Finding the questions

 Mark 10:35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him 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, “Grant 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 baptised with the baptism that I am baptised with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptised, you will be baptised; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, 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 recognise as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; 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. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

In the Name of the Creator, the Redeemer and the Sustainer, Amen

One of the things I loved most about the work I’ve been doing the last few years was bringing colleagues together - to get to know one another, to build relationship.

It was as we worked and prayed and played together, as we shared our struggles and vulnerabilities and as we discerned together, who God was calling us to be, in all our different contexts, that we were able to show up, not as competitors in ministry but as colleagues, beloved of God, all about the work of God’s mission.

I’ve  read a lot of articles recently that remind us that, in this season, of trying to figure out who God calls us to be, it’s not the answers that are important - it’s asking the right questions.

And making friends along the way.

All these years on from James and John asking “Who is the greatest”, we’re still asking the wrong questions.

Trying to pin God down.

Trying to formulate rules.

Trying to find the least that we can do to be called Christian.

Trying to side with power.

God calls us back time and again to remind us - it’s not about doing the right things - it’s not about choosing the right side - it’s about relationships.

Always has been

Always will be.

From the creation of the world, God created us to be in relationship.

With the earth and with one another.

Jesus came to earth to be in relationship with us.

And, if we seek to follow that relational God, we, too, must be relational.

Simple.

And excruciatingly difficult.

It’s not “how close to God can we be?”

It’s how close to our neighbour - especially those who are not like us.

I don’t know about you, but I grew up being told that the most important thing was to get ourselves right with God - and sure we want to be close to God - but that’s a relationship that is played out in how we treat others - in how we serve one another.

Those who want to be great, must first serve.

Once again, in our gospel this week, Mark’s portrayal of the disciples’ ineptness mirrors ours.

When we are faced with chaos, we resort to trying to find a semblance of order.

Jesus has been consistently teaching his disciples about his suffering and death.

That must have been hard to hear.

And, as a counter to that, James and John seek reassurance that there are some things that will remain as they should be, that they will be rewarded for sticking with Jesus, that all they know of the life to come will be as it should - with them taking up their rightful place with Jesus in glory.

And Jesus reminds them that none of the usual worldly measures of greatness have any status in the kingdom of God.

But it is not so among you; whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 

In many of our congregations and gatherings today, we’re hoping against hope that the world will revert to something more recognisable. That the chaos of the last few months will settle down and that we will be able to carry on as normal. We are like the disciples trying to at least pin one thing down when all is topsy turvy.

Jesus word for us today, like his word for James and John is not what we want to hear.

There is more trouble ahead.

There is no way back to things “as they should be”.

It’s not the wrong answers - it’s the wrong questions.

Instead of looking for what we might know, what we might recognise, our calling is to work with what we have.

To see all around us opportunities to serve.

To serve and be served by those whose who are struggling to make ends meet.

To serve and be served by those whose mental health is deteriorating.

To serve and be served by those who are isolated or frightened.

We have much to give.

We also have much to learn from those we seek to serve.

We have all been weathering a storm whose effects continue to manifest themselves.

We cannot go back to what we thought was solid ground - it never was anyway.

And, like James and John, we don’t really have much idea yet what being church today looks like mid trauma with all the signs of more disruption to come.

But we are being given an opportunity to discover who God calls us to be as we try to rebuild.

Servants, who build relationships, creating community by serving one another.

May our relationship with God play out in our relationship with others and with Creation - in love and service.

For the glory of the Creator.

Amen.