{"id":5603,"date":"2015-11-08T14:29:32","date_gmt":"2015-11-08T19:29:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=5603"},"modified":"2016-01-07T14:33:52","modified_gmt":"2016-01-07T19:33:52","slug":"november-8-2015-loving-the-life-of-a-servant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/november-8-2015-loving-the-life-of-a-servant\/","title":{"rendered":"November 8, 2015,  Loving the Life of a Servant"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Chris Heavner, Clemson, SC<\/p>\n<p>\u200b<\/p>\n<p><strong>Warm-up Question<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Doesn&#8217;t it make you want to scream, every time someone points out horrible behavior among &#8220;Christians&#8221;?\u00a0 What are the most telling criticisms you hear?<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t you want to jerk a knot in the neck of a fellow member of the Church who gives those critics more evidence for their condemnations?\u00a0 What are some examples?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Loving the Life of a Servant<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One of the images which dominated the visit of Pope Francis to the U.S. was his climbing in and out of the back seat of that little black car.\u00a0 If you didn&#8217;t happen to see it, here is one of thousands of links \u2013 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2015\/09\/25\/443223235\/the-pope-his-black-fiat-and-the-symbolism-behind-it\">NPR: The Pope and His Car<\/a>.\u00a0 Most international dignitaries ride in larger vehicles.\u00a0 These cars are more easily equipped by security guards with bullet proof glass.\u00a0 Such cars also allow for aides to brief the dignitary on their next encounter.\u00a0 But, Pope Francis decided to ride in a little car.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/01\/shutterstock_292821566edit.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-5604\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5604\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/01\/shutterstock_292821566edit.jpg\" alt=\"shutterstock_292821566edit\" width=\"250\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Some thought he was thumbing his nose at the hosts who wanted to treat him with honor.\u00a0 Some accused him of making a show.\u00a0 But he kept getting in that little car and riding around town.\u00a0 There were times when the car got as much press coverage as what Francis said\u2014which was okay, because that little car was another way he expressed his message.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Church is to serve.&#8221; Pope Francis said.\u00a0 He reminded us that Jesus calls us to be the servant of others and to be the one who goes out of our way in order to meet the needs of those so easily forgotten or overlooked.<\/p>\n<p>A true mark of knowing Jesus and following Jesus is not being tempted by the bigger stage or the brighter lights.\u00a0 Surely, this Pope taught us something about the good news of Jesus.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Did you think the Pope was just making a show by riding around in that little car?<\/li>\n<li>If you were to be selected as an important leader, how would you respond to the temptation to be given the biggest and best of everything?\u00a0 What would be the greatest temptation for you personally?<\/li>\n<li>To most of God&#8217;s children, you do have some big and impressive things.\u00a0 How might some of these interfere with the ability of folks to see you as a servant of God?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Lectionary 32\/ Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=312892819\">1 Kings 17:8-16<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=312892857\">Hebrews 9:24-28<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=312892899\">Mark 12:38-44<\/a><\/p>\n<p>(Text links are to <a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/\">Oremus Bible Browser<\/a>. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.elca.org\/Our-Work\/Congregations-and-Synods\/Worship\/Lectionary\/YearB\">Lectionary Readings<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic <a href=\"http:\/\/www.agnusday.org\/\">Agnus Day.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gospel Reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>These are two separate vignettes.\u00a0 What joins them is the mention of &#8220;widows.&#8221;\u00a0 In the first, these vulnerable members of God&#8217;s family are taken advantage of.\u00a0 In the second, one of them is a model of faith. \u00a0Jesus&#8217; words regarding the scribes and his observations of a widow may not have occurred on the same day.\u00a0 They are retold together as the conclusion to Jesus&#8217; public ministry.<\/p>\n<p>These verses are the end of Chapter 12.\u00a0 Chapter 13 is a discourse on the final things.\u00a0 The remaining chapters are all about the Passion and Death of Jesus.\u00a0 So, Mark 12:38-44 is the final act\/comment of Jesus&#8217; public ministry.\u00a0 Is it at the end because everything of importance has been said?\u00a0 Or is this final instruction something we particularly need to remember?<\/p>\n<p>One more thought to keep in mind is whether Mark 12:37b belongs with what went before or if it should be an introduction to today&#8217;s appointed verses.\u00a0 (Remember that the numbering of chapters and verses was added much later in the printing and reprinting of our scriptures.)\u00a0 Mark 12:37b reads &#8220;The large crowd heard Jesus gladly.&#8221;\u00a0 The crowds loved what he was saying; maybe those who considered themselves higher and mightier than others did not.<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;scribes&#8221; or &#8220;teachers of the Law&#8221; would be akin to lawyers and judges in our day.\u00a0 They didn&#8217;t make the Law, but they were charged with interpreting it.\u00a0 This is why Jesus argues with them so much; he \u00a0claimed to be above the Law \u00a0(Mark 3:4ff, 12:14ff).\u00a0 In this vignette, they display characteristics of a rich and snobby upper class.\u00a0 One could read in these verses that the scribes had profited (inappropriately) from their service to the community. Might they have gained the admiration of wealthy widows so as to lay claim to some of the widow&#8217;s possessions?\u00a0 (Think televangelists with jets and mansions; some things never change)<\/p>\n<p>Remember that Jesus had told his followers not to seek honor (Mark 9:33) and to accept the hospitality of the first who offered rather than shopping around for a better home in which to stay (Mark 6:8-10).<\/p>\n<p>The Scribes were attracted to social trappings and fancy things.\u00a0 In today&#8217;s readings, this is contrasted with the individual widow.\u00a0 She seeks to serve; hers is an act of sacrifice.\u00a0\u00a0 It is also the kind of action which no one notices.\u00a0 Jesus noticed \u2013 Jesus always notices \u2013 but he has to tell the disciples what had happened.<\/p>\n<p>Be careful not to make too much of these copper coins being the last in this woman&#8217;s pocket.\u00a0 The words of Jesus are intended to ask us where we place our trust rather than to describe the actual state of affairs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Long robes&#8221; were the symbol sought by the scribes in Jesus&#8217; sermon.\u00a0 What are the symbols of wealth and power that dominate our culture?<\/li>\n<li>An old song reminded us, &#8220;O Lord, it&#8217;s hard to be humble.&#8221;\u00a0 What are the marks of true humility?<\/li>\n<li>What does Jesus&#8217; words say to our &#8220;having a new iPhone every year&#8221; culture?<\/li>\n<li>Do you think it was okay for the poor widow to put her last coins in the treasury?\u00a0\u00a0Was she being irresponsible? Might she have been excused from the Temple tax?\u00a0 (It is often true that those with less give more.\u00a0 Low income congregations have more who tithe than affluent congregations.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Activity Suggestions<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Invite five persons into a conversation about power and influence.\u00a0 Find out the ways in which they discern how powerful a person is. \u00a0Is\u00a0it by their clothing, job title, respect others extend to them, or something else.\u00a0 Ask whether the persons named use their power for self-advancement or whether they use it to enhance the common good.<\/li>\n<li>Actively explore what stands in the way of your offering to God all that you have.\u00a0 What possession are you most proud of or dependent upon?\u00a0 Are there \u201cthings\u201d which stand between you and Jesus?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Closing Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Humble Jesus, you made it clear that places of honor are not the thing to be most valued.\u00a0 Help us to value our inclusion in your family and to forsake the false symbols of importance.\u00a0 Keep our eyes focused on those who do your will and help us to see the beauty of a life lived in your service.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chris Heavner, Clemson, SC \u200b Warm-up Question Doesn&#8217;t it make you want to scream, every time someone points out horrible behavior among &#8220;Christians&#8221;?\u00a0 What are the most telling criticisms you hear? Don&#8217;t you want to jerk a knot in the neck of a fellow member of the Church who gives those critics more evidence for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>November 8, 2015, Loving the Life of a Servant - Faith Lens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/november-8-2015-loving-the-life-of-a-servant\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"November 8, 2015, Loving the Life of a Servant - Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Chris Heavner, Clemson, SC \u200b Warm-up Question Doesn&#8217;t it make you want to scream, every time someone points out horrible behavior among &#8220;Christians&#8221;?\u00a0 What are the most telling criticisms you hear? 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