These disciples have stars in their eyes. Still. Even with all we’ve heard of Jesus warning of his coming crucifixion. This story seems a bit over the top, though. If you imagine James and John saying this, how old would you guess they are? Don’t they sound like boys trying to talk mom into getting popsicles.

 

However, there’s got to be something else going. Afterall, they are the same disciples who had the courage to go gather the beheaded body of John the Baptist. They lived in a time that was a political tinder box, members of a group who could be killed at the whim of the empire. Indeed, folks were watching and waiting for the Messiah to lead them in revolution. At least some of these folks thought the Messiah was Jesus. While they were right, the revolution was not what they thought it would be despite Jesus’ teachings.

 

Right before this text, Jesus warned his disciples about what was going to happen in Jerusalem yet again. And in this text, they were walking on the road to with the folks behind Jesus feeling amazed and scared. Imagine that, walking to Jerusalem to the place where whatever was going to happen was going to happen. And your leader, who said he’s going to die there, was out front walking alone. How would you feel? Afraid, yes. But also amazed to be in that place and time where God’s liberating action was about to unfold. And you’re there!

 

That’s the context of these brothers coming forward to talk with Jesus. So, they aren’t asking for popsicles or simple glory. They sound more like revolutionaries who want to be at the hearts of the revolution. They want to share in the glory of battle, perhaps even being martyred alongside Jesus.

 

Notice Jesus does not promise anything, beyond sharing in his baptism and his cup. They share in Jesus’ revolution. By the way, friends, so do we. We also share in that baptism and that cup. Does that give you pause? Maybe amaze and scare you just a bit? It does me, I can tell you.

 

“Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized you will be baptized, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to appoint, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

 

We share in baptism with Jesus. And the cup, his path of self-sacrifice for the Kingdom of God, we also share. The cup that is the new covenant in his blood, we partake in every Sunday. We are a part of this wild ride, this revolution of love that is re-making the world. 

 

While Jesus included James and John in his revolution with the baptism and cup, he also said it is not for him to appoint who is to sit and the right and the left. They are included, yes, but not in the specific path that was Jesus’ to take.

 

James and John were wondering about their specific roles. They wanted their role to the be same as Jesus. Jesus knew this wasn’t to be the case. But that doesn’t mean that they weren’t included in the love revolution. They were, but just had different jobs, different roles than Jesus. And the same is true for us.

 

You may not see yourself as a revolutionary. But you are. We are.

 

We are people who seek the way of Jesus so that we can live it. The way of love. The way of forgiveness. The way of servant leadership, where the greatest of us all will be the servant of all.

 

James and John didn’t get their answer about their vocations, their particular role to play in the coming revolution, besides the fact that they wouldn’t be crucified with Jesus. James and John, though, did get a clue; that whatever they did in this revolution they were to do in the spirit of being a servant. They were not to seek their own glory, but to be a servant to all.

 

One of the dearest, most earnest questions people ask themselves are, “What is it that I should do with my life? What is my role to play? How am I to serve? How can I live my life well?” How do we best answer this question that James and John were also asking here.

 

Jesus’ answer is we’re not all called to the same work or the same activity in the world, even if we are all still part of this revolution of love and justice. We’re still sharing in that baptism and in that cup. We’re not necessarily called to be crucified (thank God!), but we are called to do something for the sake of the revolution. We are to pick up our cross (not Jesus’ or anyone else’s), aka enter into our role in the greater revolution of Christ’s love in our world.

 

And yet this question of vocation, what we are to do, is not easy to discern. This is usually one of people’s most tricky questions. It can also be hard for churches or organizations to truly know.

 

For individual Christians and churches, some things are clear. We are to:

• Love Jesus
• Share the good news
• Love people regardless of all the reasons you might have to not love them
• Challenge systems of domination and oppression

 

These are all things I think we can agree on. We can say ‘yes’ to all of that. But when you think about what to actually do to express these things, it gets trickier. There’s not one way to be human. There’s not one way to be Christian or to be church. There’s not one way to do these things that we are called to do.

 

There is a lot of blessing in that. We can be diverse. We can put our unique constellations of capacities to work in different ways. That’s great. But it requires that we have a way to discern, a way to know what the right action for us as individuals or communities is.

 

At my First Call Theological Education I just got back from, we were asked a question that was meant to help us understand our vocation as church communities. They asked, “What would the people in your neighborhood or city (as in not church members) miss if your church closed today?” It’s a good question and it’s a question that is based on wondering what others would say about our vocation.

 

We often think vocation is something that we discern or figure out by listening just to ourselves.  But I have to say, if I only listened to myself, there’s no way I’d be a pastor. People around me pointed me in that direction. For better or worse for you guys, here I am. And I’m loving it. I do believe it is my vocation. 

 

So, I wonder, what if listening to others is an important part of discernment. Perhaps we do need to hear the wisdom of others to not only see our gifts more clearly, but to also learn about the needs of others that we might be able to meet in our unique way. Even imagining the voice of our neighbors in response to the question, “What would you miss about Celebration if we closed tomorrow?”, could be informative for us about our role in Christ’s love revolution. It might also be an invitation for us to go deeper into that role.

 

What I’ve noticed about following a vocation that is in alignment with God’s will is that doors open, things line up, and the world begins to make more sense instead of less sense. I’ve seen that in my life and in my friends’ lives. I’ve heard stories about this happening for churches, when the heart of the people comes into alignment with the Holy Spirit. The same sorts of things happen. I’m sure the people who established Celebration and built this beautiful building would say they felt this very thing.

 

We’re in a new time and place, and I believe in the beginning of a new flow for us with the Spirit. But I also  wonder about Celebration’s vocation now. What’s our expression in Christ’s love revolution in this time and place?

 

These are questions that can be hard to answer well. So, in addition to us asking questions of others, we can ask questions of ourselves. As you came in, each of you was offered a list of values. You’ll see the same list is printed on the front and back, one list for you and one for Celebration. Starting from this list (but adding more if you’d like), what are your top 2 or 3 personal values? And then ask the same questions for Celebration. Take this home to consider. Or talk it over at Fellowship time.

 

What might these values tell you about your vocation in Christ’s love revolution? Or Celebration? Who might you want to talk with about this? What ideas does this generate for you, particularly in terms of your sense of call as a love revolutionary?

 

As we come to the end of the church year, edging nearer the end of our calendar year, coming towards the end of my first year as the new pastor of your church, it could be a particularly juicy time to ask these questions of ourselves and of each other. We are all revolutionaries in God’s loving revolution where the last become the first, where the great are called to serve. Just how we do that is a good and ever evolving question.

 

So, let’s not make the mistake that James and John made, presuming that they knew the role they were to play. Let’s ask. Let’s pray. Let’s listen and be curious. What do the good people in our lives have to tell us? What’s the Holy Spirit nudging us towards? These are exciting questions to ask! The answers are different for all of us, but we can trust that the answer is there for us to hear.

 

And the people say…

 

AMEN