had a personal assistant.

People who have experienced catastrophic accidents, and survived, but with limited abilities, sometimes have personal assistants. At times that may be a person. In other cases, that may be an animal, like a trained dog, or even a monkey. These are servants, who perform menial and important tasks for their master, or employer.

“Do you want to be great?” Jesus asks. Then be a servant. Do the simple things, the complex things, all the big and little things that need to be done for someone else. THEN you’ll be great in the Kingdom of God .

To be honest, I think these are scandalous words in the Christian church today. We don’t want to serve. We want to be served.

 

But then the other word that Jesus uses is even more scandalous. It’s slave.

We have unpleasant associations with this word, and for good reason. But then the disciples did, too. Do you remember the history of the Jewish people? They were slaves in Egypt . They prefer not to remember that, and the last thing they want to do is to go back to being someone’s slave. But that is the very word Jesus used.

In the first century culture, to have a servant meant that you had someone to get you the things you needed, that you did not want to get up to find. But to have a slave meant that you did not have to do any of the things that NO one wanted to do.

To be a slave was the lowest rung on the ladder. It meant you were on the bottom of the food chain, the end of the pecking order.

And that is what Jesus called the disciples to be.

And that is what he calls us to be, you and me.

And that is what he said he was, because he-GOD HIMSELF-did not sit up in heaven and wait to be called great. He came to the world to serve, and to give his life as a ransom.

Servants. Slaves.

 

But is that what we are? I think not. I think, rather, that we are a pampered, comfortable, arrogant, uncommitted, bunch of Christians, who need to make some adjustments in our lives, if we are to TRULY call ourselves Jesus-followers.

I think this passage- and the one we looked at a few weeks ago-challenges us-yes, we here today-at three points.

 

ONE, we are confronted with our apathy. We think it doesn’t matter what we say or do, or do not do. But it does. Who you are when you teach school matters to God. Who you are when you meet with your partners matters to God. Who you are when you scream at your children matters to God. Who you are when you play hooky from worship matters to God.

This passage calls you to a new level of commitment to your faith, to your Lord, and to this Church.

 

TWO, we are challenged at our unwillingness to serve our neighbors. That can have any number of meanings, you know. It can refer to your refusal to help a neighbor out when they are having problems, to the general “I don’t want to get involved” attitude, to the unwillingness to help your church out when we are looking for Sunday School teachers, nursery helpers, office volunteers, and the like.

If we truly are followers of Jesus, you see, we will be more than willing to serve, in whatever way possible.

 

And THREE, I think this passage challenges us at the point of being slaves of God in this world.

We are more interested in being comfortable, than we are faithful. We would rather send a check, if even that, than go on a short-term mission trip.  When asked or invited to serve in any capacity, our first thought is, “What’s in it for me?” When for Christians, the first thought should really be,”How will this help me serve someone else?” When we hear that this church is handling the kettle for the Salvation Army for two days, we want someone else to do that. And we avoid the bell-ringers ourselves.

 

In his book, Coloring Outside the Lines, my friend John Westfall describes something that happened in a church he served once. Word got out that a member of the church, a single parent, was having financial problems. A small group of men in the church got together. They went and bought several bags of groceries, and put some cash in an envelope.

These men then drove to her home, put bandanas around their faces like bad guys in the old movies, and ran up, put the groceries and money on the doorstep, rang the bell, and ran away.

One of her children opened the door, saw the food, and then saw the men.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“We’re desperados!” one of the men called out as they sped away.

 

THAT, friends, is greatness in the kingdom of God . It was not organized by a committee, had no name to be in charge, was simply selfless, godly, service.

 

And THAT is what you are called to demonstrate. Today. Will you do that? Will you be the servant-the slave-the desperado-of God, in this world?