What Does It Cost to Be Your Follower?

Transcription

1 Session Three Mark 10:35-45 Liturgy Supports What Does It Cost to Be Your Follower? Year B Lectionary 29 / 20 Pentecost Theme Statement An overarching glimpse of the entire worship series. Focus Statement The gospel comes as a total surprise, challenging our sense of rights, privileges, and order: the first will be last; greatness comes through service; life comes through death. Key Verse The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. Mark 10:39 Tip Many of the creative worship suggestions in these preaching and liturgy supports require some preparation, so please look through them well in advance. We live daily under the microscope of performance. The child knows she must eat her broccoli before getting dessert. The student knows he must study hard to get good grades. The employee knows she must do well to get a raise. We live in a performance-based world where laws, rules, and expectations govern most of our actions. This performance-based living flows naturally into our Christian living. You shall not steal. You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. Jesus said that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Paul said that the law is good. The law reveals our sin and our deep need for the mercy revealed in the gospel. But how do we maintain the healthy balance between law and gospel in our everyday lives? That is what is behind our theme, Questions for Jesus: Studies in Mark. 1. What Do You Think about Marriage and Divorce? Mark 10:2-16 (Year B Lectionary 27 / 18 Pentecost) 2. What Must I Do to Be Saved? Mark 10:17-31 (Year B Lectionary 28 / 19 Pentecost) 3. What Does It Cost to Be Your Follower? Mark 10:35-45 (Year B Lectionary 29 / 20 Pentecost) 4. How Boldly Can I Pray? Mark 10:46-52 (Year B Lectionary 30 / 21 Pentecost) 5. What Comes First in My Life? Mark 12:28-34 (Year B Lectionary 31 / 22 Pentecost) 6. How Much Should I Give? Mark 12:38-44 (Year B Lectionary 32 / 23 Pentecost) Overview A brief description of the theme of the day. The gospel distorts our sense of order. That is why Paul called it a stumbling block for the Jews and a folly to the Gentiles (1 Corinthians 1:22). Nothing is as it should be. If you want to be great, put on an apron. If you want to be first, get in the back of the line. If you want to save your life, give it away. And in today s text we hear that if you want to live, you must first die. In our passage for today, James and John do not understand this reversal of roles. Just before this conversation (verses 33-34) Jesus clearly says that he must go to Jerusalem, be betrayed, and be handed over to the chief priests who will mock him, beat him, spit upon him, and kill him. He says this plainly, without code Liturgy Supports: Mark 10:35-45, p. 1

2 language or spiritualized imagery. Yet, James and John do not hear a word. They only pursue their own interests. And so, getting a jump on the other disciples, James and John try to exploit their special relationship with Jesus by putting in a bid for prime minister and secretary of state when Jesus finally comes into his kingdom. After all, haven t they earned it? The irony cannot be missed. Oh, they will drink from Jesus cup, but it is not a golden goblet of wine. It is a cup of sorrow. Oh, they will be baptized with Jesus baptism, but it is not an initiation rite for a political position. It is a baptism unto death. Jesus kingdom turns everything upside down. Nothing is as it should be. Even after Jesus explains this to James and John, there is no indication that they understand, until much later when they indeed do suffer for their faith and the words of Jesus come true: The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. Mark 10:39 Hymns and Music for Worship Securing permission for the use of these suggestions is the responsibility of local worship planners. Gathering Songs of invocation and invitation. God of Tempest, God of Whirlwind (ELW 400) I See the Cross (written by Doerksen [ ccli # ) Hymn of the Day Songs that key into the theme of the day. Will You Come and Follow Me (ELW 798) Take My Life, That I May Be (ELW 583, 685) Offering Songs of dedication and thankfulness. Who Am I? (written by Hall [ ccli # ) Lifesong (written by Hall [ ccli # ) Know that the Lord Is God (by George Frideric Handel [Concordia] ) Communion Songs for the gathering around God s table. Come and Follow Me (written by Tom Franzak [GIA Publication] pub#g-5662) I Am the Bread of Life (ELW 485) Sending Songs that bless and empower. How Firm a Foundation (ELW 796) We Are Called (ELW 720) Lord, Reign in Me (written by Brown [ ccli # ) Worship Texts Thematic texts provided by the authors of Together in Faith Adult Bible Studies that key into the related sessions. Confession and Forgiveness L: Try as we might, we cannot help but ask, What s in it for me? We often hear that it s not all about me but we don t really believe it. There in the center, we put our needs, dreams, desires, and goals above those of others including God s. Spend time in silent confession to reflect on when your ego has blurred your vision of God s greater good. Liturgy Supports: Mark 10:35-45, p. 2

3 Silence for confession L: Heavenly Father, C: When did I start thinking that it was all about me? When did I start putting my needs first? When did I turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to your will for my life? Forgive me, O Lord, for my arrogance. Take away my selfish ways. Restore to me the gift of humility and a servant s heart. L: Jesus said that he came not to be served but to serve and to give his life for the sake of others. Our new journey begins with his, on the cross, hearing and believing the words of mercy. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins; in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. All: Thanks be to God! Theme Prayer Lord God, we struggle with humility. Each of us wants the recognition we deserve, the job we have earned, and the respect that is due. When such a craving distorts our relationship with you, return us to the words of Jesus, I came not to be served but to serve. Let us live the same. Amen. Benediction/Sending L: Jesus said, Love one another as I have loved you. C: To serve and not to be served, L: To feed the hungry, C: To clothe the naked, L: To visit the imprisoned, C: To care for the sick. L: For as you did it to the least of these, you did it to me. C: For you glory forever and ever. All: Amen. Ideas and Images for Worship What follows are a variety of creative ways to enhance the worship experience. While some links to ideas and images are provided, permission may be required for congregational use. Experiential Worship Ideas for a more active worship experience. Option #1: To what extent are Christians still drinking Jesus cup and being baptized with his baptism? Consider bringing in a missionary from a majority world country that has experienced firsthand the persecution of Christians. For example, the plight of Christian Arabs is often ignored in the Middle Liturgy Supports: Mark 10:35-45, p. 3

4 East conflicts between Jews and Muslims. Check out I Am a Palestinian Christian: God and Politics in the Holy Land: A Personal Testimony by Mitri Raheb (Fortress Press, 1995). Option #2: Many congregations use a sweet wine for Holy Communion. Consider substituting that with a dry wine for just this Sunday. Do this to emphasize that even though God s grace is sweet, the cup that Jesus drank for us and which we continue to drink in our lives of Christ-like sacrifice and service can be bitter at times. You might want to reserve the explanation of this until after the meal. Drama Scripts, improvisational igniters, or links to dramatic resources. Option #1: We live in a world where the customer is always right. Too often, the church falls into this same consumer-driven mentality by offering anything a person wants. We become like Burger King: Have it your way at First Lutheran! (Visit 073f83e760.) Turn your church into a person-centered place rather than a God-centered place by setting up a drive-through/fast-food counter in the worship space and then by giving people what they want. Ask the question afterwards, When did it become all about me? Option #3: The church is one of the few organizations in the world that exists not for the sake of the members but for the non-members. One of the biggest barriers to growth is becoming too self-centered, self-serving, and self-satisfied. Have someone role-play what a person with no church background might experience coming to your church for the first time, thinking out loud such things as: Who would find these pews comfortable enough to sit in for one hour? Organ? I ve never heard organ music before. And what is that person up front wearing? An ill-fitted dress? What is an Ebenezer and why do they want to raise it? Why are they so concerned with angel s prostates? Hello! They are going to eat what and drink what? Why does everyone else seem to know the words except me? Projection Note: The PowerPoint presentation provided for use in the Together in Faith Adult Bible Studies can be easily adapted for worship settings. Worship Space Suggestions for creating a more multi-sensory environment. Option #1: Enlarge and display onstage portraits of famous people who were martyred for their faith or print them in the bulletin. Use them to show how James was the very first in a line of many who died for Jesus. Option #2: Place a prominent, elegant chair in the middle of the room. This will be a place for a very important person. James and John thought it was a place reserved for them in the center. The world wants to remind us that the customer is always right and personal needs come first, but the gospel is countercultural to this. Next to the prominent chair, put a basin of water and a towel. This is where the gospel calls us, not to sit but to serve. Option #3: Find clever ways to illustrate the upside down ways Jesus speaks of greatness and glory in contrast to the world. Perhaps print the gospel lesson upside down in the bulletin to illustrate this point. This could also be related to the optical illusions referred to in the Bible study session guides. Liturgy Supports: Mark 10:35-45, p. 4

5 Links Are you a helpful link? Consider making your congregation s creative worship ideas available for others to use via the social networking features of Check out Web sites like for the emblems of James, John, and the other apostles. These symbols remind us of the cups they drank and the baptisms they endured for the sake of Christ. Liturgy Supports: Mark 10:35-45, p. 5