Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost (B) 2018

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: Mark 9:35
Theme: Servant of All

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

Jesus asked the question. He didn’t need to, of course. He already knew the answer. But He also knew it would be instructive for His foolhardy disciples. “What were you arguing about on the road? But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.”1 And there it is; a candid window into the mind of the heart! No one can completely escape the innate desire to have a privileged status before others and before God. It is an irrepressible mark of sin. Jesus’ ability to be the lone exception- transparently, authentically, unfailingly humble- is beyond our comprehension. It is a mark of His divinity. It is an article of faith. “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”2 Christ is the servant par excellence.

Honestly, we’d rather be served by others. And pride is but one expression of our sinfulness. Today James reminds us that selfish motives drive immoral behavior. “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want…You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you many spend what you get on your pleasures.”3 We see that these 1st century believers, who would have had very limited material blessings, were still prone to the misuse of them.

How applicable is the lesson for us! Are we willing to step back and consider how the pursuit of affluence is one of the great idols of our time? Can we see clearly its spiritual effect on our communities, our families, and our own personal lives? James convicts us for misusing God’s blessings. Over-indulgence is rife in our culture. Consumption can become a fulltime lifestyle. It hardly harmonizes with the biblical call to humility and servanthood. Jesus said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”4 The model for greatness is servanthood, not self-promotion.

Dear friends, we can recognize that the world provides many fine examples of philanthropy and models for good stewardship and service to others, but for believers it’s always God’s word that is decisive. This is true for all matters of faith and life. At the upcoming synod the LCA will again take up the topic of ordaining women to the pastoral office. The broader and deeper issue that underlies the discussion is Scripture’s authority and how it is interpreted. It’s no secret that deciding questions of value, ethics, morality, and truth based on the word of God is not looked upon as favorably by the culture of our day as it was in times past. We shouldn’t be shocked that the world has a different mindset. If this surprises us, we are well-advised to adjust quickly. The world settles things on the basis of reason and natural law. Thankfully, natural law shares much in common with God’s law. But the Lutheran church resolves things on the basis of God’s word; the Scriptures. The biblical approach is now struggling against the tide of culture which is threatening to become a tsunami.

But Jesus was never reluctant to swim upstream and we are privileged to follow in His wake. Only He will get us safely to the shore. Jesus’ disciples were fearful and flummoxed when He said today, “The Son of man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after three days He will rise.”5 What would that mean for them? It would be Pentecost before they began to understand. They would become servants of the highest order.

So, what should our serving look like? We must get out of our heads the idea that Christian service must be extraordinarily noteworthy to be valid. Only flashy things are considered newsworthy by society, but God notices simple, faithful efforts. God doesn’t demand that you drop everything, and head oversees to the mission field. The opportunities to serve are right before you. Anyone who’s claiming lack of prospects doesn’t understand the Christian teaching on vocation. ‘Love God above all things and love your neighbour as yourself’ is not a hollow slogan. When we try to do it, we’ll find no shortage of challenges and opportunities. The Holy Spirit must attend us constantly or we’d accomplish nothing at all.

You’ve probably heard it said many times that getting old is not for sissies. The decline of physical vitality and mental capability brings sobering challenges. There’s no way to bypass or opt out of the ageing process. It can become very taxing. It reminds us how vulnerable we really are. It drives us to a deeper reliance on the Lord. A helpful comparison can be made here to Christian living. Whether we call it living the sanctified life, the baptismal life, or bearing the cross, the Scripture makes it clear that it’s not for sissies either. Christ doesn’t lead us down easy street. He takes us on the high road. The high road is also the narrow road. Marginalization, ostracization, and persecution are the warnings from the apostolic witness.

Satan is leading the attack on civil discourse in our society. Shouting down and public shaming are becoming more common as a means to ‘win’ an argument or simply bully the opponent. The trend is an ominous omen for the future. The implications for Christianity are likely to be substantial. The Bible calls us to be considerate defenders of the faith. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience…”6

Without overdramatizing we might consider the public reaction at the time of Stephen’s stoning. Acts 7 gives us these details, “When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven…’Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him…”7 Let’s pray this is not where we’re headed in our culture. Nevertheless, the clear, strong voice of the Lord overpowers all the chaotic cries saying, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.”8

Jesus says of Himself, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many.”9 The prophet Isaiah describes His saving work in this way, “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”10 So broken was our relationship with the Father, so unserviceable was our debt of sin, so uncrossable was the chasm of death, so insurmountable was the ascent to heaven that the crucifixion of the holy Son of God, the Immanuel, the sacrificial Lamb, was necessary to secure our redemption. Jesus, the Christ, willing surrendered His life in substitution for ours. He rose from death, securing life, so that we can now live without fear. In baptism we’re assured that Christ obliterates that fear because He demolishes death’s ultimate power. When you receive His body and blood in humble faith you can be assured that His immortal life is being extended to you.

The Lord of all, the Creator of everything, the Immortal Son who reigns with unequaled power, is the Servant of sinners. He is the One who stoops. He is the One who humbles Himself. He is the One who carries the load. He is the One who tirelessly, unceasingly, and flawlessly intercedes for the benefit of His people. It is a privilege to be in the service of the Servant of all. Amen.

+ In nomine Jesu +

Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost
23 September 2018
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 Mark 9:33-34 2 Mark 9:35
3 James 4:1-3 4 Mark 9:35
5 Mark 9:31 6 1 Peter 3:15-16
7 Acts 7:54-57 8 John 16:33
9 Matthew 20:28 10Isaiah 53:5