First United Methodist Church
September 22nd, 2024
Rev. Lauren Hall
Wisdom from Above: Taking Our Cue from Jesus
Take a moment to think about a life lesson you have learned from a child. In my life I’ve learned several, but I think the most important lesson I’ve learned is that people measure greatness in different ways.
For example, do you remember picking teams as a kid? Picking teams is one of the earliest exercises we have in making others feel welcome or unwelcome. But how does one go about picking the best team? Well, first you have to define what “best” means. I don’t know if you ever noticed this, but not all kids go about picking teams in the same way. All kids try to pick the “greatest” team possible, but their definitions of what greatness is are not the same.
Some people believe that a great team is a team that’s going to win, a team that’s going to outscore and crush the other team. And so, if you’re a captain, when you start deciding who you’re going to choose to be on your team, you only pick those kids who are going to help you achieve your goal of greatness. And so even if Billy over there has been your best friend ever since you were born, if he stinks at kickball, you’re not going to pick him, because having him on your team won’t help you be great. Therefore, if winning, or coming in first, is the way that you define greatness, then you welcome people onto your team simply on the basis of who’s going to do the best job of helping you win.
For others, though, a great team isn’t necessarily a team that’s going to win, but a great team is a team that all your friends are on. In this case, if you’re a captain, when you start deciding who you’re going to choose to welcome onto your team, you only pick those kids who are going to help you achieve your goal of greatness. And so even if Bobby over there can kick a ball farther than anyone else, if you don’t like him, if he’s not your friend, you’re not going to pick him. But if Susie over there is your best friend, even if she’s the worst kickball player in the whole school, you’re going to pick her, because having her on your team is going to make your team great, according to what you think greatness means.
Regardless of which method is used to pick teams, people are chosen based on how they might make the team great.
This kind of thinking doesn’t end when we leave elementary school. As adults, we still remain choosy about who we welcome into our lives. And many times what we do is we only welcome those people who we think will help us achieve greatness, however we define what greatness is. For some people greatness means getting promoted at work and making more money. And so they’ll welcome into their lives those people who they think can help their career and who can help them move up through the ranks. Others will continue to surround themselves with people they like or people who like them, because for them, greatness is achieved when they are surrounded by a group of friends and everybody gets along. And if someone can’t help them attain that goal of greatness, chances are they’ll push that person away.
At almost every stage of our lives, we think it’s great to be with people who have interests similar to ours, who think the way we think, and who like the things that we like. And so, we’ll welcome into our lives those people who we believe fit into that category and who will help make our lives greater than they already are. But if someone doesn’t measure up in that way, if someone has different interests or doesn’t always think the same way that we do, chances are we look for a way of pushing them out of our lives.
None of this, of course, is anything new. Even in the story we listened to in the Gospel of Mark, we find that Jesus’ disciples were doing the exact same thing. They were obsessing about what it means to be great. But Jesus startled them somewhat with his response, especially when he welcomed a child into their midst and essentially said, "If you want to be great, then you need to be willing to welcome someone like this child into your life."
Do you realize what Jesus was saying? Even in Jesus’ time, welcoming a child meant welcoming someone into your life who can’t immediately help you achieve greatness. This is where Jesus challenges us to live our lives differently than the way we are wired.
Think about it. A child can’t help you get a promotion at work. A child can’t help you get ahead in the world. No, if you welcome a child into your life, instead of that child serving your wants and needs, you find yourself serving that child’s wants and needs. And the wants and needs that children have can be rather staggering. In addition to the time required to tend to their basic needs, it is estimated that, on average, it costs parents today between a quarter and a half million dollars to raise a child from birth through graduation from college, and depending on which university you choose, this may or may not include the cost of tuition.
I think if we really consider what Jesus was saying, he meant that if we totally invest in our kids, we are giving without the expectation that we will receive anything back, we are giving totally and completely of ourselves and this kind of giving results in joy.
I believe that throughout our lives we all make judgments about the people we meet. Regardless of whether we are considering who is the greatest or whether we are trying to figure out if a person can benefit us in some way, I think it is important that we take James’ advice as we make these decisions. James says this: “Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom.” Choosing your friends based on what they can do for you isn’t wisdom. Giving from the depths of your heart imitates the love that we have received from God.
The lesson we can learn from these passages is that Jesus calls us to servant leadership. We can establish peaceful relationships with one another if we are willing to let go of the world’s definition of success. We can establish peaceful relationships if we recognize the differences in each other as attributes rather than barriers. We can establish peaceful relationships if we willingly accept a sacrificial lifestyle that places the needs of others above our own desires. And we can establish peaceful relationships if we are quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. “The first will be last and the last will be first,” Jesus says. Live with a servant’s heart and look at other people as children that God created, full of value and potential.
Jesus calls us to invest in people – to look at other people as people who God loves and who God wants us to lift up, in whatever way we are able. In making peace with one another, we draw near to God. And so this morning, I’m going to ask you to do something. In our membership vows we pledge to uphold the church through our prayers, presence, gifts, witness and service. When we receive Communion, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice. Therefore, as we receive our offering this morning, think about the people in your life, and ask Jesus how you might serve them better. What cues can you take from Jesus so that you can truly welcome someone with the peace of Christ?
Let us pray…
God of patience and mercy, we give thanks to you, remembering that you have given yourself to us in sacrificial love. We come to you, offering to serve you, knowing that we don’t always get it right. When things get difficult, when we are called to do something which is hard for us, give us the strength to not give up. Encourage us, forgive us, and heal our fears and weaknesses. Reach out to us in healing love and compassion. Strengthen us and give us courage to truly be your disciples, not counting the rewards, but rejoicing in the work that leads to peace. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. AMEN.
Invitation to Offering:
Let us sow peace in our world through the gifts and offerings we collect today. Will the ushers please assist us with our offering?
Invitation to Discipleship:
As you go out into the world this week, may the actions of your lives reflect the compassion and love of Christ. Go in peace.
