25 Sunday B September 23
Thomas
O'Loughlin
Introduction to the Celebration
Each week when we gather here we renew our commitment to being disciples: to following the way of the Lord on our pilgrimage through life. And as a pilgrim people we have been listening to Mark during this year as he reminds us of the demands of discipleship. Today we hear Mark reminding us as disciples that the core of the mystery we celebrate is that Jesus, the Son of Man was arrested, put to death, and rose again. This is the mystery of faith. But we also hear him warning us about how we can be distracted in our discipleship: instead of seeing this community as the group which must model the way God's people should live, it can all too easily degenerate into being a group where people argue and compete for honours and position. We as disciples have to both be focused on the Lord and recognise how often we fail as disciples.
Michel
DeVerteuil
Today's
passage is in two sections:
- a narrative which gives the context of the entire passage (verses 30-32);
- two teachings on humility, both woven into dramatic narratives (verses 33-35 and 36-37) which flow from the previous teaching.
As
usual, we are free to take each section separately, or then we can see an inner
logic between them.
The
narrative
St
Mark gives a deeply moving account of Jesus at a new and decisive stage in his
life's journey.
His
glory days are over; the opposition has become more pronounced, he has decided
that it is time to leave the relative safety of Galilee and go to Jerusalem
where he will confront the powers of the nation, "the elders, chief
priests and scribes" of last Sunday's passage. So he begins his fateful
journey, "making his way through Galilee," as the text notes.
This
is a moment of truth then, not a time for miracles but for facing up to harsh
reality. Speaking to large crowds would be inappropriate; it is the time for
being alone with his faithful disciples and "instructing them" with
his deep teaching.
We
think of similar moments in our experience (or the experience of great people
who have touched our lives). The time for compromise passes, and the time for
confrontation arrives. Being "delivered into the hands of men" means
laying oneself open to one's opponents. The confrontation is public, there is
no hiding from it.
We
can identify with Jesus, the courageous leader who is fully conscious of the
consequences of his decision to confront. He is now at peace with himself. He
doesn't have to work out problems of fear or hurt or resentment. He is
therefore free to focus on training those who will carry on the work after he is
gone and will have to hand it on to future generations, like ours today.
We
can also identify with the disciples. They are truly blessed to have a leader
like Jesus. They will always look back on this time of spiritual formation with
deep gratitude that they went through it. They will naturally feel some regret
at how slow they were to understand what he truly meant.
The
teachings
In
the first teaching on humility (verses 33-35), the disciples are unable to face
the issues raised by Jesus. They are too frightened and (as we all do in such
situations) they take refuge in arguing about unimportant issues - greatness,
status and power.
Jesus
on the contrary is unambiguous. His body language conveys the seriousness of
the teaching. The text says that this happened, “when he was in the house. It
adds that the following happened, "when he sat down"; he then
"called the Twelve to him". He clearly wanted to speak seriously to
them about a crucial point in his teaching.
A
teaching on humility is very appropriate in the context of Jesus' decision to
go to Jerusalem. Only humble leaders who are not concerned about "who is
the greatest" can face calmly the prospect of being "delivered into
the hands of men". They can then take what is offered to them and make the
best of it.
The
second teaching (verses 36-37) is also woven into a dramatic story and we must
enter into the symbolism of the gestures. "Welcoming" by itself can
be vague. We must fill it out with the details provided by St Mark. He
"took a little child” and “set him in front of them” and “he put his arms
around him."
The
expression "little child" can be taken literally. As often in the
gospels however, we can give it a wider meaning. We can apply it to those who
are "little" in any sense at all. These are society's (or our
community's) drop-outs. They are what the bible calls "tax collectors,
prostitutes and sinners".
The
gospels have several teachings of Jesus on little children and each makes its
own particular point, so we must focus on the angle being taken in the text
before us. In this passage, the point Jesus is making is that leaders who
"make themselves last of all and servants of all" have the capacity
to "welcome" (in the sense noted above) "little ones". They
approach them not as objects of pity, as "the less fortunate". They
are, rather, precious gifts sent by God, "the one who sent Jesus". He
has much to offer and to teach us through them.
Those who are concerned about who
is "the greatest" are not able to see the greatness of the humble
people of the world. We must all find ourselves in this wonderful text. It is
certainly addressed to us. If we can't recognise ourselves in it, it means that
we have not really accepted that it is directed to all. Yet this is clearly
what it is meant to be.
Gospel:
Mk 9:30-37
This
is a unit of teaching in Mark — we can see this in that it supposes the same
locality and the same activity of walking along the road to Capernaum while
talking and teaching — but it is made up of two elements: (1) the so-called
'second prediction of the passion' (using this designation, the 'first
prediction' occurred at 8:27-33); and (2) the dispute about greatness. But
while splitting these verse into two like this makes great sense if one wants
to study the gospels using the three synoptics together, it is less than useful
if we want to hear the distinctive voice of Mark. For Mark these are not
separate items of tradition just cut and pasted together, rather they are
distinct lessons in what is the master-class on discipleship (today's gospel
opens a section of Mark's gospel devoted to discipleship that runs to 10:31).
All
the stories on discipleship are intended by Mark to correct false notions about
discipleship: the first being that the Christ will be a triumphant figure in
history — for Mark he is an historical failure who is arrested and put to
death, but whose resurrection after three days is the hope of the church. Mark
has now abandoned — he is presenting this as Jesus's open teaching to the
disciples — the notion of the Messianic Secret, and so the disciples have to
come to grips with the reality of the historical destination of discipleship:
the cross.
If
the cross is the place to where discipleship leads, then the jockeying for
position in an historical Jesus-run administration is all the more ridiculous —
and so the second correction of false notions of discipleship. Mark's staccato
examples have an elegance lost in the prolixity of Matthew and Luke:
discipleship is about the cross, great discipleship means service, not rank or
position.
For
the ecclesial contexts within which Mark preached this material on
discipleship, see the homily notes below.
Care
should be taken in making any comment on the phrase 'he took a little child' as
attitudes to children have so changed in recent centuries that it often
produces a very false reading of this text and its parallels (Mt 18:2; Mk
10:15; Lk 9:47 and 18:17). Our culture sees children as valuable and who symbolise
innocence, purity, and humility. In the world of Jesus and his followers, the
words for 'child' and 'slave' were interchangeable. In the gospel, the child is
a representative of the 'no-body', someone without dignity or worth. In fact,
the same point could have been made by choosing a slave, or a domestic servant,
or, indeed, a woman. Read in this light, the teaching on the disciple as
'servant of all' (pant6n diakonos) takes on an even sharper significance.
Homily Notes
1. Is there ever a case where straight forward exegesis should form the content of the homily?
The
vast majority of modern preachers would argue that exegesis belongs in the
classroom or is too boring for the average congregation: the homily should be
lighter, inspirational, and more like a communications soundbite. On the other
hand, it is the gospel reading that is the centre of the Liturgy of the Word
and an important reason for the reform of the Liturgy of the Word and an
important reason for the reform of the liturgy after the Second Vatican Council
was to ensure a more prominent place for scripture in the liturgy. Hence the
purpose of the homily is to explicate the readings as the Word of God – and
this necessarily involves exegesis. Most of us find a middle way: a homily that
tries to draw the gospel into our human situation but which is influenced by
exegesis or, at least, does not fly in the face of what formal exegesis can
tell us about the meaning of the text.
However,
there is much to be said for occasionally preaching a homily that is a piece of
exegesis: where the text can be explained without complex biblical background,
and without a well-stocked larder of general knowledge about the scriptures,
and where that exegesis will say something useful to an average person about their
life, and where that exegesis helps bring out something distinctive about how
one of the evangelists preached the gospel, because it was the richness of that
variety that inspired the three-year cycle.
2.
Today's gospel is one that lends itself to a little bit of formal exegesis.
3.
What does that gospel mean?
•Let
us begin with a basic observation:
•What
Mark, and each of the other evangelists, selected for their preaching was to a
large extent determined by the information their audiences needed to live as
proper disciples of Jesus.
•We
see this in two ways in today's gospel.
•First,
over the last few months we have been reading each Sunday extracts from Mark's
gospel. One of the distinctive things about his gospel is that very often after
Jesus has performed a miracle or a healing in front of all the people, there is
little command that'He wanted them to tell no one.' What Mark was saying by
this little device was that people should not think of Jesus just as a healer,
or a teacher, or one who could perform miracles. These miracles were
exceptional glimpse of how God loves us: to know Jesus is to know the one who
was arrested, put to death, and who now is living in the church. To think only
of the nice bits, was, for Mark, to get the whole picture wrong. Only when you
looked at teaching and healing and dying and rising, could you say you knew the
story of Jesus.
•Look
at the contrast with today's gospel: we are clearly told that he is with his
own people away from the crowds: 'He did not want anyone to know, because he
was instructing his disciples.' And Mark sees what he is preaching to the
churches as the same as what Jesus was telling the first disciples moving along
the road. Now what was this inner teaching that Mark wanted his audience to
know? To know who Jesus is, the very kernel of our faith, one has to come to
grips, just as his first disciples had, with this:
•'The
Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death;
and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.'
•Mark
wants there to be no confusion about the central mystery in the communities
where he has been preaching: this is what no disciple can be left in any doubt
about.
•The second way we see him presenting the teaching of Jesus in a way that it made sense to the first churches is in the rest of today's gospel. It is a fact of human life that we are competitive and there are people who want to be the VIPs in any situation. We may talk about 'fraternity' and 'equality' but we all can identify the sentiments of the pigs in Animal Farm: 'All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal that others.'
•The second way we see him presenting the teaching of Jesus in a way that it made sense to the first churches is in the rest of today's gospel. It is a fact of human life that we are competitive and there are people who want to be the VIPs in any situation. We may talk about 'fraternity' and 'equality' but we all can identify the sentiments of the pigs in Animal Farm: 'All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal that others.'
•The
radical message of Jesus was that each of us are children of the Father, hence
we are brothers and sisters. As disciples, we are to love one another, share
our gifts with one another, and our central common action is this gathering
where we are each given a seat at the Lord's table. Yet since the very
beginning there have been people who do not like this aspect of discipleship,
who want to preserve their worldly status within the church, and those within
the church who want to compete for position as if this were just some other
club. We know that such disputes were tearing apart the community in Cporinth
about the time that Mark wrote. We know that it still happens, and we can
suspect that it happened in several of the churches where Mark preached. His
preaching is by example: you may be full of factions over who is the leader,
and which people are the most significant. Well, it was so also in the first
group; now listen to what Jesus said when he heard of these arguments. Now go
and take that message to heart.
•The
test of discipleship is service to one another, and being willing to welcome
those who are poor, needy, and from whom you can expect no return. This is
typified in Jesus setting the child before them as an example.
•Here
we have a little bit of the earliest preaching: we still need to hear it to
help us note precisely what is the kernel of the mystery we celebrate, and to
be reminded just how easily our arguments within the church can be at odds with
the vision of the new humanity Jesus preached.
4.Having
given an exegesis. people need to be able to absorb the text again in a more
enriched form. So pause for a moment, and then announce:
•We
shall now hear that gospel read again, but this time we should be listening out
for what Mark wanted his first audience to hear — and which still today we need
to hear.
Then
read the text aloud at a slightly slower pace than usual — or, better still,
get someone else to read it aloud while you sit down and listen.
5. Lastly, it is good to consider
this description of the difference that exegesis makes: it is the difference
between 'hearing' and 'listening out'!
Sean
Goan
Following from last Sunday and the first passion prediction we come now to the second time in Mark when Jesus speaks about what awaits him in Jerusalem. However, the reader of thegospel is invited to see in these not some knid of proof that Jesus can tell the future but rather an attempt by Jesus to persuade his disciples that they need to change their attitude towards him and his ministry. It is clear that the disciples are happy to be with Jesus as their long awaited and triumphant Messiah but they are failing completely in that Jesus is not interested such discipleship. He wants them to learn the way of the kingdom which is the way of the cross. This is not the path to glory as human beings understand it but to humble service and love. In taking the child as an example, he is saying to his followers,' Be concerned for those who can offer you nothing in return, the powerless and the vulnerable. When you welcome them you welcome the true Messiah and the God who sent him.'
Reflection
Today's readings are dealing with wisdom but from different perspectives. In the first, people who are caught up in themselves want to be rid of the wise person because his life points up the emptiness of their own. In the second, we see the consequences of choosing to live by the wisdom of God. The wise person is not necessarily rich, popular or successful and while these maybe the values which are esteemed in our modern culture they do not compare with being at peace with ourselves. This is the fruit of wisdom and is a gift to be prayed for with all our hearts. In the gospel, Jesus offers us the wisdom of the cross which focuses on our call to become like Jesus, the last of all and the servant of all.
Prayer
Reflection
"The
future belongs to those who have nothing to lose."
...Herbert Marcuse
Lord,
we remember a time when we realized that being true to our values required
that we come out of our obscurity and take a public position:
- quit a job, break a relationship, speak up before someone in authority,
join a political party or a social movement.
Like Jesus, we knew that we would be delivered into the hands of men
and would be put to death in some way.
We had to protect ourselves against pressure from outside
so we did not want anyone to know where we were,
and we concentrated on explaining ourselves to those closest to us.
They did not understand, and were afraid to ask questions,
but we sat calmly with them, called them to us and explained
that, for us, being great in the eyes of others was not worth arguing about;
that we come out of our obscurity and take a public position:
- quit a job, break a relationship, speak up before someone in authority,
join a political party or a social movement.
Like Jesus, we knew that we would be delivered into the hands of men
and would be put to death in some way.
We had to protect ourselves against pressure from outside
so we did not want anyone to know where we were,
and we concentrated on explaining ourselves to those closest to us.
They did not understand, and were afraid to ask questions,
but we sat calmly with them, called them to us and explained
that, for us, being great in the eyes of others was not worth arguing about;
the
only important thing in life was to carry out the service you entrusted to us.
We thank you, Lord, that you gave us the grace to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
We thank you, Lord, that you gave us the grace to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
"A
great disaster reminds us of the big things in life that we forget
and the small things of which we have thought too much." ...Nehru
and the small things of which we have thought too much." ...Nehru
Lord,
there was a time when we were afraid to think of failure.
Like Jesus' disciples, we preferred not to ask questions
but focussed on being greater than anyone else.
Then one day we experienced death and resurrection:
- a cause we believed in collapsed and rose again;
- people in whom we had faith disappointed us,
but we got to appreciate them better for who they were;
- we admitted a secret addiction to ourselves and to others,
and felt free for the first time.
That was Jesus whom you had sent us,
teaching us that life is a cycle of death and rebirth.
Now we give ourselves to the present,
we welcome the little children you set in front of us
and put our arms tenderly around them.
Thank you, Lord
Like Jesus' disciples, we preferred not to ask questions
but focussed on being greater than anyone else.
Then one day we experienced death and resurrection:
- a cause we believed in collapsed and rose again;
- people in whom we had faith disappointed us,
but we got to appreciate them better for who they were;
- we admitted a secret addiction to ourselves and to others,
and felt free for the first time.
That was Jesus whom you had sent us,
teaching us that life is a cycle of death and rebirth.
Now we give ourselves to the present,
we welcome the little children you set in front of us
and put our arms tenderly around them.
Thank you, Lord
Lord,
send us Church leaders who make us conscious of how much energy we waste
arguing with members of other Churches and religions as to which of us is the greatest;
who will sit down as our teachers, call us and tells us clearly
that we are your greatest disciples to the extent that
we make ourselves the last of all and the servants of all.
arguing with members of other Churches and religions as to which of us is the greatest;
who will sit down as our teachers, call us and tells us clearly
that we are your greatest disciples to the extent that
we make ourselves the last of all and the servants of all.
"The
longer I live the more I see God at work in people who don't have
the slightest interest in religion." ...Dorothy Day
the slightest interest in religion." ...Dorothy Day
Lord,
we thank you for the many times that you touch us
through people we had looked down on.
You take them and set them in front of us and we see them in a new light;
we are so moved that we put our arms around them
and welcome them as your messengers to us.
They make us aware that being great is so important to us
that we spend our time on the road arguing about it.
They are the presence of Jesus, sitting down and calling us to him,
reminding us that we are truly great when we are the servants of all.
Lord, we thank you for Alcoholics Anonymous
and other organizations which follow their healing method.
Like Jesus, they call addicts to their communities,
help them to present themselves not as the greatest but as the least of all,
set them in front of the others who then put their arms around them
and welcome them as your precious gift..
through people we had looked down on.
You take them and set them in front of us and we see them in a new light;
we are so moved that we put our arms around them
and welcome them as your messengers to us.
They make us aware that being great is so important to us
that we spend our time on the road arguing about it.
They are the presence of Jesus, sitting down and calling us to him,
reminding us that we are truly great when we are the servants of all.
Lord, we thank you for Alcoholics Anonymous
and other organizations which follow their healing method.
Like Jesus, they call addicts to their communities,
help them to present themselves not as the greatest but as the least of all,
set them in front of the others who then put their arms around them
and welcome them as your precious gift..
"The
poor are the judges of the democratic life of a nation."...The bishops of
Brazil
Lord,
our modern Western culture is interested only in the greatest
- good customers, those who draw crowds, winners.
We thank you that in many countries of the world
leaders of your Church are following in the footsteps of Jesus,
setting the little ones in the forefront, putting their arms around them
and reminding all that in welcoming them they welcome you.
- good customers, those who draw crowds, winners.
We thank you that in many countries of the world
leaders of your Church are following in the footsteps of Jesus,
setting the little ones in the forefront, putting their arms around them
and reminding all that in welcoming them they welcome you.
*************************************
Illustrations:
1)
“The most powerful woman in the
world!"
At the screening of the film Mother Teresa during
the
celebration of the
fortieth anniversary of the United
Nations in 1983, the Secretary General, Javier
Perez de
Cuellar,
rose from his
seat to introduce Mother Teresa to an elite gathering of the representatives of all member countries of the U.N. He needed only one sentence for his introduction: "I present to you the most powerful woman in the world!"
Hers was the
power of humble, sacrificial, Christian service and agape love! On
March 3, 1976, conferring on
Mother Teresa the highest honor of India’s Vishwa Bharati
University, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, who was at that time Prime Minister of India, said: “I feel myself dwarfed when I stand before this holy and mighty
woman who heroically showed the world how to practice Christian love in sacrificial and humble service.” For many
years, the world
watched, admired and
honored this weak
and
elderly nun,
always dressed in a
blue- bordered white sari, as the incarnation of humble and sacrificing Christian service. She was the living proof of Jesus' words in today’s gospel that
real greatness lies in serving others. She served all with love and compassion. From 1962 onwards, she received national and international awards in recognition of her greatness, attained through the humble service done to the “poorest of the poor.” On Sept. 5, 1997, the
day of the
death of this holy woman who
lived with us, practicing what Jesus commanded his apostles in
today’s gospel, Pope John
Paul II said: “Mother Teresa marked the history of our century with courage. She served all human beings by promoting their dignity and respect, making them feel the tenderness of God.”
2)
“She could have jumped.”
There was a story a number of years ago that was carried in the
newspapers and in Time magazine. Mary Frances "Frankie" Housley (October 12, 1926 – January
14, 1951) was the lone stewardess on National Airlines flight 83 which crashed after
landing at Philadelphia Airport in January,
1951. Frankie Housley had made 10 trips into
that burning plane... to help passengers get out. As soon as she had finished getting all
of
the passengers to safety Housley also started to jump
from the plane. But
just before she made her escape, a passenger on the
ground screamed, “My baby, my baby!” Flight attendant Mary Housley turned
back into the
plane to find the baby, and
that was the last time anyone saw her alive. She died
in the attempt to save the baby, and
rescue workers found her charred body holding the four-month-old baby in her arms. The story of her courage made national headlines, including an item in Time magazine. ("Take Your Time," Time (Jan. 22,
1951). One passenger called her a "real heroine."
A congressman labeled her the bravest American in history. Today’s gospel challenges Christians to serve others with Frankie,s dedication and
sacrificial commitment.
3)
MBA – Mop Bucket Attitude:
One
man who had
an enormous impact on his company was the
founder and former CEO of Wendy's fast-food
restaurants, Dave Thomas. Dave Thomas' life was a remarkable success story. Adopted
as a child, he never finished high school.
In his book, Well Done: the Common Guy's Guide to Everyday Success, Dave said he got his MBA long before his G.E.D. He says
he has a photograph of himself
in his MBA graduation outfit--a snazzy knee-length work apron.
He claims to be the only
founder among America's big companies
whose picture in the corporate
annual report shows him
wielding a mop and a plastic bucket. That wasn't a gag. He calls it
leading by example. At Wendy's, he says, MBA doesn't mean Master of Business Administration.
It means Mop Bucket
Attitude. It means
a commitment to service. Dave Thomas, who died in 2002,
had
a commitment to service.
[(Harper Collins, 1994), p. 159. Cited by Dave Redick,
That's what Jesus wants from his disciples--a Mop Bucket Attitude. We exist to serve, not to be served.
That's the secret of happiness in any job--to see it as a calling, a vocation, an opportunity.
4) Remember potato
salad and jokes:
Tony Campolo, used to say, "If you ever start to feel
proud, thinking that you are
somebody great, just remember
that soon after
your body has been lowered
into the grave, your family
& friends will be eating
potato salad and telling jokes, and you’ll be history."
5) The humble pastor:
Did
you hear about the pastor who prepared a
great message on humility. But he was
waiting for a bigger congregation to preach the sermon to! Another pastor was given an
award for humility. A week later,
the congregation took the award back because the pastor displayed it in his office!
6) A horrible mistake:
“Father,
I have a besetting sin, and I want
your help. I come to church on
Sunday and can’t help thinking I’m the
prettiest girl in the congregation. I know I ought not
think that, but I
can’t help it. I want you to help me with
it." The pastor replied, "Mary, don’t worry about it. In your case
it’s not a sin. It’s just a horrible mistake."
7) Prime minister’s humility:
Winston
Churchill was once asked, "Doesn’t it thrill you to know that
every time you make a speech,
the hall is
packed to overflowing?" "It’s quite flattering," replied
Sir Winston. "But whenever I feel that way, I
always remember that
if instead of making
a political speech
I were being hanged, the crowd
would be twice as big."
8)
More My Size!
George
Washington Carver, the scientist who developed hundreds of useful products from
the peanut: “When I was young, I said to God,
‘God, tell me the mystery of the universe.’ But God answered,
‘That knowledge
is
reserved for me alone.’ So I said, ‘God,
tell me the mystery of the peanut.’ Then
God said, ‘Well, George, that’s more nearly your size.’ And He told me.”
9) Clothed with Humility
The word
"humility" means literally a low estimate of self. But this does not
imply self-deprecation. When you hear someone deprecating himself, usually you
can put it down as a sort of counterfeit humility. Someone has said, "The
true way to be humble is not to stoop until you are smaller than yourself, but
to stand at your full height before some higher nature that will show you how
small your greatness is." "Walk humbly with thy God." Here is
where we learn true humility. Walking with God, seeing ourselves by the side of
His greatness, we see how little we are. And seeing how little we are is the
first step toward becoming what we can and ought to be.
We never become truly great, we never do our best work until we are "clothed with humility"; until, like our Lord and Savior, we are willing to live to serve others.
John R. Gunn, Facing Life
We never become truly great, we never do our best work until we are "clothed with humility"; until, like our Lord and Savior, we are willing to live to serve others.
John R. Gunn, Facing Life
______________________________
10)
The Ambitious
Disciples
Jesus and
his disciples were coming to the town of Capernaum. As they entered the house
where they would be staying, he asked his disciples, "What were you
arguing about on the road?" But they kept quiet, says the writer of Mark's
Gospel, because on the way they had argued about who was number one among them.
So, the
disciples were human just like you and I are human. Who doesn't want to stand
out? Some of the greatest people who have ever lived were also among the most
ambitious.
It is
said that Michelangelo prayed: "Lord, grant that I may always desire more
than I can accomplish."
Abraham
Lincoln often said to himself as a boy studying by the pine log fire at night:
"I will study and get ready and perhaps my chance will come." And,
indeed, it did come.
Having an
African-American president reminds us of other people of color who have
succeeded against even greater odds. They, too, were driven to succeed.
Who can
help but be impressed by the accomplishments, for example, of George Washington
Carver? Carver was born to an African slave mother. He never knew his father.
But he wanted to make a difference in the world, and he did! Carver became one
the greatest scientists in American history.
The
disciples were human beings. They wanted their names to be in lights just as
you and I want to stand out from our peers. There is nothing wrong with that as
long it does not cause us to mistreat others or betray our values. My guess is
Jesus wanted them to be ambitious because ambitious people get things done. He
just wanted them to be ambitious in the right way.
King
Duncan,
____________________________
He that
is down needs fear no fall,
He that
is low, no pride:
He that
is humble ever shall
Have God
to be his guide.
From the
Song of the Shepherd Boy, The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
_____________________
11)
Passing by the
Children
A
persistent judgment leveled against parents today is this: they gladly provide
their children with every resource: Leaders, coaches, teachers, tutors, and
youth workers. Certainly children should be happy and well-adjusted. They have
everything money can buy. But they do not have the listening ear of Mom and
Dad. "Too busy, later, not now, I'm working hard for your good."
Recall the old saying:
"For
the want of a nail the shoe was lost;
for the
want of a shoe the horse was lost;
for the
want of a horse the rider was lost;
for the
want of the rider the battle was lost."
It is
still true. For want of a quiet, caring intimacy, a child's primary sense of
self-worth is lost. And for want of security and self-worth, the child is lost.
In most churches I've known, members find it quite easy to pass a youth by;
they are more timid to engage a child than a stranger in conversation.
Frequently, when youth are on committees, little sensitivity is expressed
toward making them comfortable and enabling them to contribute.
Thomas
Peterson
__________________________
12)
Teaching
The
mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher
demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
William
A. Ward
_________________
13)
Carry Someone with You
There was
a tribe of Indians who lived a long time ago in the state of Mississippi. They
lived next to a very swift and dangerous river. The current was so strong that
if somebody happened to fall in or stumbled into it they could be swept away
downstream.
One day the tribe was attacked by a hostile group of settlers. They found themselves with their backs against the river. They were greatly outnumbered and their only chance for escape was to cross the rushing river. They huddled together and those who were strong picked up the weak and put them on their shoulders; the little children, the sick, the old and the infirm, those who were ill or wounded were carried on the backs of those who were strongest. They waded out into the river, and to their surprise they discovered that the weight on their shoulders carrying the least and the lowest helped them to keep their footing and to make it safely across the river.
Jesus is trying to teach the disciples an object lesson about greatness, about servanthood, about leadership. He is saying to them and to us, "Have you lost the childlike joy and love and faith that once were yours?" He is also saying to them and to us, "If you want to walk on secure ground in this world it helps to carry someone with you."
King Duncan