Just Do It – sermon on September 20, 2015
Scripture: Mark 9: 30-37 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it;31for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.”32But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
33Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”34But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest.35He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”36Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them,37“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
Sermon: Just Do It by Rev. Doreen Oughton
There seems to be a little bit of tension between Jesus and the disciples here. Can you feel it? They are afraid to ask him what he means about this “being killed and rising from the dead after three days” business. When they arrive in Capernaum and are in the house, Jesus asks them about their conversation. At least that’s how this interpretation phrases it. One scholar says that the Greek word used has more force than “ask.” It is more like interrogation. So the disciples are afraid, and Jesus is interrogating, and the disciples clam up even more. Can you feel the tension? It’s been building ever since the first time Jesus told them he would be killed in Jerusalem and rise after three days. That time Jesus rebuked Peter for his protest, calling him Satan. And then, about a week later, Jesus came down from the mountain of his transfiguration to find the disciples and scribes, surrounded by a great crowd, arguing about a failure to cast an unclean spirit from a boy. Jesus grumbles at them, “You faithless generation – how much longer must I put up with you!”
We hear that Jesus is anxious to get away from the crowds, spend some time with his disciples, teaching them. He needs to prepare them for what is to come, so they can carry on with the mission, so they can spread the good news. Who knows what snatches of their conversation he overheard on the way that has him interrogating them once they are in the house. They say nothing, but someone must have spilled the beans to someone, because the gospel writer tells us the topic of conversation: Who is the greatest. Most assume they were arguing about which of them is the greatest – the most faithful, the most prayerful, the best healer, but perhaps not. Maybe they were discussing whether Moses was greater than Isaiah, or if Rachel was greater than Leah. Who knows, and it probably doesn’t matter. Even if they were not trying to out-boast each other, their minds were still caught up in comparing, evaluating, rank ordering, judging.
It’s quite a preoccupation of the world, isn’t it? Whether it is the Oscars, the Emmys, the Grammy’s, Stanley Cup, Superbowl Ring, Best in Show, Top Chef… what else?… we spend lots of time ascertaining who is on top, and what our own position is in relation to that – who do we need to pass, who is lower than us that we have to make sure we keep ahead of. And Jesus doesn’t like it. Jesus was edgy with them because they were so off track from where they needed to go. He is conversing with them, and the passage tells us that he called them to him. I imagine him saying, “come closer, listen, pay attention.” He really wants them to get it. And he says “whoever wants to be first must take the last place., and be servant to all.” Wow, what does that mean? How would things be different if people took that teaching to heart? Perhaps instead of working to give an Oscar-worthy performance, an actor focused on how to bring out the best performance from others, or focused on serving the director and producer or writer, serving their vision of the film. Or perhaps the chefs in the kitchen, instead of trying to outdo each other to be the best, focus on helping the other cooks be their best. It might not make for exciting TV, but we would see more kindom living.
That certainly seems to be a message in this passage – just do it! Just do what you were called or inspired to do, and don’t worry about comparing yourself to other. Don’t be looking for the glory, just do it. And the thing to do is serve – help another, make the world a better place. Think about the needs of others, putting yourself in last place. And that, Jesus says, is how you get to be first. Ah, but there’s that rank-ordering again. I suspect Jesus was just using language the disciples, and we, can understand. I suspect there is no “first” in the kindom. Or maybe there is only “first” because we see that there is really only one of us.
I am intrigued by what comes next in this passage. Apparently there is a child in residence at this house in Capernaum where they settled in. Jesus took this child into the midst of the gathering of the disciples, embraces the child and says, “whoever welcomes a little child like this welcomes me, and welcomes God who sent me.” So he is trying to teach the disciples to stop competing and focus on serving, and now he is talking about welcoming – a child, Jesus, God. What’s the connection between service and welcome, or competition and welcome?
Whose job is it to welcome someone? (Host, worker…). I think of it as someone who knows they belong where they are, helping others to know they belong there too. And of course welcoming involves serving – seeing to someone elses needs and comforts. Now sometimes people host with the goal of impressing someone – a potential client or customer, someone who has connections you’d like to make, someone who can donate to your cause. But Jesus holds a little child – someone who has no power, no money, no connections, nothing to offer in exchange for being “welcomed.” And the only reason someone would welcome such a one is because they truly understand that even that child does belong, and belongs just as much as anyone else.
And so I think in this teaching, even though Jesus is edgy and frustrated, he is offering the disciples an assurance – they are where they belong – they are in. They don’t have to compete, they don’t have to prove anything or earn anything. They only need to know that, and begin to see themselves properly – as those who’s call is to help others see that they belong in the kindom as well – see to their needs, serve, smile, maybe ask if they want to help as well, and start welcoming others. There is such wisdom in that, isn’t there. You know you belong somewhere if you have a job to do, right? Has anyone here ever volunteered somewhere? (Quentin at Americade, me at race dialogues, Sara Miles and food pantry)
And I think Jesus message to the disciples is also to us. You are already in. You belong in the kindom – it is right here between, among and within us. We can start serving as hosts, letting others know they belong here also, and we can help them get comfortable. You can have a job if to do if you like. And you can ask others to take on jobs as well. You don’t need to worry about whether someone is worthy, whether they have anything of value to bring to the kindom. That’s not how you get in. At least that’s what Jesus seems to say. And I think if we make a mistake somehow and welcome riffraff who really don’t know how to fit in, who don’t understand how the kindom works, we can take a cue from Jesus and try to explain. Take the last place and serve. Welcome others. Just do it. We could try, and try again if necessary. Because, you know, it took the disciples quite a while to get it, and I think we’ve been a little slow on the uptake as well. Lord have mercy.
