the 22nd sunday after pentecost
the PRAYER. . .
Sovereign God, you turn your greatness into goodness for all the peoples on earth. Shape us into willing servants of your kingdom, and make us desire always and only your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
the READING. . .
Then Jesus said to [James and John, the sons of Zebedee], “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.”
Mark 10:35-45
the DEVOTION. . .
Back in the day, default meant not repaying a loan. Today, it’s those factory-set options that operate as a kind of North Star for everything digital. Make a mistake, get lost, something goes wrong, you reboot, it all returns to default, and you, simply, start over.
Power and glory work like that here in the church. That’s what was going through the heads of the Zebedee brothers, that day. Right hand! Left hand! Thrones! Crowns! And Jesus, instead, says, “Cross!” “The cup I drink.” “The baptism with which I’m baptized.” It’s all about that holy Friday on Golgotha. But then, for some reason, when he says, “to sit at my right hand or my left,” we’re back to crowns and thrones!
But what if Jesus is still talking crosses? What if he still has that sacred Friday on Golgotha in mind? And the two “for whom it has been prepared?” What if they’re the bandits crucified with him, “one on his left and the other on his right”?
Bob Barndt, pastor