The reading from Mark’s gospel today is a story that speaks about power.  Jesus and the disciples were on their way to Jerusalem.  James and John, in trying to do the right thing, had been bold enough to ask Jesus if they could be in power with him...to have what they understood to be “the best seat in the house”.  “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”  (Mark 10:37) 

This request made sense, since Jesus had been talking with them about the things to come - the rejection, the suffering, the cross. They wanted Jesus to grant them what they understood to be the place of power and honor when Jesus came into his glory.  They didn’t understand that Jesus was talking about a different kind of power.

The only frame of reference they had was the kind of power they had witnessed in the world...human power and that power had been pretty destructive in their society. This power included:

Having an army available at one’s beck and call...Having an abundance of people to control... Having the authority to impose one’s will on others. 

They were thinking about the kind of power that calls for having dominion over others.  The kind of authority that has to do with position and title and control.

They wanted to believe that Jesus was going to Jerusalem to become the king, to take control, to take over the reigns of power, and they wanted to share in the triumph. 

Given this understanding of human power, Jesus’ words from Mark’s gospel must have seemed very strange to them.  Listen to them again...

“…whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.  For the Son of man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  (Mark 10:43b-45)

Jesus speaks about a different kind of power, not human power, but God’s power; power that serves, power that is shared, power that gives life. 

It seems to me the disciples find themselves drawn to the kind of power Jesus brings and yet, caught up in wanting human power in the way the world defines it.

 We understand this dance because we too get caught up in the struggle between human power and God’s power.  We want recognition and honor, respect and authority.

We think having human power is what makes us be “somebody important” and we forget that God’s power comes not from our position or authority, or how many people we can control, but from Jesus Christ who calls us to follow him in the vocation of serving

 When I say “vocation of serving”, I’m not talking about the specific responsibilities or obligations we have because of our jobs. 

I’m not talking about what the President of the United States should do that is any different than what I should do in my job as a Pastor, or You in your job as a school teacher, or physician, or attorney, or parent, or student, or volunteer. 

I’m talking about the vocation of serving we all have because we declare ourselves to be followers of Jesus.  It’s about the way we live out that vocation in all that we do...in our work and in our lives.  I’m talking about any, all of us, using God’s power to make our human power worth something in the world. 

Think for a moment about those persons who come to mind who have served you in some special way.  People who for you truly embraced God’s power in their willingness to serve, share, and give their life to you. 

I think of my parents who provided a safe home, with love and direction. 

I think of my piano teacher, who taught me more than musical skills, by her words of kindness and her model for family life. 

I am reminded of several teachers in school, who taught me more than important academic subjects,  MYF sponsors who saw in me more than I saw in myself.

None of these persons were perfect, but all of them in some way shared God’s power and served me.  They served me by giving me responsibilities that called forth my gifts and strengthened my sense of self. 

Many of these servants stood beside me and made sure I didn’t fail...or helped me pick up the pieces when I made a bad decision. 

Who are the models of God’s servants in your life?

There are many ways we can be one of those servants, but because today is our focus on Children’s Sabbath, I want to direct our attention on ways we can serve children.              Many children today, even our own children, are caught in the dance of human power and God’s power.  Children have to live in a world created by adults...many who are seeking human power.  True life for all children comes only when adults work to bring God’s power into the world.

I have a picture in my office of my nephew taken when he was about 10 months old.  In the picture, he is sitting in my lap and we are reading a book together.  I keep this particular picture where I can see it each time I sit down at my computer. 

I’m really drawn to the picture...partly because the image captures a very tender moment between us.  But, also, it is a reminder of my responsibility as a follower of Christ to provide a world where all children are cared for, loved, and protected. 

If we are to serve and in that serving, reach out to the least, lost, and left behind we must address the needs of children and use God’s power to make our human power worth giving.

I know that many of you are already  involved in ministries for children through this congregation and in our Austin community...far too many to mention them all in this one sermon. 

I want to make some suggestions of  a few things we can do based on The Children’s Defense Fund campaign to “leave no child behind”.  5 “starts” for all children.

First, all children need a Healthy Start.  In the richest country on earth, 13.5 million children live in poverty.  If you are poor in the U.S. the odds are stacked against you before you are born:  Low-income children are two times more likely to die from birth defects; three times more likely to die from all causes combined; four times more likely to die in fires; five times more likely to die from infectious diseases. 

What can we do?  First, we can continue to use the good resources God has given us to take care of ourselves and our own children so we will be healthy and can reach out to those in need. 

We can volunteer, through our Church and Society Committee, to help with immunization clinics in the summer.  We can talk to Ed McHorse and find out how through Family Pathfinders we can get to know one family living below the poverty line. 

We can help families with uninsured children know about CHIP...Children’s Health Insurance Program.  We can use God’s power to serve, share, and give life to others.

Second, a Head Start...Among the good gifts God has designed for us is a share in some portion of God’s wisdom; the awesome power to know.  To make sense out of words on a page, pictures on a wall, ideas in a mind.  To look into another’s eyes and realize you are not alone, you are loved.  To read the Bible and discover that God’s Son came for you. 

Millions of children are deprived of all this because of poverty, hunger, illness, and inadequate schools.  In 1994, 40% of 4th graders could not read at a basic level.  For millions, college is an impossible dream. 

What can we do?  Call Bill Balliette and become a school mentor at Barbara Jordan Elementary.  Become a mentor at any school.  Tell a story, read a book, listen.  Use God’s power to serve, share, and give life to others.

Third, a Fair Start...A Fair Start means that children grow up in a community of caring and concern.  God created us and scattered us over the globe in a variety of cultures and races.  And yet, God intended for us to be a community sharing our resources.

Poor parents need a job that pays a living wage. We can participate, through our church, in the Back to School Ministry to provide clothing for children as they return to school in the fall. 

This ministry provides not only clothing, but an opportunity for each child to return to school feeling good about themselves.  You can encourage your youth to participate in the ministry done by our youth to serve food to other teenagers living on the “drag” in Austin.  Use God’s power to serve, share, and give life to others.

Fourth, a Safe Start...Guns kill a child every two hours.  Violence knows no bounds of race, or neighborhood, or economic status.  Our Church and Society Committee has focused this fall on raising our awareness about the dangers of our violent society and ways we can respond. 

Take home the “Family Pledge for Non-Violence” (bulletin insert) and talk about what it means to communicate better, to listen, to forgive, to respect nature, to play creatively, and to be courageous. 

Other resources are available today (in Perry Hall) for families to help you talk about this difficult issue. Volunteer at one of the agencies highlighted in the Chimes this fall who work in Austin to end violence such as Safe Place, Tough Love, Life Works, (Family Violence Diversion Network Program), and CASA.  Use God’s power to serve, share, and give life to others.

Fifth, a Moral Start...Each child must develop a core system of values, so as to grow into a person who serves using God’s power to serve, share, and give life to others.              This value system, at its best, must include a real relationship to God in knowledge and love; respect for every other man, woman, and child as a person; and reverence for the earth that sustains us in existence. 

It will not be easy, but children contain an enthusiasm, a yearning for self-giving, an openness to others, that partnered with God’s grace, can mature a child into the image of Christ.

I would like to suggest that we begin by praying.  Pray for the children already in your life and pray for the one’s you will never know.  I think that as I pray, the pictures of children scattered around my office will take on new meaning. 

For instance, the picture of my nephew that hangs above my computer...Not only will I use it as a reminder to pray for him, but I will use it as a reminder to pray for all the children who have no one to read to them. 

The pictures on my wall of baptisms I have done of precious children in this church can remind me not only to continue to pray for them, but to remember those children who don’t know about a loving God because they will never know the warmth of a congregation such as this.

So, where will we find Jesus when we look for the best seat in the house?  Maybe it is in the church nursery where babies in our church first experience the care of the community of faith. 

Maybe it is at Barbara Jordan elementary in the children we mentor.  Maybe it is inside the walls of the Children’s Emergency Shelter or Helping Hand Home where children are safe and loved and protected. 

Maybe it is with Chase McAnally, a child in this congregation who worked to conduct a food drive and share food with those who are hungry.  Maybe it is in the midst of a Tough Love meeting where parents find strength and help in dealing with troubled youth.

 It seems to me that the “best seat” is wherever we meet the needs of God’s hurting children…and provide for them the very best we can for a healthy start, a head start, a fair start, a safe start, a moral start.

Let us pray...Gracious God, we give you thanks for your grace which comes to us in so many ways, but especially through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  May each of us be made more aware of our own vocation of serving as we seek to meet the needs of your children in the world.  Amen.

 

 Resources Used:

“Joining Hearts, Hands, and Voices to Leave No Child Behind”, 2000 Children’s Defense Fund National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths.