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Pentecost 21 October 17, 2021

Guest Speaker

Sunday, October 17, 2021

Scripture

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Pentecost 21 – Eucharist October 17, 2021

As we gather, we recognize that we live, work and play in the traditional lands of the Cowichan Tribes and Coast Salish People.

We continue to commit ourselves to the work of reconciliation and relationship-building with our First Nations neighbours.

Welcome.

The Son of man came also not to be served but to serve,

and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10.45

O come, let us worship.

Opening Hymn: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

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Praise to the Lord,

the Almighty, the King of creation;

O my soul, praise him,

for he is thy health and salvation:

all ye who hear,

brothers and sisters draw near,

praise Him in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord,

who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,

shelters thee under his wings,

yea, so gently sustaineth:

hast thou not seen,

how thy entreaties have been

granted in what he ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord!

O Let all that is in me adore him!

All that hath life and breath,

come now with praises before him!

Let the Amen

sound from his people again:

gladly for aye, we adore him.

Gathering:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

And also, with you.

Almighty God,

to you all hearts are open, all desires known,

and from you no secrets are hidden.

Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,

that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect of the Day:

Almighty and Ever-living God,

increase in us your gift of faith,

that, forsaking what lies behind and,

reaching out to what is before,

we may run the way of your commandments,

and win the crown of everlasting joy;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you, and the Holy Spirt,

one God, now and for ever. Amen

The Proclamation of the Word

1st Reading: Job 38.1-7

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 104.1-9, 25,

Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great;

you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;

he stretches out the heavens like a tent

and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.

He makes the clouds his chariot

and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers,

flames of fire his servants.

He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.

You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;

the waters stood above the mountains.

But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys,

to the place you assigned for them.

You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth.

There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small.

O God of eternal light,

heaven and earth are the work of your hands, and all creation sings your praise and beauty.

As in the beginning, by your Spirit, you gave life and order to all that is,

so by the same Spirit, redeem us and all things, through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

2nd Reading: Hebrews 5.1-10

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel Processional: Ancient Words

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The Lord be with you.

The Good News of Jesus according To:

Mark 10:35-45

Glory to you, Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of Christ,

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Sermon: The Venerable Brian Evans

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts,

be ever acceptable to you O Lord. Amen.

WHO’S ON FIRST? WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU ARE ON FIRST?

One of the greatest, or most popular riddles in the world of baseball, we all know it: From Abbott and Costello; Who’s on first, What’s on second, I Don’t Know’s on third.

When I was a child one of the popular games was "King of the Castle". I am sure it is no longer an appropriate game for children to play. For which I understand, for it was always the strongest child who would end up on top of the castle, figuratively speaking. Unless the rest of the children ganged up to remove the so-called king.

Enter the Gospel for today.

Mark shares with us another of those familiar readings.

The question I have is, “have some of the story lines of the Gospels become so familiar we have stopped taking a closer look? Are we so familiar when we see the subtitle, that our thoughts go to, ‘I know this one, it’s about James and John wanting to be first’?

Except every so often, we should stop and read word for word.

LET US DO A SMALL REVIEW FROM A FEW WEEKS AGO

Mark 9:35-45: 33They came to Capernaum. When Jesus was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" 34But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. 35Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all." 36He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

It’s always interesting how the editors of the Holy Scriptures have chosen the placement of certain parts.

Since that day, we have covered the following topics: temptations, marriage-breakdown, blessing children, how much money it will take to get to heaven, along with Jesus’ personal death prediction.

Finally, today we pick up the story line with James and John seeking special status.

These two members of the so-called inner circle come to Jesus seeking a favor. They are requesting a special place at the dinner table in heaven. Jesus responds: YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE ASKING. Then says: Can you drink from the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?

Chris Haslem, a contemporary Anglican theologian/priest, makes this observation on this passage:

‘In the Old Testament, one’s “cup” (v. 38) is one’s lot assigned by God, be it blessing or condemnation. Here, Jesus is speaking of his suffering and death. To be baptised with Jesus’ baptism is to share fully in God’s ways. James and John confidently answer yes (v. 39) and accept all the consequences. Only the Father knows whom he has called to special places in the kingdom. Jesus tells all the disciples: pagan authority depends on power and force (v. 42) but for disciples, it is different (v. 43): to be “great” now and in the kingdom (“become”, v. 43 and “be”, v. 44) one must serve others; to be “first”, one must serve even more humbly, as a “slave”. Jesus, the “Son of Man” (v. 45), in his voluntary abasement, is the example: he gave even his life for the freedom of others, gaining their release from punishment and death for their sins.’

What about James and John saying they were willing to face any trial for their leader, Jesus.

It’s easy to say, yet more difficult to bring our “yes” to action. For, most of us find it more comfortable to complain over even the smallest of tasks.

I often think of the question Bishop Short place before me when I went to him saying I believed I had a call to ordained ministry.

“Brian, are you prepared to do this 24/7 for the rest of your life?”

If we say we are prepared to suffer on a large scale for Christ, are we also saying we are prepared to accept all the pitfalls which come along with it?

THIS IS A QUESTION WHICH DESERVES A PAUSE FOR THINKING TIME.

For it is not a rhetorical question.

Now, imagine for a moment when Jesus denied them their request: “… but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant…” We can ask God for whatever we like, except the answer may not always be the answer we wish. Remember God is always looking out for us, for what is best for us.

With all this, Jesus calls all the disciples together, giving them this lesson about life: ‘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.” ‘

Following Jesus is like turning the so called “normal” of the corporate world on its head. For in Christ’s kingdom, service is the way ahead. Not by high personal achievement as we see in most big business, organizations, and institutions.

It could just be, there is some theological implications in the Abbott and Costello dialogue.

Did it really matter who was on first, or second or for that matter, third? Was it not about the game?

It takes a whole team to win a team sporting event.

It takes a whole team working together, seeking to serve together, to play on Jesus’ team.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

The Apostles Creed:

Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we say:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Prayers of the People

Believing that Christ has the words that lead to fullness of life,

let us pray to be faithful to the gospel we have heard.

Our response today is:

“Living Word, hear our prayer.”

We believe your Word gives life; may the Church proclaim the gospel of life in the power of your Spirit.

In faith we pray: