TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM MARK’S GOSPEL REVEALS WHAT HAPPENS RIGHT AFTER ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE SEVERAL REVELATIONS BY JESUS TO HIS DISCIPLES THAT HE WILL SOON BE CAPTURED, BROUGHT TO TRIAL, & THEN DIE & YES, BE RESURRECTED. IN FACT WE KNOW NOW THAT THIS ENCOUNTER PROBABLY HAPPENED WITHIN FIVE DAYS BEFORE JESUS’S CRUCIFIXION. JUST FOUR DAYS BEFORE HIS BETRAYAL & TRIAL. ONLY ONE DAY BEFORE THE CLEARING OF THE TEMPLE… ONLY A FEW HOURS BEFORE THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM. WE MIGHT HAVE HOPED THAT BY THIS TIME THE DISCIPLES WOULD HAVE GOTTEN IT CLEAR WHAT JESUS WAS ABOUT AND WHO HE WAS AND WHO HE WAS NOT… INSTEAD… WE FIND THE DISCIPLES BICKERING, PETTY, BAD-TEMPERED & QUARRELSOME.

IN THE FACE OF HEARING THE NEWS AGAIN THAT JESUS WAS ABOUT TO FACE INTO HIS LAST DAYS, TWO OF THE DISCIPLES, JAMES & JOHN, START TO JOCKEY FOR A PREFERRED POSITION…

THESE TWO BROTHERS START TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THEM & HOW THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO OBTAIN A POSITION OF GLORY & REWARD COMMENSURATE WITH THEIR DEVOTION TO THIS LONG AWAITED MESSIAH…

EVEN WHEN JESUS WARNS THEM THAT “THERE IS GOING TO BE A LOT OF PAIN AND STRUGGLE BEFORE IT’S ALL OVER” AND HE ASKS THEM, “ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE UP FOR IT?” THEY STILL REPLY (HAVING NO IDEA AT ALL ABOUT WHAT JESUS IS REALLY TALKING ABOUT) THEY REPLY WITH GREAT CONFIDENCE & BRAVADO - “WE ARE SURE!”

THEN, OF COURSE, THE OTHER DISCIPLES HEAR ABOUT THIS & OF COURSE THEY ARE MIFFED. THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON ANY MORE THAN JAMES OR JOHN DO & THEY DO NOT REALLY KNOW WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR JESUS…

WE COULD SAY THAT THESE DISCIPLES WERE ALL RATHER SELF-ABSORBED…

WE COULD SAY THAT JAMES AND JOHN WERE STILL VERY MUCH INTO “OLD ORDER” THINKING…

WE COULD SAY THAT JAMES AND JOHN WERE FRIGHTENED BY WHAT THEY HEARD JESUS SAY AND OUT OF THAT FEAR THEY WANTED A PROMISE OF SOME SECURITY FOR THEIR FUTURE…

WE MIGHT ALSO SAY THAT THESE DISCIPLES JUST DO NOT “GET IT”!

THEY DO NOT SEEM TO UNDERSTAND AT ALL THAT JESUS WAS OFFERING THEM A COMPLETELY NEW WAY OF LIVING…

WE MIGHT EVEN FEEL INCLINED TO SNEER AT JAMES & JOHN FOR WHAT THEY ASK OF JESUS… AND YET… WE DO HAVE TO ADMIT THAT IT IS A PRETTY HUMAN THING TO ASK: “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?”

WE TOO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND ABOUT FEAR AND THE POWER OF FEAR IN OUR LIVES… WE TOO KNOW HOW FEAR BREEDS A STRONG DESIRE FOR SECURITY & CERTAINTY… IT IS REALLY NOT SURPRISING THAT THESE DISCIPLES WONDERED ABOUT THEIR OWN SECURITY AND SAFETY FOR THE FUTURE IN THE FACE OF WHAT JESUS HAD JUST TOLD THEM…

AFTER SEPT. 11, 2001 THIS COUNTRY – WE – MOVED INTO A PLACE WHERE THE FEAR OF TERRORISM LEAD US INTO ALL KINDS OF FATEFUL ACTIONS… ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN & CARRIED OUT - ALL IN THE NAME OF NATIONAL SECURITY… AFTER 9/11 WE TOO WORRIED ABOUT OUR OWN SAFETY & SECURITY - MANY OF US FOCUSED ON FINDING A PLACE OF COMFORT IN THE FACE OF A NATIONAL THREAT ON OUR OWN HOMELAND WHICH WE HAD NOT SEEN OR EXPERIENCED BEFORE…

AFTER LAST YEAR’S FINANCIAL MELTDOWN & ITS SUBSEQUENT REPERCUSSIONS AROUND THE WORLD - WE ARE ALL TOO AWARE OF HOW QUICKLY LIFE CAN CHANGE & HOW FEARFUL WE CAN BECOME WHEN OUR SECURITY IS THREATENED… HOW QUICKLY WHAT WE ONCE THOUGHT WAS SECURE AND SAFE WAS THROWN UP IN THE AIR… JUST LIKE THE DISCIPLES IN JESUS’ TIME WE OFTEN DON’T WANT TO HEAR OR FACE INTO DIFFICULT NEWS NOR DO WE ENJOY LIVING IN DIFFICULT TIMES…

MANY OF US KNOW ALL TOO WELL THAT DESPITE ALL OF OUR BEST EFFORTS TO PLAN AHEAD, TO SAVE, TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS ABOUT OUR FUTURE THAT THINGS JUST HAPPEN!.... IT MAY BE THAT OUR 401’S OR PENSIONS TANK OR OUR JOBS BECOME LESS SECURE… IT MAY BE THAT OUR HEALTH SITUATIONS CHANGE OR OUR AGING BODIES START TO FAIL US… IT MAY BE THAT OUR CHILDREN MOVE INTO A NEW PHASE OR OUR GRANDCHILDREN GROW BEYOND OUR RECOGNITION. IT MAY BE THAT OUR LIVING SITUATION CHANGES OR OUR MARRIAGES START TO UNRAVEL…

WE ALL KNOW ABOUT FEAR AND INSECURITY… WE KNOW HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO LIVE WITH THE SHIFTS & CHANGES THAT MAKE UP OUR LIVES… WE KNOW ABOUT LIVING THE UNKNOWNS AND THE FEAR THAT COMES WITH THOSE UNCLARITIES.

LIKE THOSE DISCIPLES WALKING WITH JESUS TOWARD JERUSALEM WE TOO WORRY AND FRET AND WONDER “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?”

IT IS ONLY HUMAN TO WONDER ABOUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT!

IT IS PROBABLY CONSIDERED GOOD HEALTHY SELF-INTEREST TO THINK AHEAD AND MAKE GOOD SOLID PLANS FOR THE FUTURE… IT IS NEITHER SURPRISING NOR UNREASONABLE FOR US TO ASK: WHAT IS IN IT FOR ME? MANY WOULD EVEN CONSIDER THAT THIS IS A WISE THING TO DO, THAT IT WOULD BE FOOLISH NOT TO ASK, “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?”

YET, TODAY… TODAY JESUS INVITES US INTO A WAY OF BEING & DOING THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE STANDARD WAYS OF THE WORLD…

JESUS INVITES US INTO THE WAY OF SERVANTHOOD…

JESUS INVITES US TO BE SERVANTS OF ALL….

JESUS CHALLENGES US TO BECOME SERVANTS OF ALL…

SOMEONE HAS SUGGESTED THAT “THE WORLD MAY ASSESS A PERSON’S (MAN’S) GREATNESS BY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHOM (HE) THEY CONTROL(S) AND WHO ARE AT THEIR (HIS) BECK AND CALL; OR BY THEIR (HIS) INTELLECTUAL STANDING AND THEIR (HIS) ACADEMIC EMINENCE; OR BY THE NUMBER OF COMMITTEES OF WHICH THEY ARE (HE IS) A MEMBER; OR BY THE SIZE OF THEIR (HIS) BANK BALANCE AND THE MATERIAL POSSESSIONS WHICH THEY HAVE (HE HAS) AMASSED; BUT IN THE ASSESSMENT OF JESUS CHRIST THESE THINGS ARE IRRELEVANT. JESUS’ (HIS) ASSESSMENT IS QUITE SIMPLY–HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU HELPED? (WILLIAM BARCLAY)

RATHER, JESUS PROMISES US THAT IF WE SEEK TO FOLLOW HIM WE CAN & WE WILL LIVE LIVES THAT WILL BRING US GREAT JOY & SATISFACTION BECAUSE THEY ARE LIVES LIVED IN SERVICE TO OTHERS. JESUS WANTS OUR FOCUS TO BE FREED FROM PLACES OF FEAR AND WORRY. JESUS INVITES US TO BE FREE FROM THE FAMILIAR & “TYPICAL” SYSTEMS OF THIS WORLD - HE INVITES US TO SIMPLY BE A SERVANT OF ALL…

WE CAN BE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS. WE CAN WALK WITH JESUS. WE CAN TALK WITH JESUS. WE CAN HANG OUT WITH OTHER FRIENDS OF JESUS… AND WE CAN STILL NOT “GET IT” ABOUT BEING A SERVANT OF OTHERS….

WE CAN USE THE RIGHT RELIGIOUS BUZZ WORDS… WE CAN ATTEND CHURCH… WE CAN GO TO BIBLE STUDY… WE CAN STILL MISS THAT BASIC LESSON OF LIFE THAT JESUS WAS TRYING TO TEACH THE DISCIPLES & EACH OF US: THE GREATEST PERSON IN GOD’S SIGHT IS A PERSON WHO HAS A HEART OF HUMBLE SERVICE TOWARDS GOD AND OTHERS….

LET ME SHARE WITH YOU A POEM WRITTEN BY A REMARKABLE RENAISSANCE WOMAN, NOW HAILED AS ONE OF THE GREAT VOICES OF CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE. MAYA ANGELOU - POET, EDUCATOR, & HISTORIAN - IS ALSO A WOMAN OF GREAT FAITH WHO HAS WRITTEN THIS REFLECTION ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE CALLED A CHRISTIAN:

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin."
I'm whispering "I was lost," now I'm found and forgiven…

When I say..."I am a Christian" I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need CHRIST to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need HIS strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it…

When I say... "I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain,
I have my share of heartaches So I call upon God’s (His) name.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow.

LET US FREE OURSELVES FROM A CULTURAL NORM THAT SUGGESTS OUR LIVES ARE FEAR- BASED…

LET US LIVE LIVES THAT ARE GRACE- BASED… AMEN.