What is it you want me to do for you is such a great question. Jesus was a master at asking questions. In the Gospel passage from Mark that we just heard, the sons of thunder, James and John, say, “teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” Jesus doesn’t say, “okay,” or “you know I can’t agree to that,” or “are you kidding me?” or any number of things he might have said in response. He asks, “What is it you want me to do for you?” They tell him – “we want to be right next to you all the way.” He cautions them and then asks a follow-up question: “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They insist that they are able. He agrees – rather, in the story, he predicts that they will be able. (We know from biblical scholarship that this is a literary device because this passage was most likely written after James and John had met violent deaths themselves because of their commitment to following Jesus.) If I were subtitling sections of the Gospel, I’d call this the “be careful what you wish for” section.

The context of this passage of the Gospel reading is a big reality check. Jesus has assured his followers that they will receive fullness of life – sounds exciting! But then the very next thing Mark says is that “they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Jesus has told them at least twice before that when they get to Jerusalem he will be nailed to a cross – and now they’re headed right for Jerusalem. Anyone who saw it would marvel and anyone in their right mind, following Jesus, would be afraid.

Perhaps you’ve heard this Gospel lesson preached about in a way that pokes at James and John for elbowing their way to the front, for trying to get ahead – I know I have. But this year, when I reflected on this story, I noticed something a little different. I noticed that Jesus doesn’t seem at all annoyed by James’ and John’s request – just careful to clarify what it is they’re asking and then to clarify what is up to God to determine. I also noticed that Mark tells us about the anger, the indignation, of the other ten. The text doesn’t explain why they were angry and it’s not obvious to me. Perhaps they were angry because James and John had run ahead to talk with Jesus and got him to agree that they would share in his cup and his baptism. Perhaps they’re annoyed by James and John’s unchecked displays of desire. Perhaps they were angry because James and John were clearly not in their right mind if they were asking for what was about to happen to Jesus to happen to them as well and the rest of the disciples were still trying to figure out how Jesus could avoid Jerusalem. I imagine if we did a little brainstorming, we could come up with any number of reasons that we think the ten might have been angry or indignant. We don’t really know what motivated any of them.

That’s interesting to me. So I wonder what this might be saying to us. What makes some part of us long to be right by Jesus’ side? What makes a part of us angry or indignant when we’re amazed and afraid and trying to follow Jesus and do the right thing? Well, having been around here about a year and a half, I can tell you that I know a few answers to the second question, but not as many answers to the first question. This is not a group that talks so much about desire to by right by Jesus’ side. I know the desire’s there – I can see it in your faces, in your actions, when you come together and I can sense it in the work that I know you do when you’re away from this place.

By comparison, I know a lot about what makes us angry or indignant when we’re amazed and afraid and trying to do the right thing. When someone doesn’t show proper respect or gratitude, look out! Worse, when someone takes advantage of our generosity – and takes more than what we think their share should be – we generally cannot stop talking about that. Although it might seem foolish or naïve to demand positions of honor with Jesus, a serious attempt to put the ethic of sacrificial service into practice in our everyday lives quickly shows how much honor we expect from others. We also know how quickly jealousy breaks out when one part seems to have acquired a privilege that others could not share or did not know about. (1)

Jesus’ response is a reminder about the way power is used in the world. “The rulers of the Gentiles,” he says, “lord it over them and their great ones are tyrants over them.” It was like that then, it is like that now. “But,” Jesus says, “it is not so among you.” The tone that I imagine Jesus is taking is like the tone that an adult takes with a young child who has just said or done something wrong. “We don’t say that” or “We don’t do that.” (Of course, “we” just did, but the adult says it in a positive way to teach the right behavior.) “In this community,” Jesus says, “we don’t lord power or control over others, we serve. In this community, we don’t get served; we sacrifice.”

Jesus, in other words, is now saying what it is he wants them to do for him. He’s tricky like that. You are to behave as servants, Jesus instructs, as slaves. But get this – slaves for whom freedom has been won, captives for whom ransom has been paid, prisoners for whom bail bond has been posted – so cheer up! Imagine that Jesus is asking us. “What is it you want me to do for you?” Imagine knowing what to ask for and being brave enough to ask it. Imagine being reminded the cup that we drink and the baptism with which we are baptized are the same cup and baptism of Jesus with all the agony and all the glory. Imagine being told what it is that Jesus wants us to do for him – not because we have to, but because we’re free. We’re free. Feel how good it is to be free and imagine how we might respond, starting (again) right now. As we heard last week, God asks for what seems impossible and God does what seems impossible.

On that note, I want to lead you through two exercises. I know some of you are thinking “oh good!” and more of you are groaning inwardly and looking for the nearest exit. And to the latter, I say, bear with me, it will only take a minute or two out of your day. Our best learning always happens when we’re out of our comfort zone – whether we step out or fall out or are pushed out of our comfort zone.

If you are unable to stand up, you can do this exercise sitting down if you move toward the edge of your seat. Everyone (who is able) stand up. Stretch out your right arm (and if you don’t have enough room, just stretch out your right elbow). Look over your fingers (or your elbow) and turn as far as you can – as far as you can – and mark the spot on the wall to see how far you went. Okay. Face front. Now (same arm, same direction) turn again as far as you can. (Turn back around.) How many of you went further than you did the first time? Okay. Now do it a third time – turn again as far as you can. (Turn back around.) How many went even further still? Okay – you can sit back down. The first, second and third time, I said, “go as far as you can,” you did right? And each time, for most of you, you were able to go further. Obviously, our ability to stretch is not unlimited, but with stretching exercises, most of us would be able to turn even further than we did the 3rd time.

It seems to me that stretching is what the wardens and vestry and stewardship committee are asking this body – Emmanuel Church – to do this pledge stewardship season. They are asking for another stretch knowing that most of you have already stretched as far as you can. They are trusting that if you stretch again you will be able to go further.

The next exercise I want to lead you through has to do with the theme of this year’s pledge stewardship campaign: Making Emmanuel Church, and how each one matters but none of us can make Emmanuel Church alone. And it’s impossible to make “church” whether we mean church as a worship service, or church as a building, or church as the gathered community, it’s impossible to make church with an assembly of individuals. So in between individuals and the whole gathered body, are essential small groups. If you look at the words in your bulletin under where the sermon is listed, you’ll see a box around one of the three words. It was our way of highlighting on a black and white copier! Roughly 1/3 of you have a box around the word “making,” 1/3 have a box around the word “Emmanuel,” and 1/3 have a box around the word “Church.” What I’d like you to do is to take 15 seconds to look around you and find people who have the other words that you would need to Make Emmanuel Church. If you don’t know already each other, introduce yourselves. (You might have to stand up again.) Okay, you can sit back down. What I imagine is that some groups came together very easily, and some groups took a little more effort, and some groups didn’t get complete. For those of you who didn’t achieve a complete group, I hope you’ll be patient enough to hang around and welcome the people who aren’t here yet who will come into this place looking for connection. It is both humbling and essential to make those connections.

I want to close by reading this prayer on giving and receiving by Walter Brueggemann that captures the essence of humility – acknowledging our reliance on each other and God and the instrinsic worth of God’s creations and speaks to possibilities. It’s called “On Generosity.” (2)