Living in the Spirit
September 19, 2015

Scripture Reading: Mark 9:30-37

Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ –Mark 9:33-35

The wild fires in western USA have been devastating, yet courageous men and women go out every day doing their very best to contain those fires against tremendous odds. They are servants of all, but I doubt in the chaos of their jobs they even give it a moment’s thought. It is what they are called to do.

Jesus was the ultimate servant of all, willing to give his life for his mission. He literally carried the weight of the world upon his shoulders, but in the midst of his ministry his disciples did not comprehend the enormity of his responsibility that will, sooner than they understand, be theirs. They are arguing about which of them were the greatest follower of this celebrity Rabbi. There seems to be a lot of that sentiment going around in our society today. Who is the most persecuted for his or her faith?

Of those disciples gathered around Jesus that day, history tells us that all were killed in their taking up the cross of servanthood and following Jesus except the disciple John, who also devoted his long life in service and in love.

We inherited the mantle of their ministry to be the Body of Christ today, because they were willing to invest their all in that call. We do not need to worry about our ranking in the Kingdom of God for we are all the number one servant of God and of one another.

Prayer: Lord, help me remember that I was created in your image as were all people and your love makes us all equals in sharing our love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.