This week fall 2012 seemed to appear out of nowhere. The sycamores at St. Peter’s trail others but there is enough excitement and bite into the air to produce that warm fall experience. Yes, it is getting to be sweater weather!
This was a big week for the ECW – a trip to the St. Mary’s Whitechapel on Thrusday for a quiet day at the labyrinth with lunch at the Lancaster Cafe. Yesterday at the Bowling Green Harvest festival they made $377 on their yearly sale. Congratulations, ladies!
We had 43 in church with a number of visitors. Unfortunately we heard of Cindy’s recent accident. Howard seems to be on the mend. This was a big Sunday for Tucker who sang in the choir for the first time.
The adults in Christian Ed began part one of the Reformation with the four "greats" of the period – Luther, Zwingli, Calvin and Knox. The children continued with Godly Play while the teens continued with their study blending music with concerns of that age.
Clarence indicated we would have a picture directory in 2013 with picture taking to begin next week at the parish house. He also gave out pledge cards due to be collected Nov. 4. Stewardship chair Jim Anderson will be speaking next Sunday on that important topic.
The penetrating fall sun provided a spectacle on the altar, brightening the fabric:
The sermon and scripture revolved around the cup which is well taken care of by the altar guild.
Mark’s Gospel is a continuation of earlier threads – what it means to be a disciple and forcasts of Jesus death. The readings are here. The bulletin is also published.
Jesus has announced for the third time his intention to carry his mission to Jerusalem and anticipated that this will culminate in his death. As with the previous two announcements, it is followed by the disciples’ failure to understand, not just his words but his very mission and character.
As the sermon reads, "James and John weren’t thinking of suffering. Instead, they were captivated with visions of power and glory, and so they asked Jesus to award them seats of power at his right and left in glory. The other disciples wanted this power as much as James and John did—they were angry with James and John—and I’m betting it’s because they hadn’t thought of this idea first. And so Jesus asked them a simple question. “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?”
…"Jesus now takes the opportunity to talk to the disciples about the true meaning of power. The rulers of the day have gained their power through violent conquest. They are tyrants.
But Jesus says that in God’s kingdom, whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all."
James and John know that the kingdom will come; what they do not grasp is how and at what cost.
As Prof. David Lose writes. "As in the two previous scenes around these issues, Jesus invites them not just to re-imagine but actually to redefine their understanding of power, prestige, status, and leadership."
The sermon goes on "The example that Jesus set for us was one of loving service, and his love for us led him to bitter suffering on the cross."…"To love is to suffer. The suffering of Jesus is unique because he is the Son of God. It is through this suffering servant that God has created the heavens and the earth, and yet this suffering servant is a human being just like each and every one of us.
"Remember now that the cup is a symbol for our own portion in life, and we know that inevitably, our cups have, or will contain, bitter suffering.
"And rather than to drink that cup, our urge is to fix what is making us suffer, or to fight back, or to run away. "
Which means that glory comes not from individual accomplishment but from service. But that is difficult to grasp and hard to do. Why ? Our cultural messages focus on pleasing ourselves. Prof Lose suggests "we are just insecure enough to believe that there is not enough to go around – not enough money, enough time, enough love, you name it – and so we seem hardwired to look out for ourselves rather than our neighbor."
Lose provides a way to combat this and to hook in to the theme of service – "we each have also had moments where we’ve experienced the truth of Jesus’ words. Moments, that is, where we have put someone else’s needs first – not because we wanted to please them or wanted something in return but from the sheer delight of serving. Each of us has volunteered, or helped out a friend, or encouraged someone down in the dumps, or lent a hand to someone in need, and when we did so experienced the joy of giving ourselves to another. Each of us, that is, has fought our insecurity about not having enough by making ourselves vulnerable to the needs of another and found that vulnerability rewarded not simply by the gratitude of the recipient but by our own increased sense of purpose, fulfillment, and courage.