Fall Sermon Series

 

September 20 - "Where the Least are Greatest"

Adapted from Lectionary Sermon Series

⁴² 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. ⁴³ But it is not so among you; instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wishes to be first among you must be subject of all. ⁴⁵ For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.”

 

Most of us who grew up with brothers and sisters know what it is like to be involved in what has become properly known as sibling rivalries. The Bible is full of examples: Cain & Abel, Jacob & Esau, Joseph & his brothers, Racheal & Leah, the list goes on and on and on. This Gospel text has another example, with the family of twelve disciples arguing among themselves about who would get to sit at the right hand of Jesus in glory. It is a conversation that echoes Mark 9:34, in which the disciples argued among themselves about who would be the greatest.

Imagine. The disciples were in the presence of Jesus. He has been disclosing to them the kingdom's mysteries and giving them a glimpse into the futures God had in store for the world. But instead of relishing his teaching and hanging on to his every word, they were completely fixated on their own agendas. Competing for Jesus’ attention. Debating who would get to be second in command. Trying to one-up each other for greatness in the kingdom. This was sibling rivalry on a cosmic scale.

There is a great truth here for all of us since we are all brothers and sisters in Christ: we too can be prone to sibling rivalries. Any time we get swept up into petty arguments over who is great and who is more worthy of attention, or whose opinions count more and should be in charge, we succumb to those divisions.

Whenever that happens, we miss a chance to see Jesus in glory. We miss an opportunity for God to share with us something bold and exciting, a vision of the future, and hope for tomorrow. Every time we get caught up in ourselves, we miss a chance to hear God’s voice.

Jesus said to the disciples, and says to us today: “Whoever wishes to become greatest among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be subject to all.”If you want to be truly great in the kingdom, it is not about how many people are below you; it is about how many people are above you. If you truly want the attention of our heavenly Parent, it is not about how many people serve you, but how many people you serve. If you want to be first, you must be last. It is not about the glory you get. It’s about the glory God gets through you.

Sibling rivalries occur when spiritual siblings fail to recognize that there is enough of God’s love and attention to go around and choose instead to replace a sense of God’s love with a sense of selfishness. But the truth is, there is enough of God’s love for ALL of us. It is we who have tried to convince each other that there is a hierarchy of God’s love in the church. We are victims of our own folly. When we fight, everyone loses. When we serve each other, we help bring God’s kingdom to earth as it is in heaven.

Join us in worship this week, at Pilmoor Memorial at 9am and City Road at 11, or online. We will discuss this more and learn the truth of the phrase “I Am Second”.

Grace and peace!