What We Wish For

            Did you ever wish for something with all of your might and when you got it, you discovered that it was just the opposite of what you thought you were getting?  James and John came to Jesus with a request that sounded to them like the most wonderful thing that they could ever attain.  They wanted to sit on his left and his right when he achieved his glory.  Jesus had some words for them that took their request to a much different place than they imagined. 

            Jesus simply asked them if they could be baptized with the baptism that he was baptized with and drink the cup that he drank.  They said that they could.  Jesus then told them that they would certainly do that, but where they would be placed when he reached his glory was not his to give, but was the property of the one who sent him; meaning God the Father.  When the other disciples heard what James and John were doing, they were outraged.  Jesus called them to him and said that they were not like the people in other cultures where the leaders lorded things over them and tyrants oppressed those under them.  He said that in his company, those who wanted to be first needed to be the servants of all.  He ended his talk by saying:  the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.  That was not what James and John were expecting when they first went to Jesus with their request, but it was certainly what they discovered would be their fate.  All of the disciples except John died at the hands of others, but their witness to their Lord was seen by all of the people around them.  In the Acts of the Apostles, their lives are seen in great detail and their works after the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus are incredible. 

            The witness that those followers of Jesus provide for us is a wonderful way to construct a church.  We are all here to give ourselves for the welfare of each other.  We are not here to dominate or to always get our own way.  We are here to care for each other and to serve, not to be served.  That isn’t really the way that the world works, is it?  People for the most part are out to get the most for themselves and not necessarily to worry very much about what that might do to other people.  It isn’t meant in a mean way, but it is a selfishness that infects many of the relationships that we have in our lives. 

            What our Lord is asking of us is to be servants, not masters.  That isn’t easy for any of us who have been brought up in a culture where advancement and position are the most prized things that there are.  We need to know that serving others is the primary way for us to get ahead, not being the masters of everyone.

            That is really the mission of the church.  To be the source of serving the needs of those whom we find in need around us.  It isn’t always easy.  Frequently, the needs of the building or of our own community show up and need to be taken seriously.  When the roof leaks or the power goes out, we need to do something about it.  When that impedes our mission, it can make our primary purpose shaky. 

            The important thing to remember about all of this is that it isn’t only OUR mission.  Our Lord is in it with us.  When we think that we are in charge of the world, we can be brought up short very easily.  The debates that those who want to be president are having are interesting in the way that they think that they can themselves solve the problems that face us.  The simple answer to that is that they can’t.  Above all things, they need consensus to do much of anything.  What is ruining consensus at the moment are radical people who believe that they have all of the answers and if we will all listen only to them, we will get everything that we want.  We all know at some level that just isn’t true.  We need each other, and we need our Lord’s blessing to make much of anything happen. 

            Even in the midst of misery, our God is there.  Job constantly called out to God in the worst of his misery and finally, at the end of the whole book, God answered him.  His answers are humiliating: 

                       Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?                                                                              Tell me, if you have understanding.                                                                                                    
            Job was finally given back all that he had lost because he remained faithful through all of his tribulations.  That is what Jesus was telling his disciples.  To remain faithful even when all seems to be lost and in the end, all will be well.  That is also true of the community of Christ.  We can’t do much of anything by ourselves.  With consensus and with God’s help, we can do it all.