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October 29, 2006

Mark 10:35-45

"Not to be served but to serve"

Ask any teenager or kid and they can tell you the rules of “Shot gun!” You know the game that you play with your friends to see who is going to seat in the front seat of the car when you are going places with each other. And there are very specific rules for “Shotgun”. First, the car must be in sight. Second, whoever calls out “Shotgun” first gets to sit up front. This is a very serious matter. Everyone wants to sit in the passenger seat of the car. No one wants to sit in the backseat. You are all crammed in like sardines. There is never enough leg room. And don’t get me started on the shifting of people that happens when the car takes a sharp turn.
Yes, the passenger seat is very important. You have all the room. You can control the heating and air of the car. For me, the best part is that you get to control the radio. You can spread out without worrying about invading someone else limited space. The passenger seat is a thing of luxury when you are trying to fit as many people in the car as the factory handbooks says that the car can handle.
And it all comes down to a game of “Shotgun”. You will either be in the backseat crammed in with 3 maybe 4 other people, depending on the size of the car or you get the luxurious passenger seat, with all the controls and with all the space.
All that separates you from these two choices is one word: “Shotgun!”

That’s the image I get when I read this story with the disciples. They are playing “Shotgun” for places of glory in the Kingdom of God. Sure, there is no control over the air conditioner or radio but the stakes are still pretty high for the disciples.
The coming of the Kingdom of God is in sight as Jesus’ and the disciples’ journey to Jerusalem. The disciples have heard all along the way about what is going to happen when this group makes it to Jerusalem. Jesus has tried to explain that there will suffering, that there will be death, that this is no glorious trip. But the disciples really know what’s going to happen. Jesus is just trying to prepare them for the worst but this is Jesus. He is the Messiah. He is the Son of God. And Jerusalem, the place where the Kingdom of God will come, is in view and the game of “Shotgun!” begins.
James and John are the first to understand what’s at stake when the Messiah comes into town. There are only two places of glory and twelve of them. There are only two choices: Being crammed in the background with the others, maybe having your name mentioned as one of the few or the glorious, luxurious passenger seats beside Jesus in the Kingdom, the seats that have the controls, the seats that have all the room, the seats that are the most coveted.

“Shotgun!” “Jesus, we want you to do something for us. We want to sit at the right hand and the left hand when this all gets settled. We saw it first!”
Then all the other ones start in. “We didn’t get a chance to call those positions. We didn’t know the game had started. Let’s start all over and give everyone a chance to be the first to call those positions.”

Jesus tries to explain that they really don’t know what they are asking. Do they know that the cup that he drinks from is bitter and bring the promise of death? Do they know that the baptism that he is talking about is not the one that they saw? It is not about being immersed in the river and coming up to see a dove descending down upon you. This baptism involves dying and being in the grave for three days. Jesus knows that they don’t understand and time is running out.

Jesus reminds them that his whole ministry has been about service, service through healing, service through teaching, service through preaching, and service through sacrifice.
This is what they are called to do. This is what they are called to be. Not leaders of power or glory, but servant leaders who sacrifice and give all to the glory of God and for their brothers and sisters.

I have to tell you. I never thought I would be standing where I am today nor doing what I am doing when I was growing up. I always wanted to be an elementary education teacher. I loved to teach and I love children so teaching combined my two passions and seemed to be the perfect vocation for me. Even growing up, people asked me if I had thought of going into ministry, I would politely say no and forget the conversation.
It wasn’t until I was a sophomore in college that I realized that teaching school may not be what God is calling me to do in my life. I was working as a counselor at a middle school camp and was lost on my spiritual journey. One of the counselors during free time sat down and started to ask those deep tough theological questions about my faith and where I was headed. Then he said, Heather, it is time that you look at ministry. You have been avoiding this all your life and now God is opening up the conversation again. You have gifts for ministry. It is time that you took a look.”
So I went to seminary, thinking well, I’ll just see what they know and then surely God will send a big sign to me to let me know that I am in the right place. I took it as a good sign that the building was not struck by lightening as I entered.
I took my classes. I worked as a student associate at Douglass Boulevard in Louisville. And thought I knew what a servant leader really was or at least what the seminary had taught me that it was. It wasn’t until my last year of seminary that I really began to understand what a servant leader meant in ministry and in life.

I was serving as a counselor at a CYF (high-school) camp and we had received the curriculum earlier to review. I saw that on the last day, during our last small group time together, we would have a foot washing service. And I thought, “Great!” “Just what I want to do. Touch some high school kids’ feet after they have been walking around camp all day, in July, with sweaty, gross socks. On top of that, I hate feet. I can’t stand to have people touch me with their feet.” So needless to say, I was dreading this day at camp.
I had tried to talk my youth co-counselor out of the activity, but she had experienced a foot-washing service in youth groups and it was really meaningful to her.
So all week, I dreaded that day. But over the week, I was surrounded by wonderful, fascinating, insight youth. They shared their faith with me. They shared their doubts with me. They opened themselves up to me and showed me God’s grace all week. I was completely humbled by them.
Then Friday rolled around and something in me clicked. I realized that these youth had been my leaders all week. I realized that they had given me something precious and priceless that I in now way could return but through this act of humble foot-washing.

I filled my bowl with cool water, knowing that it had been about 90 degrees that day and this cool water would fill refreshing for their tired feet. I found a soft, clean towel, know that by this time in the week, that finding something clean for a camper was a rarity. I carried the bowl and towel down to our shelter. The camper had already prepared our group for the foot-washing service and they had removed their shoes. But they thought they were washing each other’s feet.
The look on their faces when I kneeled down in front of them and lifted their feet can only be described as the face of God. They were surprised and humbled. I heard someone say, “This is not what is supposed to happen. Heather, stand up. You don’t have to do this.”

For each of those campers, I washed their feet and let them know what a gift they had given to me that week. I was truly grateful and awed by them.

And I was in awe and humbled by this group once again when after I had finished washing their feet, they stood up and walked over to me. They washed my feet and let me know what a gift I had been to them that week as well.

It was in that experience I really learned what it meant to be a servant leader. A servant leader is humble and gives their God-given gifts to their brothers and sisters, without thinking of the cost. A servant leader also knows when to accept graciously the caring from their brothers and sisters without protest and without thinking they are not worthy. A servant leader recognizes the child of God in each and every person that they meet and lets people recognize the child of God found in them.
I am excited to be called as your pastor. I am overwhelmed today to be installed as your pastor. And I am excited for what God holds for us as we journey together and live into our calling to be God’s people in the community of Midway and the world.

May God continue to bless our journey and may we vision great things for Midway Christian Church. Amen.

Rev. Heather McColl
Midway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

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