SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST – 24 September 2006
St. Paul Lutheran Church, ABQ NM – The Rev. P. L. Holman
“Welcome Jesus”
In a recent comic strip Agnes announces her latest plan for fame and fortune: OK, new plan for today...Sla…
Friend: Hey! What happened to the old plan?
AGNES: Look. I am a plan planner, that’s what I do! Plans! The old plan was planned. End of job. I never said I was a plan DOER did I? No. I’m a plan planner. And I plan to stay a plan planner because I am very VERY good at what I do!
Friend: So, does anyone ever follow your plans?
AGNES: WHOA! You’d have to be nuts to ever implement any of those fiascos! [Tony Cochran, 8/27/06]
The disciples were overheard on the road arguing who among them was the greatest. Jesus tells them he is about to die, they argue anyway. They had just learned from Jesus – after trying with their own power to heal the child -- that the only way to eradicate the unclean spirit from a boy suffering convulsions is through prayer. Already they’ve forgotten about that power of openness and are arguing their own agendas. They just don’t get it (a common theme in Mark’s view of the followers, kind of like Agnes the plan planner). So Jesus tries again, “Whoever would be first must be last (that’s the plan), and must serve (just do it).”
In our baptism we are called “Beloved of God” which is both indicative and imperative – what we already are and how we must be.
Plan planner and plan doer. Forgiven and sent. Pray-er (one who trusts God) called to serve (care for others).
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams speaks of this call in terms of a living tension: “A claim about Christ as Lord of history is not a rallying cry to defeat enemies but a call to imitate Jesus by engaging in difficult listening to enemies and costly love of them.” Listen and love. Pray and serve.
Walter Brueggemann uses the image of dialog – a dance almost – between equilibrium and transformation: to be faithful followers is to trust in the One who is strength and balance in the storm, to listen to the teacher who sits with us and tries time and again to guide us to life, who also in the power of the Spirit also incites the storm that opens us to life.
Then Jesus does what he does so well – engages in a parable and ties his lesson plan to an example from daily life:
Welcome children = welcome Jesus
First century image – valued only as potential adults, only slaves were lower on the social ladder; children exemplified lowliness and powerlessness as well as the trustfulness and simplicity that deeply understands that life is found in the presnce of God
First shall be servant à overturns the social order so that à
Power over opens up to power with
CONTRAST: we live in a society where there are more shopping centers than high schools, where in the past four years more people have declared bankruptcy that graduated from college, where there are over 30,000 self-storage facilities for all the stuff that won’t fit in our already overly large houses, where we have more cars than registered drivers and where annually we produce enough garbage to fill a line of trucks that could stretch halfway to the moon…. [ELCA website: stewardship starters for 9/24/06]
Q: is greatness a mountain of stuff OR a life and relationship that is treasured?
A: Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all...Welcome the children. Welcome Jesus.
To be a disciple is to stay near the teacher, and staying close to the Teacher requires both reflection (prayer) and action (service to the least among us). James speaks of it this way: “show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom” – that is born of the fruit of listening and love, that which comes from prayer (the place of balance) and service (openness to the other that invites transformation for both).
What is our vocation as the church to the world?
Fulfill the whole purpose of God in the world.
How shall we do this? One way, God’s word reminds us this day, is by welcoming Jesus…
Through our daily ritual of prayer and reflection, through our weekly times of worship and praise, and also…
Through the way we welcome children [Bible Walk About, CBP, call committee]
Through the way we welcome adults: faith is ever growing and changing
Through the way we welcome the ones in pain
· Adopted Families and other benevolent contributions is one way, what about face time ~ building treasured relationships?
Through the way we ARE the church
It would be easy to hear this call to service and respond in despair thinking about our own houses and storage units filled with stuff, our own agendas and abundance. That’s not a bad tension for us to live with as we leave this place, to hold on to as we struggle to do well in school or work or family…
Go trusting that the transforming power of that tension and the stabilizing power of forgiveness will keep you close to the One who first welcomed you, Child, who will always be close at heart.
Let us pray:
O God, make us bold to pray and live the invitation that is life:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Amen