October 18, 2015:May God’s words alone be spoken, may God’s words alone be heard. Amen.

“What is it you want me to do for you?”

That’s the question Jesus asks our good ole boys James & John.

“What is it you want me to do for you?”

I wonder if there wasn’t a bit of snarkiness in Jesus’ tone – I would hope so…see just before these two knuckleheads decided now would be a great time to ask Jesus if they could climb the messianic corporate ladder, Jesus had just finished telling the disciples that once they got to Jerusalem, things were not going to go all that well. They wouldn’t have a chance to enjoy the scenery, maybe heal a few folks while taking in the city nightlife. Instead, Jesus tells them, things are gonna get ugly fast – he would be betrayed, killed, and then rise from the dead.

Now, I don’t know about all of you, but if someone I had come to care about, a mentor and teacher, had told me something like that, I hope I’d pay a bit of attention – you know, maybe offer a word of compassion, or more likely, ask if we might run like hell in the opposite direction. Say to Jesus “hey, I hear Jerusalem isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – the prices are way over the top…let’s head over to the sea for a bit of fun in the sun instead.”

But instead, these so called “Sons of Thunder” (doesn’t that sound like some sort of hard rock band?) are sort of doing the equivalent of holding up a selfie stick trying to get Jesus in the picture with them so they can post it to Facebook- because, you know, it’s all about them, right? And after face palming himself a bit, I am betting Jesus is thinking…okay, I just told you I was going to die, and all you care about is how that affects you?

I remember someone talking about going on a blind date. She said the guy talked for two hours about himself, then said to her “Oh, I am sorry. I have been talking all about me without you getting a word. So, what do you think about me?” Needless to say, it was a short and last date. I think that man was related to these two.

A theme throughout this gospel of Mark – is that those on the inside, the disciples, are clueless – those on the outside get it right. Which is how in seminary we could joke about the “duh-sciples” of Mark (though one could reasonably argue that, with the exception of Mary Magdalene, the other disciples in all the gospels were just a card or two short of a full deck some of the times).

But what does any of this have to do with us, right? I mean, these early disciples are long gone. We know the story – Jesus died, Jesus lives, so how does all that matter?

Well, it doesn’t really.

Not those two brothers anyway. But what does matter is what Jesus says in response to their request to sit on his right and left. What is relevant today is the life Jesus calls us to – and it isn’t what we think.

I remember a guy sitting in the seat ahead of me on a recent airplane trip. He was wearing a bracelet that had this on it “Jesus is the answer.” And I thought – well, what the heck is the question?

What is the question?

See, Jesus might be the answer, but the question will scare the crap out of us. Because if Jesus is the answer…well, it means you are the answer – you…and me too! We are the body of Christ alive in the world today. On the front of your bulletins for this week are the words of St. Teresa of Avila, who said “Christ has no body but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours.”

Now, this might seem a bit scary – if it doesn’t, maybe it ought to. So again, we might want to ask…what was the heck was the question?

I am not sure if there is really one single question, because there are so many we all have today, aren’t there?

Why are children killing children in schools? Why are mothers throwing infants off balconies to their death? Why do women still struggle for equality and dignity all around the world, and with children, being forced into slavery? Why do gay people have to fight just to have the right to love? Why are there so many without safe places to live – refugees, immigrants, the poor the marginalized? Why do we continue to abuse God’s creation for our own selfish purposes? Why are our hearts breaking?

Why?

Folks, if Jesus is the answer, then the questions ought to give us all pause. And perhaps we wonder if we can respond like the disciples – if we are we able? I mean…we aren’t rich, or famous, or powerful.

I am reminded of a Zen Buddhist story.

“There was once a stone cutter who was dissatisfied with himself and with his position in life. 
One day he passed a wealthy merchant’s house. Through the open gateway, he saw many fine possessions and important visitors. “How powerful that merchant must be!” thought the stone cutter. He became very envious and wished that he could be like the merchant. 
To his great surprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power than he had ever imagined, but envied and detested by those less wealthy than himself. Soon a high official passed by, carried in a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants and escorted by soldiers beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before the procession. “How powerful that official is!” he thought. “I wish that I could be a high official!” 
Then he became the high official, carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around. It was a hot summer day, so the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence. “How powerful the sun is!” he thought. “I wish that I could be the sun!” Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a huge black cloud moved between him and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on everything below. “How powerful that storm cloud is!” he thought. “I wish that I could be a cloud!” 
Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields and villages, shouted at by everyone. But soon he found that he was being pushed away by some great force, and realized that it was the wind. “How powerful it is!” he thought. “I wish that I could be the wind!” 
Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, feared and hated by all below him. But after a while, he ran up against something that would not move, no matter how forcefully he blew against it – a huge, towering rock. “How powerful that rock is!” he thought. “I wish that I could be a rock!” 
Then he became the rock, more powerful than anything else on earth. But as he stood there, he heard sounds coming from below, and felt himself being changed. “What could be more powerful than I, the rock?” he thought. 
He looked down and saw far below him the figure of a stone cutter, his hammer pounding a chisel into the hard surface.”

The stone cutter already had all the power he needed, only he didn’t recognize it. He thought that power meant having control over people and things. James and John were likely thinking the same thing. But the truth is, they, and each of us, have all that we need to do incredible things. The truth is, we are able…with God’s help. And the world needs us to live into this – to understand this.

We were never born to, as Jesus puts it, “Lord it over” folks. Yes, we need to make a living, but we shouldn’t be living to work, we should be working to live. Our ambitions shouldn’t be the things society tells us are important – luxury, fame, power over others. Our ambition should be to leave the world better than we found it. To leave behind a legacy, not of wealth and power, but of love.

There is a Sufi teaching story that tells of a man who prayed continually for the awareness to succeed in life. Then one night he dreamed of going into the forest to attain understanding. The next morning he went into the woods and wandered for several hours looking for some sign that would provide answers. When he finally stopped to rest, he saw a fox with no legs lying between two rocks in a cool place. Curious as to how a legless fox could survive, he waited until sunset when he observed a lion come and lay meat before the fox. “Ah, I understand,” the man thought. “The secret to success in life is to trust that God will take care of all my needs. I don’t need to provide for myself. All I have to do is totally surrender to my all-sustaining God.” Two weeks later, weakened and starving, the man had another dream. In it he heard a voice say, “Fool. Be like the lion, not like the fox.”

See, this being the body of Christ isn’t about easy slogans on wrist bands, but about a life of service to others – a life we are each called to, and a life we are each able to fulfill. We aren’t meant to just wander in here on a Sunday for some bread, wine, and awesome coffee afterwards, kicking back in some sort of pew version of a recliner and figuring “Jesus is the answer” – he’ll take care of things. We are the body of Christ – we are the ones capable and born to be that answer. We are meant to be nourished here, fed here with love in community, not only so that we may be given what we need – because let’s face it – we need that love too – but that we may have strength for the journey ahead of us. So that we might, with God’s help, be Christ in the world. So that we can be the ones who not only serve the marginalized, but seek them out. So that we can be the ones who speak truth to power, overturning the tables of injustice, and knocking down the walls of oppression. So that we may join in the work God is already doing, and see Christ in the eyes of the lost, the least, the lonely, the last, and even in ourselves.

This is what it means to be a person of faith, a follower of Christ. It isn’t easy, but it is rewarding in ways that no money can ever equal. I heard that a Sister of Mercy serving with Mother Teresa in Calcutta was once tending to the festering, oozing sores of a destitute patient when a tourist came to see the famous hospital. The tourist commented, “I wouldn’t do that for all the money in the world.” The sister looked up and replied, “Neither would I.”

People all over the world hunger for love, for hope, for human touch. They hunger for food, for warmth, for dignity. And we are not a helpless fox, but lions capable of doing incredible work. We are not stone cutters who feel powerless, but artisans gifted by God to do great things, not for ourselves, but for others.

In the words of the great prophet Bob Dylan, “You’re gonna have to serve somebody.”

Bob Dylan is right about that.

You’re gonna have to serve somebody…we all are.

And we can serve God – we are able. We are able, because we come here – where we are restored, renewed, refreshed, our hearts opened to where God is leading us next.

Today, you will be given crosses of many colors. Let it be a reminder to you of the incredible life of service you are called to, and the way in which this parish supports and nourishes you in your work. Let the diversity of the colors remind all of us that everyone is a beloved child of God – the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the able bodied and the physically challenged, the people of all races, cultures, and languages, the people who love differently and those who think differently. Carry it in your pocket as a daily reminder that you are not the work you do for money, but the life you live in love.

This weary world, so filled with questions of despair, wait in hope that we ask one of our own. That each day we ask God “What is it you want me to do for you?” And when we hear God’s call to love and serve, we respond with “We are able.”

Amen.

For the audio of the sermon from the 10:30am service, click here:

The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge
October 18, 2015
Pentecost 21 – Year B – Track 1
1st Reading – Job 38:1-7, (34-41)
Psalm 104:1-9, 25, 37b
2nd Reading – Hebrews 5:1-10
Gospel – Mark 10:35-45