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St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD
October 20, 2024
Year B, Proper 24: The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
Job 38:1-7
Psalm 104:1-9, 25, 37b
Hebrews 5:1-10
Mark 10:35-45
“Eyes Raised, Hands Joined, Feet Bare”
Some of you know that a week ago I made a silent retreat.
You may remember that this is something I’ve done before. But for those of you who didn’t know, yes, I can be quiet for a few days!
For this year’s retreat, I spent the week at a beautiful monastery tucked away in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia – amazingly, just a 90-minute drive from here.
Along with the Trappist monks who live, pray, and work there, about ten of us were on retreat – maintaining silence in the retreat house, taking our meals sitting side by side, not saying a word, which, I have to say, did make me self-conscious of my chewing and the little groans as my body began to digest the food.
A silent retreat gives the time, space, and, most of all, quiet to pray and to think.
And one of the things I reflected on is how I use, or misuse, my time. How much time I waste on unimportant things. How much time I waste scrolling through social media.
Often that scrolling is what they call doomscrolling, reading and looking at posts about all the terrible things going on in our country and world – the natural and human-made disasters, the wars and threats of war, and the approaching election that so many of us dread.
But, that said, sometimes you find something good or inspiring on social media.
For example, the other day, someone posted a letter that Pope Francis wrote to the men he had recently appointed as the newest cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.
The main function of the cardinals is to elect the next pope.
But, throughout much of their history, many cardinals have wielded a lot of power, both within the church and in the secular world, too.
And often this power has been reflected and enhanced by living in great luxury, and by receiving deference from others.
And that deference may be best summed up by how cardinals have been traditionally addressed: “Your Eminence.”
So anyway, Pope Francis wrote to the newly appointed cardinals.
He called on them to have their “eyes raised, hands joined, and feet bare.”
“Eyes raised, hands joined, and feet bare.”
Eyes raised to see farther and love more deeply.
Hands joined in prayer.
And feet bare to touch the harsh realities of life, calling for them to be compassionate and merciful.
Eyes raised, hands joined, and feet bare.
I love that.
And then, here’s how the pope concluded his letter:
“I thank you for your generosity and I assure you of my prayers that the title of ‘servant’ will increasingly eclipse that of ‘eminence.’”
“That the title of ‘servant’ will increasingly eclipse that of ‘eminence.’”
Well, that sure sounds a lot like Jesus, doesn’t it?
Just now, while I was reading today’s gospel lesson, some of you regular churchgoers may have had a sense of déjà vu.
It was just about a month ago that we heard a passage from a little earlier in the Gospel of Mark, that’s a lot like what we heard today.
In that first instance, Jesus and the disciples were walking along the road. Jesus is teaching – warning – preparing his friends that he is going to be betrayed, suffer, die, and rise again.
Meanwhile, what were the disciples talking about, arguing about?
Who among them was the greatest.
With infinite patience, Jesus taught the disciples, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”
That seems pretty clear. One would think that the disciples would’ve gotten the message.
But one would be wrong.
One would be wrong because Jesus’ message and example of servant leadership was radically countercultural in the first century, just as it’s radically countercultural today when most leaders would much rather be eminences rather than lowly servants.
And so here we are today, with the brothers James and John giving us a masterclass in not just getting it.
First, they say to Jesus: “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
Demanding something of Jesus, that’s pretty gutsy.
And then it turns out that James and John have set their sights very high. They’re not interested in who’s the greatest here and now. No, they want the best seats, right beside Jesus, in the Kingdom.
It turns out, Jesus can’t grant that but, he warns the two bold brothers that what they’re asking is going to cost them – that following the way of Jesus – the way of loving service – is going to cost them, it will cost them everything.
The brothers say that they are able to make that sacrifice.
Not totally convincing, I have to say.
And, of course, true to form, the other ten disciples got mad at the brothers and so, yet again, with infinite patience, Jesus reminds them that for him – and for us – the way to true greatness is sacrifice, the way to true greatness is offering loving service.
It was around three years ago - after having spent a few months beginning to get to know this place, after getting to know at least some of you – it was around three years ago that I first suggested that God is calling us to be a “servant church.”
This wasn’t something that I just made up.
As I said back then, generously helping others is woven into the fabric of St. Thomas’ – long before I arrived here there was your deep commitment to Habitat for Humanity, Loaves and Fishes, and Paul’s Place – there was the Christmas Extravaganza - just to give a few examples.
But, over the last three years, what we’ve tried to do is move this beautiful truth about St. Thomas’ to the center of our lives together.
So that when we think about our church – and maybe even when people out there think of our church – one of the first things that we and they think of is that this is a church that doesn’t just serve itself, but this is a church that serves others.
And so, with “eyes raised, hands joined, and feet bare,” this servant church under the servant leadership of our Outreach co-chairs Margaret Green and Betsy Wilmerding, we’ve used our time and our gifts wisely.
We’ve welcomed and cared for new friends who’ve traveled a long and hard road from Afghanistan.
We’ve deepened our commitment and expanded our generosity to the Community Crisis Center.
And, of course, there’s “Owls First,” the new afterschool enrichment program now underway at Owings Mills Elementary School.
Plus, we’re just beginning to build a relationship with Owings Mills High School and just beginning to make friends with leaders in other neighboring faith communities – and who knows where that might lead?
We are a servant church with a lot of wonderful servant friends.
And today, on Outreach Sunday, some of those friends from the Community Crisis Center and Owings Mills Elementary and High Schools, and Hizbullah, our first and much-loved Afghan friend, will be speaking at the 10:00 service.
When you have a chance, I hope you’ll take a look at the video on our website or YouTube channel, or at least, read the descriptions of our outreach work and look at the photos right there in the center of today’s “magazine.”
Today is Outreach Sunday.
Today we celebrate the good work that God is doing in and through our servant church – the good work that God is doing among our servant friends.
“Eyes raised, hands joined, feet bare.”
Amen.
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