October 15 Sermon - Mark 10:35-45
Building the Church Together
You have to like James and John for their honesty and candor. They don’t pull any punches.
Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.
Maybe that sounds a bit bold, even selfish - Lord, do
whatever I want - as if I really know what is best for me.
But let’s be honest, aren’t your prayers and mine sometimes like that? Sure, we thank God for the good, and we ask
for his guidance, but when we need something, don’t we just ask, in effect
saying, Lord, I want you to do what I ask.
Heal me and make me better.
Let me pass this test.
Maybe their request seems
unbecoming of a disciple - so how did Jesus react? Surely he is aware of their undisguised self-
interest, and yet he says, What is it you
want me to do for you.
He encourages them to make their request. That’s a reminder, that
the Lord wants to hear our prayers - wants us to present our requests to
Him. Jesus said speak to God in prayer
as a child speaks to a parent. Does a child
always make reasonable demands of a parent?
Of course not.
And yet the parent listens, and at times may lead the child to see what
would be better.
While Jesus encourages them
to ask for what ever they want, he doesn’t promise that they’ll get it. So the Lord encourages us to make our
requests in prayer, with knowledge that we’re not asking for the right thing,
he will not grant it. Like a parent, he
wants what is best for us
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We want to sit in the places of honor
next to you in your glorious kingdom.
We want to share in your
power and glory.
Earlier in the gospel, these same disciples weren’t sure exactly who
Jesus was, but now there is no question. They believe he is the Messiah, the
Son of God, who is destined for glory.
They have grown in understanding and faith in Jesus.
But Jesus tells them
You have no idea what you are asking.
Their request may have been misguided but their expectation was
not. Jesus does not dispute their
premise - he does not say “there will be no glory” or “you’re not
going to receive glory and honor”.
Instead he will show them His way to glory.
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Maybe at times the Lord would
answer your prayer: “You do not know what you are asking.”
You don’t understand the real consequences of your request.
Our prayers sometimes seem to go unanswered. We persist in our request, but we do not receive
what we have prayed for. Maybe the
implicit answer is the same one he gave to James and John:
“You do not know what you are asking.”
It’s really not what is best for you ... or It’s
inconsistent
with the plan I have for you. Be
patient and I will show you another way.
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Jesus points James and John in a new direction, in the way that he
himself is going.
Are you able to drink the cup I will drink,
and be baptized with the baptism of suffering
that I’ll experience?
To drink the cup means to share the same fate.
Are you able to take up the cross, and follow me to
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Obviously James and John, when they were younger, had watched Bob the
Builder on TV, because when Jesus says Can you do it, they reply Yes we can.
To which Jesus added Yes you will.
You will drink from the bitter cup of sorrow and be baptized with the
baptism of suffering.
As His disciples, our lives will be no easier than Christ’s. We will also experience sorrow and
suffering. But Jesus been there too, and
He not only understands, but He is able to help.
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They want glory and greatness, so Jesus will show them His way to
glory. His followers are challenged to
think - and live - differently.
“You know that among the Gentiles their rulers lord it
over them, and their leaders flaunt their authority over those who are under
them
It is not so among you”
... you’re
thinking of glory and greatness in terms of the world and its values -
but that’s not the way it is in the
“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.”
Your attitude must be like my own, for I,
the Christ, did not come to be served,
but to serve
and to give my life.
Jesus says he came “to give”
and “to serve” - and that we, His followers, should have His attitude. Thus, for Christians, serving – ministry is
not optional, something to be tacked onto our schedules if we can spare the
time. It is the heart of the Christian
life.
Serving and giving of
yourself sum up one of God’s purposes for your life. The life of a disciple is to be characterized
by humble and loving service - love in action through service to others – a
love that forgets self to think of others.
Jesus says by this – by your love for your brothers and sisters –
all will know that you are by disciples.
Jesus declares that it is only
in service that one may become great - and find fulfillment in life.
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The church is a gathering
of those who follow Jesus, and thus is a servant church - a serving
church. We in the church serve
God and the kingdom.
But in church God comes in Word and sacrament to serve us,
God’s people with the gifts of grace, hope and love.
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It is a paradox; in
serving, we find fulfillment: in giving we receive. Following Christ’s way turns out to be its
own reward.
We who follow Christ’s example
find that we cannot give without
receiving back in some way.
Service in the community of Christ is not one-sided - not just a
continual giving of ourselves. We cannot
serve others without accepting the mutuality that is the natural course
of human relationship. Those who serve
in a significant way say that when they serve they receive more than they give
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Our Stewardship theme is one verse:
You also, like living stones, are being
built into a spiritual house, to be a holy
priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:5
The verse makes clear that
the church is the people, not the building.
In Peter’s metaphor each member of the church is a building block – a
living stone. And together these blocks
– we members - are being built into a “spiritual house” – a dwelling place for
the presence of God. So when you’re not
here, there’s a hole in the wall of God’s house. It’s incomplete without every one the
members.
You
also, like living stones,
are being
built into a spiritual house
You’ll note that Peter writes are being built. The church is a work in progress – it’s
not done yet. The Spirit of God keeps
bringing us closer together. And each
one of us is still growing in faith – we are being built up by God’s Word.
Within this “church still
under construction” we are offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to
God. Everything we do can be offered
to God in thanksgiving for His many blessings.
As we use our gifts – our
talents and abilities in service in some way in His church, we are offering our
spiritual sacrifice to God. And we are
answering the call us to follow His example, for Jesus came not to be served
but to serve and to give.
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This is just a review for most of you, for you are currently serving in
some way. But many of you are in the Lord’s secret service. You’re undercover
ministers because almost no one sees you working. We enjoy the results of your efforts, but
don’t realize you did it. Maybe we think
it just happens - hence maybe we take you for granted. Often no one thanks you for your work.
But you are working for the
Lord - offering your sacrifice of time and talent and effort to His glory. You are building His church. And Jesus has
assured you that God notices, remembers, and you will have your reward.
So today we’d like to
encourage you to keep serving - and also invite any who are not currently
volunteering to join you in building the church.
We’ll now visually act out
that verse from 1st Peter by bringing forward those building blocks you’re
holding and literally build this church.