Sermon for 21st Sunday after Pentecost – Mark 10:35-45

NOTE – Accidentally cut off the beginning of the gospel, so here you go:

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then 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 hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Christians are weird. We’re the only people I know who take a torture device and turn it into jewelry. But here’s what’s weirder. A friend of mine recently told me about wanting to get a guillotine necklace. I remember thinking “oh, that’s weird!” But I guess it’s not any weirder.

Though a crucifix is strange. The cross was utter brutality. I think we forget how gruesome it was. Not just the crucifying, but all the scourging and whipping done beforehand. Now, I don’t love talking about this, and I’m sure none of you want to picture it. But it’s odd how much Jesus talks about it, and how hard we try to sanitize it. So maybe we don’t really understand the cross.

Sermon for 21st Sunday after Pentecost – Mark 10:17-31

NOTE – This was a “conversational” sermon where I was trying to be more interactive….

Lately we’ve had a lot of controversial gospel readings. Last week it was divorce. The week before it was chopping off our hands or feet or plucking out our eye if it causes us to sin. Today we’ve got another one that makes folks nervous. Jesus says, “Sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you’ll have treasure in heaven.”

Does this sound like gospel? [DISCUSS]