Sermon delivered by David Burrow October 20, 2024 - First Congregational Church, Algona, Iowa
Click here for an audio version of this sermon (23 MB - .mp3)
I came across an interesting article recently. It noted that the Meals on Wheels program just celebrated its 50th anniversary. It was first started in October of 1974 in New Jersey. Since then it’s grown to provide food and social connections to seniors all across America and in several other countries.
Reading that article made me think of an aunt of mine. My Aunt Alaire was a strong, independent woman with a personality that was at first rather gruff, but then quite gentle. Like many in her generation she was shaped by the Great Depression and World War II. She spent most of her life working as an X-ray technician, and she lived at different times in the high desert of California, northern Wisconsin, and the Seattle area.
She eventually moved back to Iowa City, where she had grown up, and she spent the last couple decades of her life in a senior housing complex in Coralville. For the first part of her retirement she got out frequently. She’d go to restaurants, she’d drive to the grocery store, and she’d visit her brother who lived across town. In her last few years, though, she became increasingly weak, and because of lifelong problems with hearing she had trouble communicating with other people. She grew more and more isolated in her small apartment.
My late sister helped Aunt Alaire sign up for Meals on Wheels, and she received help from that program each weekday for about the last five years of her life.
Alaire never made a secret of what she did and didn’t like. She complained loudly about the food she got from Meals on Wheels—the same way a high school kid might complain about hot lunch in the school cafeteria. She ate it, though; and in fact her frugal nature made her ration the meals so that one would serve as lunch and dinner—often with leftovers she could have on weekends.
In addition to the food, Alaire also muttered about what she called the “busybodies” who delivered Meals on Wheels. Those complaints weren’t very deep, though. In fact she appreciated having a bit of contact with other people once a day. She also knew it was in her best interest to have someone checking on her.
Our church has helped deliver Meals on Wheels here in Algona for as long as I can remember. Since I’m generally working at the time those meals are delivered, I’ve only been able to help with that once. I know there are others of you who do help regularly, though, and I’m certain there are lots of people—like my aunt—who are appreciative of the that.
Our church supports a lot of missions throughout the country and around the world. We sometimes forget about the direct impact we can have in our own community, though. Meals on Wheels is just one of many ways we can help out, and their anniversary is a good time to reflect on the good that they—and we—can do.
So let’s remember Meals on Wheels—and all the missions we support. And let’s remember that what can see a small effort on our part can make a big difference to other people.
Every high priest taken from among the faithful is appointed on their behalf to deal with the things of God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.The high priest is able to deal patiently with erring sinners, being likewise beset by weakness—and so must make personal sin offerings as well as those for the people. They don’t take on this honor by their own initiative, but only when called by God, as Aaron was.
In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him: “You are my son; this day I have begotten you”; just as he says in another place: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, declared by God high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
The purpose of the First Congregational United Church of Christ of Algona, Iowa is to be an alive and growing family of faith in God, the God whom we know through Jesus Christ and who has given us in Jesus the image of what human life is meant to be.
We strive to mature in faith by encouraging the free exploration of our Christian beliefs so that our faith will be more relevant to our individual lives and to the society in which we live.
With friendship and understanding, we find strength in the diversity of the interests and backgrounds of our members. We welcome all persons who would seek with us answers to life’s ultimate questions.
We take love to be the heart of the Gospel of Jesus and the unifying force in our church. Therefore, we celebrate God’s love and blessings in worship. We nurture one another through acceptance, caring, and sharing. We reach out beyond ourselves to the needs of others, to promote justice and to witness to God’s love.
In all that we do, we seek to continue our heritage of being a pioneering people in a changing world.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."
He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?"
They answered him, "Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left."
Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"
They said to him, "We can."
Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared."
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
Jesus summoned them and said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
For the Son did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
It was months ago that Pastor Burtnett notified the church board that he wanted to take vacation this week. I agreed to fill the pulpit, as I have several other times in recent years. Some of those times were easier to prepare than others, and honestly this week was definitely not a time when the sermon wrote itself.
As I usually do when preparing a message, I began by looking at the lectionary readings for today and deciding which ones I wanted to include in the service. I chose to leave out the Old Testament reading, which again this week was from the book of Job. Our pastor has focused on that book in most of his sermons for the past month or so, but I have to say I’d be fine if I never read a passage from Job again. In introducing last week’s scripture, Rev. Burtnett noted that it dealt with Job complaining, and—while I probably shouldn’t say it from the lectern—honestly to me pretty much the whole book of Job seems like the title character whining over and over again.
I chose instead to feature today’s gospel, which the heading in the lectionary describes as “a warning to ambitious disciples”. In the reading James and John say they want Jesus to do whatever they ask of him, and they proceed to ask that he let them sit in glory at his left and his right.
That’s pretty presumptuous of the disciples, and Jesus is actually incredibly polite in his response. He lets them know they don’t really know what they’re asking and goes on to tell them that the request isn’t his to fill.
The passage goes on to note that the other disciples became indignant when they got word of the request that James and John had made. As a teacher—and especially as someone who has been in charge of school activities—I can definitely relate to that reaction. James and John were like a lot of kids I’ve worked with over the years who felt it was their right to be a team captain or to have a leading role. They feel they’re special, and they make a big production if they don’t get what they want. Even more often the kids themselves will be fine, but their parents throw a hissy fit if their little darling isn’t the star of everything.
It’s not just in school where people have a tantrum when things don’t go the way they want. Ever since COVID we’ve seen the meme of “Karen” everywhere—entitled people who feel they have the right to impose their will on everyone else. I’ve found myself waiting in line behind such people (both “Karens” and “Darrens”) more times than I care to think about. They get upset about trivial things, and they seem to think they have the right to do what they want wherever they want.
Too many of our politicians seem to have that attitude, too. They make everything about themselves, and they blame other people when they don’t get what they want, and they want us to ignore the bad things they’ve done. They claim to be Christian, but they act like bullies rather than public servants.
The Karens, the arrogant politicians, and James and John could all be described as another modern phrase. They’re all drama queens. They all make everything about themselves, they’re overly dramatic about everything, and they blow little things way out of proportion.
Job is actually another kind of drama queen—making a big deal out of his suffering and complaining about every little thing. I’m sure we’ve all known people like that as well. I can remember one of my former colleagues who was a dear friend but who could never seem to stop complaining. She wanted everyone to know just how hard she worked (which she felt was more than everyone else), and she could never give a quick answer to “how are you”. She was one of my best friends on the staff, but it could often be a chore to be her friend.
Of course, there are times all of us can act like drama queens too—whether it be feeling we’re more important than other people or making sure everyone knows every little problem we have to deal with. We need to keep that in mind whenever we find others to be irritating.
The passage in Mark ends with Jesus putting James and John in their place. He notes that “whoever wishes to be great … will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first … will be the slave of all.” It’s good to remember those words at the times we want to be recognized above others.
Both the gospel and our reading from Hebrews show Jesus himself as a model for how to avoid the trap of being a drama queen. We hear of Jesus learning obedience from his suffering and coming not to be served, but to serve. Those are good words to keep in mind as we strive to follow in Jesus’ way.
The hymn we sang before the sermon today is called “Gather Us In”. I’ve chosen it before when I’ve preached, and Rev. Shai Wise also had us sing it a couple of times. I like “Gather Us In”, and I can distinctly remember the first time I ever sang it. It was at a school mass at Garrigan just a week after I started working there 41 years ago. It was a very new hymn then, but it’s become an old standard, especially for Catholics. It’s interesting that the hymn was actually written in Iowa, when composer Marty Haugen was working at Luther College in Decorah. I think the second verse of that hymn fits particularly well with our message today:
We are the young, our lives are a mystery;
We are the old, who yearn for your face;
We have been sung throughout all of history,
Called to be light for the whole human race.
Gather us in, the rich and the haughty;
Gather us in, the proud and the strong;
Give us a heart, so meek and so lowly;
Give us the courage to enter the song.
All of us can be haughty, proud, and strong, but we’re called to be better than that. We’re called to set aside our pride and work to serve—to be God’s hands in our world.
I want to close today with two thoughts. The first is a quote I’ve encountered many places, attributed to many different people. It says, “You’re never too important to be nice.” I think that speaks for itself, and I hope it’s something all of us can remember.
The other thought comes from the book of Micah, and it’s one of my favorite Bible verses: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.”
With that in mind, I invite you to join in a special litany of humility, which you can find in your bulletin.
O Jesus! Meek and humble of heart,
Hear us.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver us, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved,
Deliver us, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,
Deliver us, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised,
Deliver us, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others,
Deliver us, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated,
Deliver us, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,
Deliver us, Jesus.
From the fear of being rebuked,
Deliver us, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,
Deliver us, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged,
Deliver us, Jesus.
That others may be praised even as we go unnoticed.
Jesus, grant us the grace to desire it.
That others may be holier than us, even as we become more holy.
Jesus, grant us the grace to desire it.
(C) 2024 davidmburrow@yahoo.com