Fri 24th July - #87. Servant
When you hear the word ‘servant’ where does your mind turn? Maybe its one of the characters on Downton Abbey or some other period drama. Jesus spoke of being a servant and this was to be the route for his followers too -
Mark 10
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we want you to do for us whatever we ask.’
36 ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ he asked.
37 They replied, ‘Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.’
38 ‘You don’t know what you are asking,’ Jesus said. ‘Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptised with the baptism I am baptised with?’
39 ‘We can,’ they answered.
Jesus said to them, ‘You will drink the cup I drink and be baptised with the baptism I am baptised with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.’
41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’
Imagine going to the careers officer and telling them that when you grow up you want to be a servant. Most people would say is that really your ambition? Are you serious?
To follow Jesus (and be like him) we, too, have to be servants.
A servant has to do the tasks that no one else wants to do.
A servant is often invisible.
A servant gets no thanks.
A servant is the first to arrive and last to leave.
A servant is looked down upon.
A servant witnesses the good but also the bad in those that they serve.
A servant looks for opportunities to help others.
A servant gives up his/or her life for those that they serve.
A servant has to clean before, during and after his or her guests.
The greatest example of a servant is Jesus.
Do I want to be like Jesus when I grow up?
Much love
Tim
Wed 22nd July - #85. Keep looking to Jerusalem!
Do you feel your life is out of control? Maybe Covid-19 has shaken you and you question more? We look at the news on the TV, and we are filled with despondency, and we can think - is God really in control? Is the virus bigger than him?
In Mark’s gospel we see Jesus who is always in control. Whether he controls evil or a sudden storm, He is not taken by surprise, and He deals with it all. Jesus now shows the disciples a road map for the time ahead -
Mark 10
32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again He took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to Him. 33 ‘We are going up to Jerusalem,’ he said, ‘and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock Him and spit on Him, flog Him and kill Him. Three days later He will rise.’
Nothing will take Jesus by surprise. Jesus knows what’s ahead, and He is not running away, but He’s heading in the direction of His destination (Jerusalem and the cross).
Remember, nothing that will happen to you today is a surprise to God. He will be with you as you face your Jerusalem. Today, thank Jesus that He was obedient to death on a cross for you. Imagine if He went on a different course of direction…maybe not - where would we be?
Fullness of grace in man’s human frailty,
This is the wonder of Jesus.
Laying aside His power and glory,
Humbly He entered our world.
Chose the path of meanest worth:
Scandal of a virgin birth.
Born in a stable, cold and rejected:
Here lies the hope of the world.
Fullness of grace, the love of the Father
Shown in the face of Jesus.
Stooping to bear the weight of humanity,
Walking the Calvary road.
Christ the holy Innocent
Took our sin and punishment.
Fullness of God, despised and rejected:
Crushed for the sins of the world.
Fullness of hope in Christ we had longed for,
Promise of God in Jesus.
Through His obedience we are forgiven,
Opening the floodgates of heaven.
All our hopes and dreams we bring
Gladly as an offering.
Fullness of life and joy unspeakable:
God’s gift in love to the world. *1
Keep looking to Jerusalem!
Much love
Tim
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*1 Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty & Stuart Townend Copyright © 2004 Thankyou Music
Monday 20th July - #84. You’re joking?
One of my favourite books of 2019 was a book called ‘the sacred art of joking’. *1. It is written by a sitcom writer who writes for BBC and also writes plays that tour the country. The author is a Christian and part of the book shows us how scripture is full of humour, and yet we miss it because we either have a ‘holier than thou’ hat on or we are too familiar with the words that we have read.
There is humour in our reading this morning (see if you can spot it ) -
Mark 10
24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus said again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’
26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, ‘Who then can be saved?’
27 Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.’
28 Then Peter spoke up, ‘We have left everything to follow you!’
29 ‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus replied, ‘no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields— along with persecutions— and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.’
I hope you saw the humour when Jesus describes a camel going through the eye of the needle. Jesus here, like much humour, makes a much deeper point than the punchline. In Friday’s reading we saw the rich young man leave Jesus sad because his wealth had a hold on him.
Money does have a hold on people but it can be used for much good. One person said this “Money is like manure; it's not worth a thing unless it's spread around encouraging young things to grow.”
For each of us, we have a responsibility to be good stewards of our money.
But back to the passage; Jesus wants us to put Him first, trusting Him with those things that we let go of to follow Him.
So, this morning — look to Jesus and the other things will look after themselves.
Much love
Tim
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*1 The Sacred Art of Joking - James Cary (SPCK)