Mark 9:30-37

They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Let us pray,

May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all of our hearts, be pleasing and acceptable to you, our rock and our redeemer…

This past Monday night, I found watching celebrities walk the red carpet for the Met Gala. The Met Gala is the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual fundraiser. The money raised at the gala supports the museum throughout the year. Now this is not just any fundraiser. It’s a costume party. Where tickets can cost upwards of $30,000. Each. And that’s not counting how much you spent on your costume for the evening. And that’s if you are lucky enough to get a ticket. Every single person who attends the Met Gala must be approved by Anna Wintor. Vogue Magazine’s Editor-In-Chief.

Tuesday morning, the internet lit up with commentary about the Gala. Fashion critics had lots of things to say about what celebrities wore to the gala the night before. One dress in particular caught critics’ attention. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore a dress that said “tax the rich” on the back. Now no one was surprised she wore such a political dress to the fundraiser. The problem with this particular political statement is that comes across as hypocritical. People felt she was saying, “Tax the rich while I’m having the time of my life partying with my rich friends at a party glamorizing wealth.”

While I agree that the dress was done in bad taste, it really got me thinking about greatness. What does it mean to be great? And who decides what is great? Our Scripture reading for this morning talks about greatness when it talks about the Kingdom of God. This idea that Jesus is going to return to restore creation to its intended glory. And when Jesus does, there will be no more morning or crying or pain or suffering anymore. In this Kingdom of God, greatness looks different than we think it will. The last will be first, and the lowly will be exalted.

The only problem is that we don’t know for sure when Jesus will return. Until that day comes, we live in the tension of a kingdom we can’t yet see, but that we know is coming. In our Scripture passage for this morning, Jesus instructs us how we are to live during this in-between time. He says, “anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Unsurprisingly, Jesus’ understanding of greatness is completely different than how our society views greatness. In America today, we glamorize youth and wealth. To be great is to fit into a sample size designer dress. Or to be rich enough to afford a ticket to an exclusive fundraiser. 

But Jesus turns our ideas of greatness on their head. Jesus is saying that greatness has nothing to do with how you look. Or how much money you make. And everything to do with your willingness to put other people’s needs above your own. You become last and a servant of all when your every decision is governed by care for the least of these in your community.

What separates Mark’s gospel from the other gospels. Is that Mark constantly foreshadows where his story is heading to. He is headed to the cross. But Jesus forbids his disciples to tell anyone about what they’ve seen and heard.

Which begs the question, why does Jesus have to die? That seems a bit of an extreme way to end the story of the greatest human being who ever lived?

My answer to that question is look at the extreme things Jesus is saying. Jesus is saying that those in power- people who rule empires and can afford to attend $30,000 fundraisers- these kings, these influencers do not have the final say in who we are. They don’t get to do whatever they want and not care about how their actions affect others. Only God has the final say in who we are. Because only God can change the trajectory of human history. By sending his son into the world so that our sins may be forgiven once and for all. And as much as kings and influencers try to tell us how we look and how much money we make matters, their power is fleeting, but our God is forever.

This is why Jesus had to die. He proclaims over and over again that the kingdom of God has come near. He calls for a repentance of sins, the healing of diseases and disabilities, and the forgiveness of sins. Jesus constantly hangs out with the least of these in society. Gentile women. Lepers. Raging demoniacs. Little children. By caring for the least of these, Jesus mounts a direct challenge to the authority of those in charge. And for that, Jesus must die. 

As Christians we all know how Jesus story on earth ends. It ends with death on the cross. But it also ends with resurrection. It ends with Jesus taking his place on the right-hand side of the Father. Because of Jesus our sins are forgiven. Because of Jesus our stories have a new ending. Because we have been forgiven, because we are no longer slaves to the powers of sin and death. Our Scripture passage for this morning invites us to consider how our day-to-day decisions impact the least of these.

How our day-to-day decisions impacts the least of these looks a little bit different for all of us. If you are privileged enough to receive an invitation to the Met Gala, maybe you choose not to attend. Maybe you choose to send your $30,000 donation to a charity who serves the least of these. 

Now, not all of us have $30,000 lying around. I know I for one will never fit into a designer sample size dress. I think Jesus isn’t so much concerned with the size of our gift as he is with our willingness to give away our gifts in service to others. Giving away our gifts in service to others. Allows all of us to participate in the inbreaking of the kingdom of God.

Maybe you are a crafter. Maybe you volunteer to help decorate your local community center for Halloween. So that the kids in your neighborhood will have a safe and fun place to go trick or treating. Maybe you’re a putzer. A tinkerer. Someone who is really good at identifying how you can make things better. Maybe you decide that you’re going to donate one Saturday morning a month to weed that community flowerbed that is turning into an eyesore. Maybe politics are your passion. Maybe you identify one issue facing your community that you want to improve. And maybe you come up with a plan to make that happen. Maybe you find other people in your community who share your passion. Maybe you work together to tackle the change you want to see.

None of these examples require a lot of money, but they do require something more precious, your time. Friends, time is the one thing we are all given the same amount of each day. Every day we get to decide how to use our time. In service to ourselves. In service to our communities, or in service of those God loves. We don’t know the day or the hour when Jesus will return. Let us go forth from this place committed to using our time in service to others.

Thanks be to God, 

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.