The Rev’d Kenneth H. Saunders III
Christ Episcopal Church
Cleveland, NC
RCL Year B – 20 Pentecost (Proper 24) – October 18, 2009
Job 38:1-7, (34-41)
Christ Episcopal Church
Cleveland, NC
RCL Year B – 20 Pentecost (Proper 24) – October 18, 2009
Job 38:1-7, (34-41)
Mark 10:35-45
It's a really nice thing to be around a polite person. Most of you know that I was at my son’s graduation from Air Force Basic Training last weekend. It was amazing to see the person that my son has transformed into, but what I think amazed me the most is how he treated others.
When he was out on his town pass and on base liberty, he was extremely polite to everyone, even those in his own flight. It was beyond the simple yes sir, no sir, yes mam, no mam… It was genuine and sincere, and it had become part of who he is. He was always a polite kid, but this time it was extremely noticeable… Even the way he treated the new recruits that were just starting their training…as he passed them, he whispered words of encouragement telling them that it would only get better.
It caused me to take notice immediately about the way I respond to others. I have always tried to be a polite person, using those “good” words that I learned as a child… such as please and thank you. After all, it’s the right way to be, but every once in awhile I forget.
Instead, I find myself reverting back the barking… you know, those times when we make requests of others that sound much more like military commands, rather than respectful requests. Such as, “While you’re up, get me something to drink” or “make me a sandwich.” Does it sound familiar?
Sometimes the way we come across to others is so much a part of who we are, that we don’t even realize how harsh it sounds. It makes others want to come back with that horrible question, “What do I look like, your slave?”
Or sometimes it's just that "look" that will burn a hole right through you. I have had that said to me… I know that probably some of you have too… Whenever someone says that to me, I feel extremely bad… I regret that I did not choose a kinder way to ask. And the word “slave” itself generates a very negative and guttural feeling in me…
Having the word “slave” thrown into a conversation makes many people uncomfortable and nervous. Sometimes I am on the receiving end of that word, but sometimes I’m the one directing that word in another direction. Many of you may think it’s not a big issue, but that’s not the issue that I want to debate here this morning.
Rather, It’s just a description of how I personally feel when I hear the word. I think we can all agree that our words matter. Words have great impact, power, and a lasting presence. And we need to take a minute and realize that they can hurt people as much as they can heal.
That’s why it’s so hard to listen to today’s Gospel lesson from Mark. Jesus says, “whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” Slave of all... what in the world does that mean?
We hear the word “slave” and immediately we conjure up images of mistreatment, abuse, degradation, despair, hardship, and sometimes even death. And when Jesus says that slavery is something we need to embrace and model ourselves after, it gets more than a little confusing. In what ways are we to be slaves? What exactly does God expect of us?
It’s important to remember that all language has limitations… Our words, phrases, analogies, metaphors, and even stories themselves (such as parables) are never perfect representations of the meaning behind them. And so, in this case, we must understand that Jesus is affirming SOME aspects of being a slave FOR others, but there are probably other aspects of slavery that Jesus would not and could not support, nor would he ask us to condone or embrace.
So, what aspect of being a slave is Jesus asking us to live out as his disciples? Well, we’ll probably never know exactly. But I’d like us to take a look at one aspect of slavery which might be helpful to us as we walk our journey of faith.
We often think of slaves as simply taking orders from others, doing whatever the task-master asks. However, it was so much more than that. In many ways, the slave did not live separate lives from that of the household they served. Their life was not their own. Rather, their life was fully immersed in and completely overlapped with that of the family they served. The family’s concerns were their concerns. Their well-being was that of the family’s. The family’s needs were their needs. And whatever the family requested, the slave provided if he or she was able --- with no questions and no conditions.
This sort of overlapping of lives is something many of us just don’t do. We like to keep our distance. We have this bubble around us that we like to live in. We like to pick and choose when, where, and how we will love. We help others and care for them only when it’s convenient, or give only when we have something to gain. And if we just don’t feel like it, well, you know what happens. We just sit on the sidelines, detached, leaving others to fend for themselves.
My guess is that when Jesus encourages us to be a “slave” for others, in part, he is asking us to resist the temptation to stay uninvolved and unconcerned. Rather, he’s asking us to enter into --- in a very real way --- the lives of those around us.
In today’s Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews we heard, “Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”
Jesus entered into our world… God became one of us, and knows what we’re going through. If only we could do the same --- enter the world of others --- and share in their struggles and joys, their hopes, their fears, and their dreams. Truly serving others requires that we carry some of their burdens, take on some of their pain, and help them work through some of their difficulties and struggles. Imagine if we all truly acted that way.
Imagine if every “I need you to . . .” was followed by, “Let me know how I can help.” Imagine if every expression of sorrow was followed by an offer to listen and an attempt to understand. Imagine if every admission of guilt was followed by, “I forgive you.” And imagine if not one person had to journey through this life feeling alone or abandoned.
This is the sort of “slavery” and service that our Lord calls us to. And the good that we do for each other is a good thing in and of itself. Of that we can be assured.
But it is more than that. When we are truly present to one another… the bonds between us grow a little stronger, our understanding of one another becomes a little clearer, and the walls between us begin to be torn down. Mistrust turns to appreciation, suspicion turns into hope, and indifference turns into to true caring.
All of that can be a reality. But, staying in the tiny world, this bubble, that we create for ourselves is not enough. It is beneath who we are as children of God… God entered our world in the person of Jesus Christ, and the world was changed forever. If we are willing to step into the world of another… step in all the way… who knows what might happen?
It's a really nice thing to be around a polite person. Most of you know that I was at my son’s graduation from Air Force Basic Training last weekend. It was amazing to see the person that my son has transformed into, but what I think amazed me the most is how he treated others.
When he was out on his town pass and on base liberty, he was extremely polite to everyone, even those in his own flight. It was beyond the simple yes sir, no sir, yes mam, no mam… It was genuine and sincere, and it had become part of who he is. He was always a polite kid, but this time it was extremely noticeable… Even the way he treated the new recruits that were just starting their training…as he passed them, he whispered words of encouragement telling them that it would only get better.
It caused me to take notice immediately about the way I respond to others. I have always tried to be a polite person, using those “good” words that I learned as a child… such as please and thank you. After all, it’s the right way to be, but every once in awhile I forget.
Instead, I find myself reverting back the barking… you know, those times when we make requests of others that sound much more like military commands, rather than respectful requests. Such as, “While you’re up, get me something to drink” or “make me a sandwich.” Does it sound familiar?
Sometimes the way we come across to others is so much a part of who we are, that we don’t even realize how harsh it sounds. It makes others want to come back with that horrible question, “What do I look like, your slave?”
Or sometimes it's just that "look" that will burn a hole right through you. I have had that said to me… I know that probably some of you have too… Whenever someone says that to me, I feel extremely bad… I regret that I did not choose a kinder way to ask. And the word “slave” itself generates a very negative and guttural feeling in me…
Having the word “slave” thrown into a conversation makes many people uncomfortable and nervous. Sometimes I am on the receiving end of that word, but sometimes I’m the one directing that word in another direction. Many of you may think it’s not a big issue, but that’s not the issue that I want to debate here this morning.
Rather, It’s just a description of how I personally feel when I hear the word. I think we can all agree that our words matter. Words have great impact, power, and a lasting presence. And we need to take a minute and realize that they can hurt people as much as they can heal.
That’s why it’s so hard to listen to today’s Gospel lesson from Mark. Jesus says, “whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” Slave of all... what in the world does that mean?
We hear the word “slave” and immediately we conjure up images of mistreatment, abuse, degradation, despair, hardship, and sometimes even death. And when Jesus says that slavery is something we need to embrace and model ourselves after, it gets more than a little confusing. In what ways are we to be slaves? What exactly does God expect of us?
It’s important to remember that all language has limitations… Our words, phrases, analogies, metaphors, and even stories themselves (such as parables) are never perfect representations of the meaning behind them. And so, in this case, we must understand that Jesus is affirming SOME aspects of being a slave FOR others, but there are probably other aspects of slavery that Jesus would not and could not support, nor would he ask us to condone or embrace.
So, what aspect of being a slave is Jesus asking us to live out as his disciples? Well, we’ll probably never know exactly. But I’d like us to take a look at one aspect of slavery which might be helpful to us as we walk our journey of faith.
We often think of slaves as simply taking orders from others, doing whatever the task-master asks. However, it was so much more than that. In many ways, the slave did not live separate lives from that of the household they served. Their life was not their own. Rather, their life was fully immersed in and completely overlapped with that of the family they served. The family’s concerns were their concerns. Their well-being was that of the family’s. The family’s needs were their needs. And whatever the family requested, the slave provided if he or she was able --- with no questions and no conditions.
This sort of overlapping of lives is something many of us just don’t do. We like to keep our distance. We have this bubble around us that we like to live in. We like to pick and choose when, where, and how we will love. We help others and care for them only when it’s convenient, or give only when we have something to gain. And if we just don’t feel like it, well, you know what happens. We just sit on the sidelines, detached, leaving others to fend for themselves.
My guess is that when Jesus encourages us to be a “slave” for others, in part, he is asking us to resist the temptation to stay uninvolved and unconcerned. Rather, he’s asking us to enter into --- in a very real way --- the lives of those around us.
In today’s Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews we heard, “Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”
Jesus entered into our world… God became one of us, and knows what we’re going through. If only we could do the same --- enter the world of others --- and share in their struggles and joys, their hopes, their fears, and their dreams. Truly serving others requires that we carry some of their burdens, take on some of their pain, and help them work through some of their difficulties and struggles. Imagine if we all truly acted that way.
Imagine if every “I need you to . . .” was followed by, “Let me know how I can help.” Imagine if every expression of sorrow was followed by an offer to listen and an attempt to understand. Imagine if every admission of guilt was followed by, “I forgive you.” And imagine if not one person had to journey through this life feeling alone or abandoned.
This is the sort of “slavery” and service that our Lord calls us to. And the good that we do for each other is a good thing in and of itself. Of that we can be assured.
But it is more than that. When we are truly present to one another… the bonds between us grow a little stronger, our understanding of one another becomes a little clearer, and the walls between us begin to be torn down. Mistrust turns to appreciation, suspicion turns into hope, and indifference turns into to true caring.
All of that can be a reality. But, staying in the tiny world, this bubble, that we create for ourselves is not enough. It is beneath who we are as children of God… God entered our world in the person of Jesus Christ, and the world was changed forever. If we are willing to step into the world of another… step in all the way… who knows what might happen?
Parts of this sermon were derived from the musings of the Rev. Deacon Mark Arnold, Sacred Heart Church, Jim Falls, WI – thank you for your words of wisdom, my colleague and friend in Christ!
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