Who is the Greatest

CALL TO WORSHIP

At this time, in this place, let us worship God – with open ears ready to listen and hearts ready to receive, minds willing to be challenged and attitudes given to God. Come, we worship God as one.

HYMN

PRAISE TO THE HOLIEST IN THE HIGHTS (469)

GATHERING PRAYER

Loving, gracious God, who does not put us in order – greatest to least, best to worst, loved most to loved least, or any other order: be with us as we spend time with one another and with you. Help us to listen to you as you speak to us and challenge us, love us and encourage us. Amen.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

The response after each petition is: Lord, please forgive me, and teach me my rightful place in you.

(Take a moment to think about what jostling for position means to you. Where do you see yourself in relation to others?) Jesus said: ‘Anyone who wants to be first must be last.’ Lord, for the times I’ve put myself first, or argued with people, because I think I know better than them or that I am better than them… For the times when I don’t want to be a servant because I think I’m capable of greater things… When I don’t recognize Christ in those around me because I’m too busy looking out for myself… When I don’t understand what people mean, perhaps not understanding their feelings of fear or inadequacy… When I jostle for position, rather than being happy where you put me…

Assurance

You challenge us, Lord, when we do wrong. You get us to focus by using questions, even though you know the answers. Your image is present in each one of us. When we confess our sins, you are always there to forgive us. We stand now, humbly in your presence. Forgiven. Acknowledging that you are the greatest (keep silence). Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done.

On earth as it is in heaven,

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those that trespass against us,

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,

Forever and ever Amen.

HYMN

BE STILLAND KNOW (41)

READING

Mark 9: 30-37

Jesus Predicts his Death a second time

30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

HYMN

Brother, Sister, let me serve you (54)

SERMON

Children in the playground. Contestants on TV’s The Apprentice. They all fight to be the best, the greatest.

This desire is of course not limited to children or participants in reality TV shows.

We find this desire in most walks of life.

Maybe adults are a little more subtle in their efforts, but only up to a point!

A broader question is: How do we measure ‘greatness’? There seem often to be links to wealth, influence and status. Those who have the most are at the top of society and are considered (by some, at least) as the greatest.

Those with the least are at the bottom. And it was as true in the time of Jesus as it is in our society today.

Jesus again predicted his death and resurrection; the disciples do not ask the important question.

Imagine what it would be like if Jesus walked in, and said, “Ask Me Anything.” Wouldn’t that be great? Ask Jesus anything. If that were to happen, what questions do you think we would ask?

I suppose one of the first questions would be, “Is it true? Are you really the Son of God?” A follow-up question might be: “If you really are the Son of God, and if you really do love us, then why do you still allow so much suffering and evil in our world?”

I don’t know about you, but I’d love to hear his answer to that one.

No doubt there would be a long list of questions that Jesus would be asked, if we could ask him anything. Perhaps one of these questions would be the one that the disciples don’t to ask in today’s gospel reading: “What do you mean about welcoming Children?”

Today’s Gospel Reading

In this gospel reading (Mark 9:30-37), Jesus is teaching his disciples the same thing That you may have heard last week, that “the Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.”

But the disciples “did not understand what he was saying,” in some translations it tells us, but “they were afraid to ask him.” I guess they didn’t have a teacher tell them that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Or, even better, that the only stupid question is the one not asked.

The disciples didn’t ask Jesus a very important question, because they were too afraid to ask him.

What were they afraid of? Maybe they were afraid of the answer. After the way Jesus spoke to Peter saying, “Get behind me Satan” Maybe they really didn’t want to know why.

perhaps they were afraid of what it might mean for them. Or maybe they felt like they should know the answer.

I have been in many meetings, I’m sure you have where you don’t know the answer, but everyone sits nodding wisely, until someone usually me is brave enough to ask the question. Then everyone sits up to find out the answer that they were afraid to ask, afraid of seeming stupid, or simply too embarrassed to ask.

The disciples have been in his presence, listening to his teaching, for months by now, if not years. Surely, they should know why the Son of Man must be betrayed and killed, before rising again!

But for whatever reason, the disciples don’t ask Jesus the question that is on their minds, because they are afraid to ask it. It’s the right question, if you ask me, and they should have asked it.

But they were afraid. And because they’re afraid, they end up getting all mixed up in the wrong question.

And isn’t that often the problem with ignoring the question that we are afraid to ask? We can get all tangled up in the wrong question.

We see this in our world. And we can see it in our own lives, too. For whatever reason, because of fear or something else, we avoid asking, the important question. And because of that, we end up in asking the wrong question. This happens over and over again in our world. And with significant consequences.

Asking the Wrong Question

In this gospel reading, the disciples were afraid to ask Jesus the right question In their case, the wrong question became: Who is the greatest among them? Who is the greatest disciple? Obviously, the wrong question!

When Jesus and his disciples arrive back in Capernaum, Jesus decides that it is time to help them see how foolish this question and debate is.

He turns and asks them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” They were silent. But Jesus knew, and so he answers that question – whoever wants to be great must serve, and whoever wants to be first must be willing to be last. And then he takes a little child in his arms and saying to the disciples, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

I want us to be careful here. Jesus does not say that greatness is in being a child and he doesn’t say that greatness is in being childlike. Greatness is in welcoming the child.

Now that doesn’t sound too difficult or challenging. Who wouldn’t welcome a little child? We enjoy spoiling our grandchildren, spending quality time with them, But Jesus isn’t talking about the child. He’s talking about what the child represents.

We’ve grown so sentimental about children and childhood in today’s culture that it can be difficult to understand what Jesus is getting at.

The child is a symbol for something else. The child is a symbol of vulnerability, powerlessness, and dependency.

The child in Jesus’ day had no rights, no status, no economic value. The child was a consumer and not a producer. Greatness, Jesus says, is in welcoming and receiving into our arms one like this, regardless of his or her age.

Asking the Right Question

But here is the question that this story leaves us with: What if the disciples were willing to ask the question that is really on their minds?

The question of why their hoped-for Messiah must be killed before being raised on the third day?

What if they asked that question?

Wouldn’t asking that question help them understand what Jesus is up to, and bring them closer to Jesus, and help them understand that they, too, are being asked to take up their cross?

That they, too, are being invited to lose their lives for the sake of the gospel? And in doing so, find new life? Wouldn’t having that conversation have made the argument that they are having amongst themselves seem rather mute? It’s hard to argue about who’s the greatest, after all, when you are trying to understand why God’s Son must die on a cross.

Sometimes, asking the right question is just as important, or more so, than finding the right answer.

Real religion does not give final answers; it makes us ask better questions.

(DAVID TRACY)

Questions are so important. Asking the right question can change the world. Many, if not most, important scientific discoveries have been made because someone asked the right question. Asking the right question can also change our lives on a smaller scale at Home, in Church, or extended family.

If it’s important to ask the right question in those settings, how much more important is it to ask the right question of our Creator? And maybe, the most important question that we can ask of God, is the very one that we are afraid to ask. And maybe, not asking that question is affecting our relationship with God in lots of unnoticed but important ways.

Jesus’s Question Frees Us to Ask God Anything

One thing that the Bible tells us clearly is that there is no question that we can ask of God that is out of bounds. There is no stupid question, except the one unasked. As a way of illustrating this, remember the question that Jesus asked his Heavenly Father, as he was dying on the cross. It might be the most important question that Jesus ever asked. From the cross, in what must have been the darkest moment of his life, he asked a question that you probably remember very well: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Surely, Jesus wasn’t “supposed” to ask God this. He knew that he had to be killed. He predicted it ahead of time. He predicted it in today’s Gospel Reading, in fact. And he knew that he would be raised on the third day. But here he is, on the cross, asking his Heavenly Father this painfully honest and troubling question, why have you abandoned me?

And it seems to me that if Jesus can ask that question of his Heavenly Father, there is no question that is out-of-bounds for us to ask. But there is something critical to remember in Jesus’ question. When Jesus asks that question, he begins it with the words, “My God.”

Jesus is asking the question, yes, but he’s not giving up on the relationship with God. That’s what people of faith do. We ask God the tough questions, the questions that trouble us, but we ask them because of our faith, not despite it.

Questions Answered … Eventually

When Jesus asked God this question, I can’t help but wonder if he got an answer. I suspect that the answer did not come until after he breathed his last. And then, of course, he got his answer. God did not abandon His only begotten son. Just as God does not abandon us.

And this, too, teaches us something important about asking God our questions.

Ask God anything. The answer may not come right away. Sometimes, in fact, it may not come in our lifetime. But we ask our questions, believing that one day they will be answered.

I don’t know if there will be an “Ask Me Anything” room in heaven, but I picture something like that. And I believe that when the kingdom comes in its fullness, all of our questions will be answered. And I look forward to that day. But in the meantime, we are called to live by faith, and that means to live with questions. So, ask them. wait patiently in faith for an answer.

Closing

Go back one last time to the disciples in today’s gospel reading, who were afraid to ask Jesus the question that was on their minds.

What if they asked Jesus the right question, the question they wanted to ask: Why must you suffer and die? Instead of arguing about who is the greatest? What a difference that would have made on that walk back to Capernaum! Even if they didn’t get a clear answer to their question!

So, today, I just want to invite us to spend more time asking God the question, or questions, that trouble us.

What if, every day during our devotions and prayer-time, we ask God a question, and wait patiently for an answer? I wonder if our “greatness” would begin to matter less to us? Just like I wonder if the disciples would have argued less, about who was the greatest, if they asked Jesus the question that was on their minds.

What about us? Would we find ourselves spending more time serving God and serving others? Would we find ourselves more willing to accept God’s will, even when we didn’t understand it? Would our faith actually be made stronger by our willingness to ask the hard questions? Would we be more like Jesus himself?

When it comes right down to it, there’s only one way to find out, right? So, let’s spend some more time this week asking God our questions. Ask God anything. Through our honest questions, let us draw near to God. Trusting that when we do, God will draw near to us. And believing that one day, all our questions will be answered. Thanks be to God. Amen.

HYMN

AS A DEER (27)

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

Thank you, Lord, that we can always find our place in you. Thank you that we belong to you, and no one can take that away from us. We are secure in your loving arms. We need never be afraid to ask you anything. Thank you for the people who give us a cup of water, and much more, because we belong to you. Thank you for the times we can meet blessing with blessing. Amen.

Loving Father, sometimes the world is hard to understand. There is so much happening around our globe. Many complex and difficult situations: The ongoing wars in Syria and Yemen, the rapid fall of Afghanistan and unrest in Haiti. There is the continual problem of Coronavirus in particular the impact it is having in much poorer parts of the world and the complex issues connected to the environment and climate change. As we survey the world this week we ask that you give us hope. We are reminded in the Gospel reading today of your death and resurrection. Thank you that we know the transforming power your Spirit can bring. Help us to live in the reality of that hope while we pray for the very real situations around the world.

Lord, thank you that you are in control. Help us to put our trust in you.

Gracious God, help us to learn to see the world as you do. The first will be last and the last first. Thank you for today’s reminder to pay attention to the weak and not just the strong. We pray for those in our communities who are struggling at the moment. We pray for those who are on the margins or feel disenfranchised. Help us, as your church, to notice and respond to the needs we see. We also pray for the powerful, for those who lead and govern. May they see the world as you do, may they work to bring equality and restore dignity.

Lord, thank you that you see the people our society often disregards as unimportant. Help us to put our trust in you.

God of all, teach us how to welcome others. We are all welcome in your kingdom. Thank you that you see us and know us and that your welcome is deep and personal. During this week help us to be particularly aware of the welcome we offer others. May this church be a place of real welcome, a place where people feel they are seen and known and feel loved and secure. Thank you for the challenge in today’s reading to welcome the very least in society, help us to work out what this looks like for us. Lord, thank you that you are a God of welcome to all. Help us to put our trust in you.

Heavenly Father, help us to keep learning about your kingdom. Thank you that you took time to teach your disciples. Thank you that you showed them a new way to live. Thank you that you turned the wisdom of their world upside down and showed the disciples a new way to think and behave. Help us to allow your words to transform us and to change the way we think and behave.

Lord, thank you for the wisdom we find in the Bible. Help us to put our trust in you.

HYMN

GUIDE ME, O THOU GREAT JEHOVAH (148)

BLESSING

The Lord, bless us

And keep us

Make His face shine upon us

And be gracious to us

The Lord turn His face toward us

And give us peace