A Place of Honor
Oct 18, 2009
A reading from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, verses 35-45
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Sermon: A Place of Honor by Rev Doreen Oughon
Once upon a time, there was a little girl, a member of a large family of limited means. Each child in the family had a chore to do at supper time – setting, clearing, washing dishes, washing pots and pans, drying, etc. When the girl rotated to the dirty jobs, the clearing or the scrubbing, she would fantasize about being the servant girl to a royal family, and how the handsome young prince would fall in love with her, would marry her, and she would never have to do these dirty jobs again. How she longed to be made one of the royals – to wear beautiful clothes, to have special receptions in her honor, to be the center of attention. She would be so kind to her servants, never unreasonable or bossy. Yes, she would use her power well. So okay, I was that girl, with her dreams of glory and honor. Can anyone else relate?
So I can identify well with James and John in this story, asking their leader to be rescued from the dirty work, put in positions of honor and glory, trusting themselves to use their positions well. Now some see their request as terribly rude and arrogant and obtuse. But I see it as somewhat sweet and naïve, like a child daydreaming about leaving the dirty work behind. Now this isn’t included in the reading, but immediately before this, scripture tells us that Jesus shares for the third time with his disciples what is going to happen to him in Jerusalem. He says, “the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.”
Now even after hearing this for the third time, and in great detail, James and John draw on their conviction that Jesus will rule, will be on the throne of glory. Is it true as many commentators say, that they just don’t get it? Or are they in denial about the reality of the death and humiliation to come? Or were they so captivated by the transfiguration of Jesus they witnessed in the last chapter that they just can’t get the picture out of their heads? Maybe Jesus is also touched by their belief in him that is behind the request. For he doesn’t scold them, but tries to get them to see that the dirty work is only just beginning, and tells them that it is not to him to give places of honor.
When Jesus hears the angry discussion that arises among the disciples, he recognizes the same argument they had a few weeks ago about which of them is the greatest. Lots of people need to hear things more than once before it sinks in. It doesn’t make the disciples especially dense. So he explains again what things will be like when he is ruler and they are VIP’s in the kingdom. It is so different from what they can imagine, from what their experience has been. They’ve been in agreement that the way things are is wrong, that, as Jesus points out, “those recognized as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.” Like the little girl washing dishes, the disciples imagine that they would be kindly rulers, not tyrants. But Jesus explains that they won’t have servants to be kind to, they will be servants, as he is. And that is the role of the leaders in the kindom of God – to serve. Not just by making laws for the good of the people and seeing to it that they are enforced, not by getting someone else to help the down-trodden, but by getting their hands dirty, by getting their eyes opened, by getting their hearts broken by the condition of their brothers and sisters who have less power.
Jesus is so clear this week about what it means to be great in his kindom. You may notice that I use the word “kindom” rather than “kingdom.” A mentor of mine introduced the term to me, and it resonated with me immediately as it points to this change in the notion of dominion from the hierarchical model to the rule of love and equality and servanthood among family. Adopting the role of servant is a requirement for following Christ, a condition as important as wetness is to water, as heat is to fire, and cold is to ice. If you are not a servant, you are not a disciple. Our understanding of greatness and of power must be completely different from that of the secular world.
I am reminded of a story I read about a village chieftain who frequently boasted about his greatness. As he went about the village, checking that all was in order, he spoke to everyone he saw, saying, “Am I not the greatest chief to ever lead this village. Look at the prosperity that rules, look at the great abode which is mine, look how I have amassed great treasure.” One day he was going on in this way to a woman who replied, “Actually, I do know one that is greater than you.” The chief was flabbergasted. How dare she, it couldn’t be. “Not possible,” he said. “Let me meet this one you think is greater than I, and I will show you how wrong you are.” “Very well,” she replied. “Return here tomorrow to meet the one greater than you.” The chief returned the next day in his finest garb and jewels, looking very dashing and strong. The woman met him at the door and led him into her hut. There was no one there except a little baby sitting on the floor. The chief asked, “Where is this great one you speak of?” “Right there,” she said, “sitting on the floor.” “The chief burst out laughing. “How ridiculous that you would think that creature greater than I. It is tiny and helpless.” The baby was startled by the outburst and began to whimper, then cry. The chief stopped in his tracks, “Oh no, what’s wrong?” He worried that the baby was crying and spoke gently, went and picked it up. He let the baby grab his beads, and paid no mind when the baby spit on him. The woman said, “See, this tiny helpless baby got you, a great ruler to serve and care for it. Now who is more powerful? But, in doing so, you have become a truly great leader, one who doesn’t worry about being seen in glory by others, but who cares and serves.”
So what does this mean for First Congregational? I have heard about your glory days, when the pews and the coffers were filled, there were 70 children in Sunday school and an active youth group. But I didn’t hear about stronger outreach programs, more justice work, more action on behalf of others. Perhaps those things happened, but it is not how people describe the glory days. I did hear about how the CROP Walk was an activity that drew lots of supporters, and so this year Ray Orsi organized one. We don’t need filled pews to do that, to be servants.
This building retains its beauty and glory, and I am moved by the pride people here take in it. But let’s not lose sight of what Jesus really calls his churches to be. They must not be seats of glory to be enjoyed only by those privileged by membership, but to be put to use in the service of the community. I see it in the open doors of the town’s Harvest Fair, and I’m sure there are many more ways this church answers that call. When I interviewed with the search committee, I was asked how I would help this church grow. Skilled therapist that I am, I of course answered the question with a question: Why do you want to grow? I was worried that I would hear the dreams of going back to the glory days, of being the biggest, the most successful, church in town. Instead what I heard was, “we could do more for people,” and “we love what we have and want to share it.” I’m so pleased to know that these are the dreams in people’s hearts here. And I also say, let’s not wait until we grow. Let us be servants not only to one another, but to the community outside these doors, to those who might want to come in and become servants alongside us.
John and James asked to be seated next to Jesus in seats of honor and glory. They wanted to stay put. But Jesus is moving and active, and calls his people to join him on the way. I’d like to share with you a prayer / poem by Tom Shuman called “Where You Sit.” We leave our box seats at the symphony or ball park, and pray you won’t catch our eye as we pass you sitting with the homeless. We wait for a few minutes at the doctor’s office to get a $10 shot so we won’t catch the flue, while half a world away you sit for a week hoping medicine which will cost you a year’s wages finds its way to your village. We sit in our home theatres, watching the latest “reality” on our plasma screens, while you sit in the darkness, rocking your child asleep as she cries from the ache of an empty stomach. Lord Jesus, when, like James and John, we want to be at your side in glory, remind us where you sit.
Our deeds of service don’t have to be spectacular. We don’t have to find the solution to world hunger, the key to ending violence. We don’t have to take up every cause that comes to our attention. But we do have to extend ourselves to others from whom we have nothing to gain. Little bit by little bit, change comes and the world can turn upside down, or perhaps it would be right-side up. I must read to you something written by Dennis Olson, a commentator on this passage: “The world may wonder how much real effect the ministry of Jesus and his community can have. What good is it to preach the gospel, sing a hymn, pour water over a baby, offer a bit of bread and a sip of wine, hold a hand, speak a forgiving word, stock a food shelf, fold hands in prayer, fold clothes for the homeless, visit the sick, comfort the grieving, negotiate a conflict, advocate for the poor, carry out a daily vocation with integrity, all in the name of Christ?”
He continues, “The nations may scorn and despise these seemingly humble and weak ministries of Christ’s church. Yet scripture testifies that it is through such seemingly weak and foolish means that God chooses to do God’s work.” Who knows, maybe as each of us “gets it” as the apostles did not – that glory and honor are about service, even when it means suffering, – and we empower others to “get it,” maybe someday there will be a girl in a royal family, watching the servants, dreaming that her prince will come and take her to a place where she gets to serve as well, where all live in equality and kinship. May it be so.
