Weekly Bulletin

Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.    Psalm 145:3

 

An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.  Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him.  Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.  For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”       Luke 9:46-48

 

….whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.     Mark 10:43-45

 

The greatest among you will be your servant.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.       Matthew 23:11,12

 

 

Much of our nation’s attention has been focused on greatness this past week.  Perhaps the most meaningful example of that was the remarkable journey of the Artemis II moon mission which took four astronauts farther away from Earth than humans ever had traveled previously – over 250,000 miles — and brought them back safely on Friday evening.  On the way, they were able to view the far side of the moon and to accomplish several other human “firsts” as well.  Many officials who were interviewed stressed that the greatness of the mission must be shared by a huge team of scientists, engineers, technicians, and others without whom it could not have happened.  I was impressed by the statement of one of the astronauts who said that this mission was merely a steppingstone for greater ones to come (lunar landing, deeper exploration of space, etc.) and probably wouldn’t be celebrated all that long, but he was OK with that.  He was just glad to have been part of that process.

 

Last Monday night at Indianapolis, the University of Michigan basketball team won the national collegiate tournament in a hard-fought (emphasis on fought) championship game to claim the title of “the greatest NCAA team,” at least of the just-completed season.  What caught my attention was a news story a couple of days later which showed a breakfast cereal box similar to ones I ate Frosted Flakes from as a kid.  This box, however, was decorated mostly in U of M’s gold colors and blue trim, and it sported references to the Michigan team’s championship on the front with a big picture of Tony the Tiger saying “they’re grrrrrreat!” The news story said the commemorative cereal boxes were now on sale – but all they contain is air, no cereal.  The reporter did not give the price being charged, but you can be sure it is more than several of the normal boxes filled with cereal would cost, even at today’s inflated food prices.  Many fans will think it’s worth it, despite the fact that it’s a game.

 

If you watch the proper channels for it, you also have been reminded regularly this week that the world’s best golfers have gathered at one of the world’s greatest golf courses to vie for the fleeting title of “greatest” by winning the annual Masters tournament in Georgia.  The tournament leaders will be starting their final round about the time we all are having lunch today.  Anyone who has played golf can appreciate the skill required to play like those professionals do.  Whoever wins, if he has any humility at all, may acknowledge that he was the greatest golfer this week, but he will admit that can change very quickly in a game with so many variables – and it’s a game.

 

It’s Nothing New      A quick look back at the Old Testament should remind us that humans from the very beginning have tried to distinguish themselves as being greater than others.  Genesis 4 relates the story of the conflict between Cain and his brother Abel over whose offering was acceptable to the Lord.  We are not told explicitly why Cain’s offering of crops (versus Abel’s of sheep or goats) failed to please God, but his wounded pride led him to kill his brother.  In Genesis 25-27, the competition between Isaac’s twin sons Esau and Jacob to be their father’s greater son would likely have ended in homicide if Isaac hadn’t sent Jacob away at the last minute to Rebekah’s distant family in Aram for several years.  Genesis 37 then records the story of Jacob’s son Joseph whose attitude of being greater than his brothers and father led those brothers to sell Joseph into Egyptian slavery while telling their father he had been killed by a wild animal.  I am also reminded of the story much later of Queen Esther’s cousin Mordecai in Persia whose refusal to bow down to ascribe greatness to the corrupt royal advisor Haman nearly led to the genocide of all the Hebrews in exile there.

 

Defining Greatness      Many other similar examples of conflicts over who is humanly greatest can be found throughout the scriptures and throughout human history, and they nearly always result in some kind of harm and trauma to the participants.  At the core of those conflicts is an incomplete human definition of greatness as the condition of having some sort of earthly superiority or power over other people and/or circumstances.  It could be physical, intellectual, economic, military, cultural/traditional, political, psychological/emotional, technological, or probably many other types and combinations of influential power.  The reason people’s definition of greatness is incomplete is that it says nothing about the application of those advantages here on earth to honor their Source eternally by serving and helping other people. 

 

Jesus’ Definition of Greatness       All of the Gospels record Jesus explaining what eternal greatness requires.  In Luke 9, he told his listeners they must welcome even those least likely to become his followers (like a child standing beside him), because among them they would find the greatest in heaven, with childlike teachability and trust.  His comment about that child seems to me to be a reminder to the disciples to work to “see that of God in every person,” as our Quaker ancestors taught, an instruction similar to Matthew 25:40 (“whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”).  In Mark 10, Jesus told the disciples that the sign of greatness in his kingdom was being a servant to all, and to discipline oneself not to seek to be first but to be content to be last.  In Matthew 23:11,12, he told listeners that people who try to convince others of their greatness will end up being humbled, whereas those who humble themselves will be lifted up.  He illustrated that point in Luke 14:8-11 by telling listeners not to take the best seats at a banquet, because someone more distinguished may arrive and cause you to be moved farther from the host.     

 

Jesus’ Example of Greatness       Reading through the Gospels, it strikes me that everything Jesus ever did had a “servanthood component” to it.  John 2:1-11 tells the story of Jesus saving a friend’s wedding by using his power to miraculously turn water into wine (his first miracle) after the host’s supply had run out.  Soon after he began his public ministry, Jesus miraculously enabled the feeding of multitudes of people (Mark 6:30-44; 8:1-10) who had followed him and couldn’t practically provide for themselves.  He healed people of illnesses and conditions from which they had no hope of recovery (Luke 5:12-26), both as an expression of merciful compassion and as a testimony that he also had power to heal spiritual illness by forgiving sins.  He counseled people, even adversaries, who wanted to understand his message and his mission better (Nicodemus, John 3:1-21).  He helped the Hebrew people to understand their Law as God intended it to be understood to give life, not as the teachers over the centuries had tweaked and adjusted it to excuse their own excesses and to legalistically control people’s lives (Matthew 5,6,7). 
             Jesus rescued people who were in trouble, like the woman about to be executed for committing adultery (John 8:1-11) and his disciples who found themselves in a boat in the middle of a big lake when a terrifying storm hit and they thought they would drown (Matthew 8:23-27).  He set an example of speaking Truth to power, plainly pronouncing seven “woes” upon the Pharisees and teachers of the Law for misleading the Hebrew people and distorting God’s offer of spiritual freedom into a heavy form of bondage (Matthew 23).  John 13 tells of Jesus the master and teacher washing his disciples’ feet when they probably should have washed his.  And as we’ve just celebrated, Jesus chose to suffer undeservedly — for sins he never committed — the horrific indignities and torture of a criminal’s death.  He then rose from his grave to prove his power over death and his desire to forgive sins, and to reconcile each of us to himself.  He now lives to empower us by his Spirit’s presence to live the way God created us to live (I Peter 2:21-25).  In my study of the scriptures, I have not found any instance of Jesus getting paid for doing all those great things.  He did everything to make God known to others.  Greatness cannot get any greater than that.

 

Spiritual Greatness in Today’s World       What should spiritual greatness look like in 2026?  I’m convinced it should have a lot of the qualities of Jesus’ greatness.  It should mean helping others with the practical challenges of daily life when we have the capacity to do so.  It should include feeding people who cannot provide for themselves, and making healing and health easier to access for all who need it.  Greatness in our time should include Christ’s followers living lives of witness and ministry in their homes, workplaces, places of leisure, and everywhere else, because so many people do not know the Gospel’s message of God’s love and hope.  Greatness should be courageous in helping people in trouble, and bold in obediently speaking Truth to power.  Greatness also must be resilient, knowing that God’s enemy hates this kind of greatness and will attempt to thwart it at every turn.
             It reminds me of the goats who played “king on the mountain” on the huge termite mounds near our home in Sudan long ago.  Like human bullies and narcissists, they delighted in taking over the mound by attacking and knocking down the goat that was there before them.  In the same way, the self-esteem of many people in this digital world is being shredded by selfish social media and digital unkindness.  Attackers may feel great doing that, but there is no greatness in them.  Spiritual greatness points people to Christ for their self-esteem – he calls us his friends, children of his heavenly Father.  There is no esteem that can top that – his grace is sufficient.

 

It seems to me that our times cry out for Jesus’ followers to live consistently with the spiritual greatness he demonstrated and now makes possible for each of us.  It won’t make us wealthy or famous or politically powerful or athletic or brilliant or great in any of the other temporary ways the world craves.  It will, however, make us useful in helping his Church to make the Lord known to others, and it will make possible a life of communion with the Spirit who imparts peace, purpose, and assurance of his abiding presence.  Let’s all live spiritually great lives his way.  Let’s be his Friends.

 

 

 Queries for Worship-Sharing and Reflection

 

1)  In your definition, what constitutes human greatness?  How about spiritual greatness?  Where do the two intersect?

2)  What are examples of sacrificial servanthood, and why is it such an essential component of spiritual greatness?

3)  Why does Jesus say those who advocate for their own greatness will be humbled?  Why is the opposite true, too?

4)  What is it about humans that makes us always need to be first?  How does Christ’s presence in us address that?