Genesis
John 3:16
Psalm 23
Philippians 4:13
Proverbs 3:5
Romans 8:28
Matthew 5:16
Luke 6:31
Mark 12:30
SPOKEN WORD HIGHLIGHT
SIZE
POSITION
LINES
CASE
FORMAT
by Bethel Ontario on Oct 27, 2024
In today's gathering, we explored the profound message of service and greatness as taught by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. We began with a call to worship inspired by Psalm 104, acknowledging the majesty and greatness of God, who knows each of us by name and seeks our presence. This set the tone for our reflection on what it means to be truly great in the eyes of God. The Gospel reading from Mark 10:35-45 presents a moment where James and John, two of Jesus' disciples, request positions of honor beside Jesus in his glory. This request reveals a common human desire for recognition and status, yet it also highlights a misunderstanding of what true greatness entails.
Jesus responds to their request not with condemnation but with a lesson on servanthood. He explains that greatness in God's kingdom is not about power or prestige but about serving others. Jesus himself exemplifies this by stating that the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. This radical redefinition of greatness challenges us to consider our own lives and how we can embody this call to service.
We also reflected on the broader context of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem, where he foretells his suffering and death. This backdrop emphasizes the depth of his commitment to serving humanity, even at great personal cost. The disciples' focus on status contrasts sharply with Jesus' path of humility and sacrifice, inviting us to reevaluate our own priorities.
In a world that often equates greatness with being served, Jesus offers a countercultural vision where true greatness is found in serving others. This message resonates with the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr., who reminded us that everyone can be great because everyone can serve. We are called to follow Jesus' example, cultivating hearts full of grace and souls generated by love, as we seek opportunities to serve those around us.
**Key Takeaways:**
- **The Majesty of God and Our Response:** We began by acknowledging the greatness of God, who is clothed with honor and majesty. This recognition humbles us and calls us to worship with gratitude and awe, knowing that the Creator seeks a relationship with each of us. Our response to God's majesty should be one of service and devotion, reflecting the divine love we have received. [09:34]
- **Redefining Greatness Through Service:** Jesus teaches that true greatness is not about power or status but about serving others. This redefinition challenges societal norms and invites us to consider how we can embody servanthood in our daily lives. By following Jesus' example, we find a path to greatness that is accessible to all, regardless of social or economic status. [24:25]
- **The Path of Humility and Sacrifice:** Jesus' journey to Jerusalem, where he foretells his suffering and death, underscores the depth of his commitment to serving humanity. This path of humility and sacrifice contrasts with the disciples' desire for status, reminding us that true leadership involves selflessness and a willingness to put others first. [29:04]
- **The Call to Serve with Grace and Love:** Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.'s teachings, we are reminded that everyone can be great because everyone can serve. This call to service requires a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love, empowering us to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others. [43:02]
- **Embracing a Countercultural Vision:** In a world that often equates greatness with being served, Jesus offers a countercultural vision where true greatness is found in serving others. This message challenges us to reevaluate our priorities and seek opportunities to serve, following the example of Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve. [38:01]
**Youtube Chapters:**
[0:00] - Welcome
[08:12] - Call to Worship
[09:34] - Opening Prayer
[10:39] - Hymn: We Worship You, God
[15:33] - Neighbors in Need and Mental Health Awareness
[20:14] - Scripture Reading: Gospel of Mark
[24:25] - The Path to Greatness
[25:48] - Questions on the Journey
[26:44] - Understanding the Kingdom
[27:44] - Reflecting on Skipped Verses
[29:04] - Jesus' Foretelling of His Passion
[30:38] - James and John's Request
[31:45] - What Does It Mean to Be Great?
[32:51] - Jesus' Response to the Disciples
[34:15] - The Path of Service
[35:33] - Redefining Leadership
[36:07] - Jesus' Example of Servanthood
[38:01] - Embracing a New Vision of Greatness
[39:31] - Jesus' Life of Humility
[40:21] - The World's View vs. Jesus' View
[41:18] - Martin Luther King's Sermon on Greatness
[42:08] - Everyone Can Be Great Through Service
[43:02] - Conclusion: A Heart Full of Grace
**Bible Study Discussion Guide**
**Bible Reading:**
- Mark 10:35-45
**Observation Questions:**
1. What request do James and John make to Jesus, and how does Jesus initially respond to them? [20:14]
2. How does Jesus describe the path to greatness in contrast to the disciples' understanding? [24:25]
3. What does Jesus say about the role of servanthood in the kingdom of God? [36:07]
4. How does the reaction of the other disciples to James and John's request highlight their understanding of greatness? [30:38]
**Interpretation Questions:**
1. What might Jesus' response to James and John reveal about his understanding of leadership and authority? [35:33]
2. How does Jesus' teaching on servanthood challenge the societal norms of his time, and what implications does this have for us today? [37:08]
3. In what ways does Jesus' journey to Jerusalem and his foretelling of his suffering redefine the concept of greatness? [29:04]
4. How does the sermon connect the teachings of Jesus with those of Martin Luther King Jr. regarding greatness and service? [41:18]
**Application Questions:**
1. Reflect on a time when you sought recognition or status. How can Jesus' teaching on servanthood help you reevaluate your priorities? [32:51]
2. In what practical ways can you embody the call to serve others in your daily life, following Jesus' example? [38:01]
3. How can you cultivate a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love, as Martin Luther King Jr. suggested, in your interactions with others? [43:02]
4. Consider the societal norms around you. How can you embrace a countercultural vision of greatness that focuses on serving rather than being served? [40:21]
5. Identify one area in your life where you can practice humility and sacrifice. What steps can you take to put others first in this area? [39:31]
6. How can you encourage others in your community to pursue greatness through service, and what role can you play in fostering this mindset? [42:08]
7. Think of a person or group in need within your community. What specific actions can you take this week to serve them, reflecting Jesus' example of servanthood? [36:07]
Day 1: The Majesty of God Calls Us to Serve
In the opening of the sermon, the majesty and greatness of God are acknowledged, setting a tone of humility and worship. Recognizing God's greatness should inspire a response of service and devotion, reflecting the divine love we have received. This understanding challenges us to see our lives as opportunities to serve others, mirroring the relationship God seeks with each of us. By acknowledging God's majesty, we are reminded of our place in creation and the call to serve with gratitude and awe. [09:34]
Psalm 145:3-5 (ESV): "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate."
Reflection: How can you intentionally reflect God's majesty in your daily actions and interactions with others today?
Day 2: True Greatness is Found in Serving Others
Jesus redefines greatness by teaching that it is not about power or status but about serving others. This challenges societal norms and invites us to embody servanthood in our daily lives. By following Jesus' example, we find a path to greatness that is accessible to all, regardless of social or economic status. This redefinition of greatness encourages us to seek opportunities to serve, understanding that true significance comes from lifting others up. [24:25]
Matthew 23:11-12 (ESV): "The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
Reflection: Identify one person in your life whom you can serve today in a meaningful way. What specific action can you take to serve them?
Day 3: Embracing Humility and Sacrifice
Jesus' journey to Jerusalem, where he foretells his suffering and death, underscores his commitment to serving humanity. This path of humility and sacrifice contrasts with the disciples' desire for status, reminding us that true leadership involves selflessness and a willingness to put others first. Embracing this path requires us to reevaluate our priorities and consider how we can live lives marked by humility and sacrifice. [29:04]
Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV): "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you can practice humility and put others' needs before your own today?
Day 4: Serving with Grace and Love
Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.'s teachings, we are reminded that everyone can be great because everyone can serve. This call to service requires a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love, empowering us to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others. By cultivating these qualities, we can serve others in a way that reflects the love and grace we have received from God. [43:02]
1 Peter 4:10 (ESV): "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace."
Reflection: Reflect on a gift or talent you have. How can you use it to serve someone in your community this week?
Day 5: A Countercultural Vision of Greatness
In a world that often equates greatness with being served, Jesus offers a countercultural vision where true greatness is found in serving others. This message challenges us to reevaluate our priorities and seek opportunities to serve, following the example of Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve. Embracing this vision requires us to look beyond societal expectations and find fulfillment in serving others. [38:01]
Mark 9:35 (ESV): "And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, 'If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.'"
Reflection: Consider an area in your life where you seek recognition or status. How can you shift your focus to serving others instead?
1) "Instead, whoever wishes to be 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." [24:25] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2) "Serving others, Jesus tells us, is the path to true greatness. Jesus directly asserts that the human one is not here to be served, but to serve, and Jesus offers his own life as a model of becoming great by serving." [37:08] (16 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3) "Jesus offers them a path to greatness, but it's a very, very different path than they had in mind. He calls his disciples together, and he says to them, 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 as a ransom for many." [36:07] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4) "Jesus' life was always great in the eyes of his heavenly father, but not so to the world. The world always has a different idea of what it needs to be great. And so did Jesus' disciples. But he came to be served, not to serve. Not to be served, but to serve." [39:31] (20 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5) "Jesus doesn't condemn the disciples' views about greatness, but he does redirect their striving. He tells them that each of them must become a servant, diakonos in Greek, and a slave, duolos, in Greek. It's an odd definition of greatness or leadership, but it's a definition that's based on who Jesus is and what he's doing." [37:08] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6) "When it comes to James and John, their quest for greatness, I don't know, but saying, before I ask you something, I want you to promise that you'll do whatever I ask, that's almost always a sign that something is amiss." [32:51] (15 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7) "But what does it mean to be great in God's eyes? That's the real question for us, right?" [32:51] (7 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8) "Everybody can be great because everybody can serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And some of the greatest people this world has ever seen had little more than that. With a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love, they found a way to serve others and they devoted their lives to serving others." [43:02] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
Takk for ating med. Takk for ating med. Good morning. It's good to see you guys here.
We've been a little bit in recovery from the jazz concert yesterday. Things were sort of put back, but not quite. So there was about an extra half hour of work to do. So, we're starting a little bit late. We love hosting concerts, but if you come and present a concert here, put it back the way you found it. Thank you.
Alright, so... Or just come to church on Sunday morning and play the bassoon. Anyway, good morning. It is the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost. This particular Sunday doesn't have a special title, like Christ the King or any of those. But it's got a great bunch of stuff to explore.
We're going to begin with a wonderful psalm that is just full of praise and energy. It is Psalm 104. Now, this is not the whole psalm. This is just our call to worship, which is inspired by that psalm. So, I invite you to join me in the responsive call to worship.
Today we gather to worship. We gather to worship with all our hopes, weariness, joys, and concerns swirling within us. We gather to worship one who both ascends above our condition and descends to meet us in the midst of them.
Bless the Holy One, O my soul. O Creator, my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty. We are humbled and grateful that the majestic God knows our names and seeks our presence.
Bless the Holy One, O my soul. O Creator, my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty. We raise our spirits as one body, strengthening, fortifying, and encouraging one another as we honor the Holy One's glorious and precious name.
Bless the Holy One, O my soul. O Creator, my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty.
And please join me in our unison opening prayer.
Magnificent God, you are worthy of our praise, reverence, and honor. You come to us, and you come for us. Your embrace saves us from the condemnation of this world. Your tangible example leads us on a path to disrupt the sinful systems of oppression that keep your creation from life abundantly. Your presence assures us that your covenant is everlasting and true. With thanksgiving and awe, we worship you. Amen.
Our first hymn is called "We Worship You, God." This is an inclusive version of "O Worship the King," if you come from old school hymnals. So I think you'll recognize the tune, and let's sing together.
Your mercies how tender, now firm to the end. Our anger defender, redeem our own friend. Your mercies how tender, now firm to the end. Your mercies how tender, now firm to the end. Your mercies how tender, now firm to the end.
Afraid of your gelatinous land, you know just what we cling to.
Samma thứ two weeks from today, and next week I might show a video. I found the video, and it was like, hmm.
But the cool thing about this year's Neighbors in Need is that in addition to the Native American Ministries, which is about one-third of the proceeds from that, there is also a focus on mental health awareness.
Now, we have some goodies for you. Sandy's coming out to help you out. I was going to tell them where they are, but this is even better. We have some things for you to color. This is my example.
And we thought we'd go ahead and make them available now, in case you'd like to take them home and play with them and color them. You can take some for you and your son. And there are a set of four, is that right? So, I have, there are four.
Yeah, they're kind of cool, fun things to color. Maybe we can put them up there. Sure. Yeah, we'll figure something out. So, bring... Oh, because you want them in place for two weeks. Okay, alright. Well, we may have to give some out next week for all the absentees today.
Yeah. Anyway, they're fun to color. They're fun to look at. And there is this wonderful focus on mental health awareness and mental health ministries this year. So, Neighbors in Need is always a really great offering. It helps a lot of projects and sometimes, depending on what each particular congregation is already doing, they are able to give grants. They would augment whatever a group is doing.
So, Neighbors in Need is one of the really great UCC special offerings. The one that comes up after that around Christmas is called the Christmas Fund. And that one actually is intended to help ministers, both retired and current ministers. I think they used to call it Servants of the Cross or something like that.
I actually received some help from that a couple of years ago with my dental bills. Now, of course, my dental bills are huge. But this at least helped to get some things started. So, that was great. And it's a wonderful ministry as well.
So, those things are coming up. And now, let's watch our video.
That was a weird little fast thing in the middle of there. Yeah, rewind. It was a rewind. It was a rewind. Oh, okay. I couldn't quite see it from the other side.
Yeah. Oh, right. Well, that makes sense. Yeah. I'm glad to hear that.
Alright. Well, good lesson there. Let's sing our Gloria now and we will hear our scriptures.
One God, one God, one God, one God, one God, one God.
Our gospel reading today comes from the Gospel of Mark. This is a gospel reading from the Gospel of Mark. This is chapter 10, verses 35 to 45.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward 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, "Appoint 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."
And 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 appoint, 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. Instead, whoever wishes to be 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."
May we hear and understand what the scriptures are teaching us today.
You know, it seems like we've been on the road with Jesus for most of Mark's Gospel readings this month. And here we are again. We're with the disciples. We're traveling with Jesus. And, well, there's always questions when you're on a road trip.
Who's the leader of the trip? Well, in this case, of course, it's Jesus. Is Jesus, who is that? Messiah? God? Teacher? Rabbi? Navigator? Leader? Well, yeah, all of the above, of course.
Where are we going, and how do we get there, and what's going to happen once we get there? Those are all good questions. You know the how do we get there? I'm one of those people that I want to know where I'm going in the long range.
And I want to know my general route all ahead of time. I do not want to get in my car and have someone say, "Go to the end of this road. Go to the end of this street. Okay, now turn right. Okay, now go straight. Now left, left." I hate that.
I want to know the whole thing ahead of time. I'm more of a gestalt learner than a bit-by-bit brick learner. Anyway, those are my questions all the time. What is my objective? Where am I headed? They're all good questions.
Well, where? In this case, where am I headed? Well, we're traveling in and to and through among the blessed community of God. The kingdom, as some call it, rather than the patriarchal term kingdom.
If you're wondering why you hear kingdom a lot, that's why. It's in order to make it more inclusive. And what's going to happen? Well, okay, that's probably the question of the day for this reading.
It seems that everybody, not just James and John, though they're the stars today, everybody is concerned about who is going to sit where once they arrive. Who gets to be at the head of the table with Jesus? In fact, they're so worried about that, so concerned about who gets to be great and important, that they are once again failing to understand the point of the whole journey.
I can kind of hear Jesus just sigh. Sigh. I want to back up a little bit in this story. I want to set the scene a little bit more.
We skipped a few verses in our walk through the 10th chapter of Mark's Gospel. Last week, we finished up with verse 31. The first shall be last and the last shall be first. And we start this passage up with 35. 35? Yeah. 35.
So what happened to 32, 3, and 4? What happened to those? I think the only reason the lectionary doesn't include them is that it's sort of a repeat of things he said two other times in Mark's Gospel. This is the third time he's going to give this little talk.
But I kind of want us to reflect on it instead of just starting with the passage of James and John, sort of boiling up to Jesus with their selfish requests. Because in between, we have Jesus bearing his soul.
I know it isn't the text for the week, but I want us to just hear it. This is what happened right before this ridiculous request. Anyway, they were on the road. This is verse 32 through 4. They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.
He took the twelve aside of him and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, "Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and 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."
When we realize that that's what Jesus just told them, just explained for the third time in Mark's Gospel to them, you can't help but read today's lesson in a slightly different light.
There's a lot going on in those three skipped verses, and I just think we should take time to think about that a minute. But I was wondering, why were they amazed and afraid? And who exactly was amazed and afraid? And why did Jesus think telling them about his upcoming death was going to help them with their fear and amazement? I didn't quite understand that.
Then I'll leave that for a back burner to figure out. Anyway, he had just been talking about first and last, right? And then they're walking along, and they're amazed and afraid. And then he tells them all about his passion again. Interesting.
Anyway, after that, we have James and John. It just feels icky that after Jesus talks about being mocked and spit upon and flogged and killed, that James and John kind of sneak up and say, "Hey, give us the best seats in the house."
They did this on the sly, you noticed. The other guys weren't really listening, because it says, when the ten heard this, they blew a gasket. And James and John snuck around and asked Jesus this when the others hadn't been listening.
So maybe they'd wandered off after Jesus talked about going to Jerusalem to die, and the Sons of Thunder, as they're called, seized their moment and grabbed Jesus and started with, "We want you to do whatever we ask."
Maybe that reads better in Greek. Or maybe the original Aramaic doesn't sound quite so slimy, swan-y. But it's just kind of an ugly moment for two members of the inner circle of Jesus.
I thought about it. Okay, well, maybe it's Mark using a literary device, a way to get to a particular point. Because the reading does ask, how does one become great?
We get that question out of this reading. There have been lots of celebrities over the years who've been considered great. When I was a little girl, I didn't care much about hockey. But even I knew about Wayne Gretzky, who was nicknamed the Great One.
Now, if you haven't heard of Wayne Gretzky, you could look him up. He was like the best hockey player, the GOAT, the greatest of all time in hockey players. And there have been others. Others called that baseball player Roberto Clemente. I had a comedian, Jackie Gleason. Gleason, he was the great one, right? Jackie Gleason.
And nowadays, it's kind of trendy to call athletes a GOAT, like Simone Biles or Tom Brady. Then there was Celine Dion at the Olympics with her spectacular performance.
But what does it mean to be great in God's eyes? That's the real question for us, right? When it comes to James and John, their quest for greatness, I don't know, but saying, "Before I ask you something, I want you to promise that you'll do whatever I ask," that's almost always a sign that something is amiss.
On the positive, the person making the request could have had more confidence in the person they're speaking to than the person has in themselves. On the negative, the person making the request could know that what they are about to ask is wrong, but they want to pursue it anyway.
So where did James and John fit in that scale? Well, the reading began with them grasping for greatness, as they understand it. They want to sit at Jesus' right and left hand when he comes into glory. They want to be great and important in the kingdom of heaven.
But they clearly don't know what that means. They don't know what you are called upon to do or to be. To be considered great.
The amazing, full of love and grace thing about this is that Jesus, with what seems to be infinite patience, explains to them what's involved here.
"You don't know what you're asking," he says to them. "Weren't you listening?" Well, apparently they were, because when Jesus itemizes the route to his ascension, they nod their heads with enthusiasm and say, "Yeah, we can do it."
"Are you able?" he asks. "Yes, we are able." Made me think of that hymn, "Are You Able," says the master. And Jesus even agrees, and he says, "Yeah, you will drink that cup."
Now, whether he means the inevitability of persecution that will fall on them, James did die a martyr, by the way, just a few years. Whether he means that, or whether he sees some significance in the two of them who will be part of a movement that changes the world, it's hard to say in this moment.
But Jesus treats them with more kindness than most of us would have done in that particular moment. And when the incident blows up with the rest of the group, I kind of picture Jesus like at a preschool, calming down all the little kids fighting around who gets the best toy.
He calms them down with a lesson on what it means to lead. He says we can look around and see all kinds of authority. We can see many ways of wielding power. In our own societies, we see them. In their society, we can see them.
But that's not how we function, says Jesus. Jesus speaks of his own suffering, and the greatest debate of the disciples. He contrasts Gentile, that is, Roman, authority's power with his own.
These Gentiles overpower and tyrannize their subjects, lording over them, people who want to be so very, very important, lording it over the regular people. And if Jesus Christ can be called Lord, his Lordship is very different from those Gentiles, as we shall see once the authorities arrest and try Jesus.
Jesus offers them a path to greatness, but it's a very, very different path than they had in mind. He calls his disciples together, and he says to them, "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 as a ransom for many." Jesus doesn't condemn the disciples' views about greatness, but he does redirect their striving.
He tells them that each of them must become a servant, diakonos in Greek, and a slave, doulos, in Greek. It's an odd definition of greatness or leadership, but it's a definition that's based on who Jesus is and what he's doing.
Why are we going on this trip? Where are we going? What are we going to do? We're going to be servants. Serving others, Jesus tells us, is the path to true greatness.
Jesus directly asserts that the human one is not here to be served, but to serve, and Jesus offers his own life as a model of becoming great by serving.
Now, Jesus is not usually referred to as the great one or the GOAT, but there can be no doubt that no single person has altered the course of the world more than Jesus. Even non-Christians often agree to that.
He was great by any standard. But in this reading, he does something pretty radical. He redefines greatness for us all. He tells us the path to greatness lies in service.
True leaders are going to serve. And he not only teaches us a new path to greatness, he lives it. Whenever you think about Jesus' life, it's marked over and over again by humility, not by greatness.
God's son could have been born anywhere, but he was born in a small town, in some sort of spare room or barn or something, or cave. We go through that on Christmas Eve sometimes. We have a talk about that. Andrew.
He grew up in a small, unimportant town of Nazareth. Even one of his future disciples says, "Could anything good come out of Nazareth?" Yeah. Not a fancy place.
He wasn't trained to be a religious leader. He was the son of a carpenter and was being trained to do that. He spent the first 30 years of his life hardly being noticed.
And then even when he began his public ministry, he went around the countryside, not seeking greatness, but serving, teaching, healing, preaching. After three years, he went to Jerusalem, not to be received as a great king, but to be handed over to death.
He washed his disciples' feet. He allowed himself to be arrested, tortured, and humiliated. He died a shameful death on a cross. Why? Why do all this? Because the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.
Jesus' life was always great in the eyes of his heavenly Father, but not so to the world. The world always has a different idea of what it needs to be great. And so did Jesus' disciples.
But he came to be served, not to serve. Not to be served, but to serve. I said that backwards. Sorry about that.
And he invites us, his followers, to do the same, to serve others, to spend our lives looking for opportunities to give to others what Jesus has given to us. And that's pretty countercultural.
When you look around, clearly the most popular thing is to be very important and to have other people serve you, and to get to go to fancy vacation destinations and have other people cook our meals and clean our rooms.
Most restaurants aren't going to attract customers by telling them they can wash their own dishes. In the eyes of the world, the path to greatness clearly lies in being served in more and more ways.
Having servants. People do your bidding. People guaranteeing you they'll do what you ask. But even for people who do achieve that, they're often left with an emptiness, which kind of explains them constantly grasping for more and more power.
Being served by others might make us comfortable, but it doesn't appear to make us happy.
I'd like to mention a person who taught this truth really well. That person is Martin Luther King. He once preached a very famous sermon on this same gospel reading.
And he helped his listeners to see a path to greatness that they assumed was unavailable to them. Oppressed, poor, often uneducated, with challenges that we have trouble even imagining. They couldn't imagine that.
They couldn't imagine that they could ever become great. But Martin Luther King, Jr. used this gospel reading to show them a different path to greatness that is available to all.
Here's what he said. "Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important, wonderful. If you want to be recognized, wonderful. If you want to be great, wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant."
That's a new definition of greatness. And this morning, the thing I like about it, by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great because everybody can serve.
You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato or Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve.
You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics and physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love, and you can be that servant.
I love those words from Martin Luther King. They're right on target. Everybody can be great because everybody can serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.
And some of the greatest people this world has ever seen had little more than that. With a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love, they found a way to serve others and they devoted their lives to serving others.
And we can do that too. Following the example of Jesus, we can become great by serving others. By looking for opportunities...
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