“What Do You Want?
October 20, 2024
Commissioned Pastor Rose Sheehan
When driving through many towns in NJ, I pass signs with the names of local churches. I I’ve seen a “First Presbyterian, a “First United Methodist,” a “First Baptist,” a “First United Church of Christ.” Only after the “First” designation has been uses up do other churches start to shop around for a different name. “Second” isn’t very popular. Better to be “Third” or “Fourth.” There is not even one “Twelfth Presbyterian Church” that I know of. Every church wants to be “First.” And if they can’t be first, most abandon being numbered altogether. I love the name of this church “United” because it represents how multiple churches came together and continued in God’s mission.
I read that there was a church established and they named themselves “Omega Baptist Church.” Now, most of us know that “Omega” is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. “The alpha and the omega” is another way of saying “the first and the last.” So, it seems that the “Omega Baptist Church” isn’t claiming “first” but first and last.
No usually, no one wants to be last or at the bottom of the heap, being so far out of the competition that the competition doesn’t even know you are there, is so NOT the place any of us want to be. The reward of hard work is to get ahead, get to the top, to be first in all you do. Second place is considered by society as second rate. We all want to “go for the gold.” We all want to win.
Maybe some people may remember the names of the silver or bronze winners in the Olympics, but more often we remember the names of the gold medal winners and I am pretty sure no one remembers the names of the 4th place or the last place competitors.
Growing up, since my parents had 12 children, there were many times when I was concerned about there not being enough food for all of us. At Sunday dinner’s, I remember, first my parents took their food and then it was passed around in age order. Even though, I was third, I was always aware that I could not take too much, so that my sisters and brothers that were younger than me, would have enough. At the same time, I was glad that I wasn’t last.
In our scripture today, we read how James and John, wanted to be first and to sit with Jesus, at a place of honor. “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
They want to ensure for themselves the best seats in the house at with Jesus. They want to sit at the head of the table, on the right and the left hand of Jesus himself. They want the honor that they think should come from following Jesus.
But Jesus turns their hopes around. Jesus commands his disciples to be different: “it is not to be so among you.” Being a disciple isn’t about attaining a special place of great honor. Discipleship is about embracing the identity of servant and offering service “to all.”
A sad but current reality is that many churches in America are declining or dying.” Are we trying to help others or just fill the pews? Are we trying to be first in membership or first in discipleship?
Jesus challenges his disciples to embrace the idea of being a servant and not trying to be first. The church isn’t called to be “the first.” We are challenged to be “the last.”
Jesus is challenging us to be the last.
We can be the last person to leave the side of someone sick.
We can be the last person to let a grieving spouse be alone.
We can be the last people to write off the children.
We can be the last people to give up on homeless people.
We can be the last people to allow hunger to be an issue.
We can be the last group to shrug our shoulders at ongoing environment issues.
We can be the last church to let despair crush the powerless.
We can be the last disciples to condone cruelty of any kind, to any living thing.
We can be the last people of God to let hatred triumph over God’s divine love.
What if we were to practice being Omega — where holding last place or a last stand option that isn’t our last option – but we spread new deep breaths of the Spirit of Christ to be reborn in our midst and everywhere we go.
How must we serve? Jesus told his disciples that they must be “slave to all.” Climbing to the top is a human achievement, but willing to be last, to serve-that takes the divine presence. To be “slave to all” requires us to “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
For mortals it is impossible, but not for God: “for God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27).
If you our Christ’s, “all things are yours” (1 Corinthians 3:21). God wants to do in your life “above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).
What do you want? You want it all? The only way you can “have it all” is if you realize you can’t have it all! You can only have it all, is if you are willing to sacrifice for, value most, pay the cost for, counting “all things but loss” (Philippians 3:8).
All God wants is all you have. God is to be loved “with your all”
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind.”
Here are some suggestions for this week:
1) Purposively let others get in line before you.
2) Try to be the last in line. And pray for those who seem most hurried and stressed because they’re not first in line.
3) If someone in back of you at the check-out line has less items than you do, or even if they don’t but seem in a hurry, let them go in front of you.
4) Let other cars “in” when they need an assist.
5) Measure your success not by how many points you can score, but how many assists you can generate.
“Love All. Serve All.”
May it be so. Amen!