Proper 20
Devotional
Pause Before The Pulpit
Personal Reflections For Pastors On The Lectionary Readings
Mark 9:30-37
Competition and power struggles can greatly hinder the effectiveness of a church's ministry. In our text, we read that Jesus saw this coming and, though the problem was in its early stages, he stopped it before it got out of hand. Even though the argument was between a few men, it had the potential to damage the spirit of the whole group. Perhaps we smile when we read the account, for it seemed like a silly argument, but it does emphasize the fact that those men were no different than any of us. For that reason, this text certainly speaks to the church today about competition and power struggles.
Pastors face this issue on several fronts, the first being our own internal struggles with competition and power. I'm sure I am not the first pastor who has felt a twinge of envy when other churches in town, or other churches in the synod, are doing better than mine. Perhaps I'm not the only pastor who has wondered why others get asked to speak at church gatherings and conventions, but I seldom am. However, does a growing church and an itinerary of speaking engagements make one pastor better than another? The devil would want me to think so. The fact is, a small minority of pastors have large churches and get asked to speak at church gatherings and conventions. That means that the majority of pastors are like me; working with small, struggling congregations, who are seldom noticed and recognized for what they accomplish or what they have to say. And Jesus said: Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.
Pastors also face competition and power struggles with their parishioners. Many churches seem to have "patriarchs" and "matriarchs" who have been around since the church was founded. They seem to know what is "best" for the church and make sure everyone knows that. If they do not currently hold an office in the church, they will try to "throw their weight around" at congregational meetings, often causing division in the church. Often these people engage in power struggles with the pastor, which can polarize church members against one another. What are we to do?
Pastors can address these power struggles by preaching on this text (and others like it) and remind people what Jesus said: Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. We also would do well to honestly evaluate our own attitudes and make sure we are not getting swept into their competition and power struggles. If preaching on and modeling servanthood doesn't bring about changes and if the constitutional process of dealing with leadership issues doesn't bring improvement, then maybe it's time for the church to be without a pastor for a while.
Last of all, pastors face these issues on the synodical level. This is the actual living out of a pastor's internal struggles that I mentioned earlier. It is one thing to think competitively; it is quite another to become competitive in the politics of the church in an effort to be the greatest. Many pastors struggle with big egos. It feels good to be promoted and assume more responsibility, but if we are doing it for no other reason than to be the greatest, watch out, for we may be headed for a downfall.
I am, by nature and personality, susceptible to pride and a big ego. I know how easy it is for me to talk "big" and brag about my accomplishments. I know how quickly power and prominence can go to my head. Therefore, serving small churches and seldom being asked to speak at large church gatherings may well be God's answers to my prayers, for I am so fearful of falling into a similar situation as those disciples. If being first really means being last and a servant of all, then that's what I want. I pray God will keep me there, whether anyone notices or not.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
My pride scares me. Please don't let me hinder your work through me by getting involved in competition and power struggles. Help me to know how to preach and teach this text to the people in my church so they, too, will understand the value of being last and servant of all. Thank you. Amen.
James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a
I saw a cute saying on a church sign recently that read: "If God is your co-pilot, switch seats." I've since thought of another one: "If the devil is your co-pilot, switch planes!"
Something which no pastor should take lightly is the ongoing need for God's wisdom. Any time we start depending on our own wisdom to carry us along in ministry, we are no longer "flying" with God. We are bound to "crash," for like a terrorist hi-jacker, that's exactly what the devil wants to see happen to us.
In this text, James effectively compared a person without God's wisdom to one with it. This applies to the church as well.
Beginning with the dark side of this issue, let's look at what characterizes a person, or congregation, who is operating under the devil's wisdom. They will have bitter envy and selfish ambition in their hearts. They will be boastful and false to the truth. There will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. Sadly, this not only describes unbelievers, but some pastors and churches as well. If this describes you or your church, it's time for some serious spiritual house cleaning, involving the confession of sins, true repentance, and yielding once again to God's gracious will for you and your church.
"But," we might ask, "where did these things mentioned above come from? I was doing so well before." Well, James may have the answer to that: Those conflicts and disputes among you ... come from your cravings that are at war within you. You want something and do not have it ... you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. Can we not see, in these statements from James, the root causes of a lot of church conflicts? When pastors or congregations (or both) start thinking selfishly, apart from God's wisdom, things get messy real fast.
James went on to point out that there is also a problem with the prayer life of the pastor and/or congregation: You do not have, because you do not ask. [If you do ask], You ... do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. I inserted a few words for emphasis, for that is basically what James was saying. When we rely on our wisdom, or the wisdom of others, we quit praying before, during, and after our meetings. If we do still pray, the prayers start to sound more like this: "Dear God, please bless our church and help us raise lots of money so we can become the biggest and best church in town. Amen." I think you get the point.
On the brighter side of this issue, are the characteristics of a person, or congregation, who operates under God's wisdom. God's wisdom looks like this: Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom ... wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. What a sharp contrast to the person or congregation operating under human wisdom (which, I remind you, is really the devil's wisdom). Which set of characteristics would you like yourself and your church to be known for?
If our life and ministry, and that of our church, have resembled the first set of characteristics more than the latter, but we really want to change, then listen to James' directive on what to do next: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
You've already been impacted by God's Word through this text, so the very next thing to do is talk to God about what you've discovered. If this is something your congregation needs to do, then preach this text and at the end of the sermon lead them in prayer, maybe even inviting others to pray as well.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
I know I have sinned repeatedly by following the devil's wisdom and not yours. Please forgive me and my congregation. I want, from this day on, to seek your wisdom and be guided by you. I want my life and my church to show the characteristics of people who are living according to your wisdom. I ask this for Jesus' sake and your honor and glory. Thank you. Amen.
Competition and power struggles can greatly hinder the effectiveness of a church's ministry. In our text, we read that Jesus saw this coming and, though the problem was in its early stages, he stopped it before it got out of hand. Even though the argument was between a few men, it had the potential to damage the spirit of the whole group. Perhaps we smile when we read the account, for it seemed like a silly argument, but it does emphasize the fact that those men were no different than any of us. For that reason, this text certainly speaks to the church today about competition and power struggles.
Pastors face this issue on several fronts, the first being our own internal struggles with competition and power. I'm sure I am not the first pastor who has felt a twinge of envy when other churches in town, or other churches in the synod, are doing better than mine. Perhaps I'm not the only pastor who has wondered why others get asked to speak at church gatherings and conventions, but I seldom am. However, does a growing church and an itinerary of speaking engagements make one pastor better than another? The devil would want me to think so. The fact is, a small minority of pastors have large churches and get asked to speak at church gatherings and conventions. That means that the majority of pastors are like me; working with small, struggling congregations, who are seldom noticed and recognized for what they accomplish or what they have to say. And Jesus said: Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.
Pastors also face competition and power struggles with their parishioners. Many churches seem to have "patriarchs" and "matriarchs" who have been around since the church was founded. They seem to know what is "best" for the church and make sure everyone knows that. If they do not currently hold an office in the church, they will try to "throw their weight around" at congregational meetings, often causing division in the church. Often these people engage in power struggles with the pastor, which can polarize church members against one another. What are we to do?
Pastors can address these power struggles by preaching on this text (and others like it) and remind people what Jesus said: Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. We also would do well to honestly evaluate our own attitudes and make sure we are not getting swept into their competition and power struggles. If preaching on and modeling servanthood doesn't bring about changes and if the constitutional process of dealing with leadership issues doesn't bring improvement, then maybe it's time for the church to be without a pastor for a while.
Last of all, pastors face these issues on the synodical level. This is the actual living out of a pastor's internal struggles that I mentioned earlier. It is one thing to think competitively; it is quite another to become competitive in the politics of the church in an effort to be the greatest. Many pastors struggle with big egos. It feels good to be promoted and assume more responsibility, but if we are doing it for no other reason than to be the greatest, watch out, for we may be headed for a downfall.
I am, by nature and personality, susceptible to pride and a big ego. I know how easy it is for me to talk "big" and brag about my accomplishments. I know how quickly power and prominence can go to my head. Therefore, serving small churches and seldom being asked to speak at large church gatherings may well be God's answers to my prayers, for I am so fearful of falling into a similar situation as those disciples. If being first really means being last and a servant of all, then that's what I want. I pray God will keep me there, whether anyone notices or not.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
My pride scares me. Please don't let me hinder your work through me by getting involved in competition and power struggles. Help me to know how to preach and teach this text to the people in my church so they, too, will understand the value of being last and servant of all. Thank you. Amen.
James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a
I saw a cute saying on a church sign recently that read: "If God is your co-pilot, switch seats." I've since thought of another one: "If the devil is your co-pilot, switch planes!"
Something which no pastor should take lightly is the ongoing need for God's wisdom. Any time we start depending on our own wisdom to carry us along in ministry, we are no longer "flying" with God. We are bound to "crash," for like a terrorist hi-jacker, that's exactly what the devil wants to see happen to us.
In this text, James effectively compared a person without God's wisdom to one with it. This applies to the church as well.
Beginning with the dark side of this issue, let's look at what characterizes a person, or congregation, who is operating under the devil's wisdom. They will have bitter envy and selfish ambition in their hearts. They will be boastful and false to the truth. There will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. Sadly, this not only describes unbelievers, but some pastors and churches as well. If this describes you or your church, it's time for some serious spiritual house cleaning, involving the confession of sins, true repentance, and yielding once again to God's gracious will for you and your church.
"But," we might ask, "where did these things mentioned above come from? I was doing so well before." Well, James may have the answer to that: Those conflicts and disputes among you ... come from your cravings that are at war within you. You want something and do not have it ... you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. Can we not see, in these statements from James, the root causes of a lot of church conflicts? When pastors or congregations (or both) start thinking selfishly, apart from God's wisdom, things get messy real fast.
James went on to point out that there is also a problem with the prayer life of the pastor and/or congregation: You do not have, because you do not ask. [If you do ask], You ... do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. I inserted a few words for emphasis, for that is basically what James was saying. When we rely on our wisdom, or the wisdom of others, we quit praying before, during, and after our meetings. If we do still pray, the prayers start to sound more like this: "Dear God, please bless our church and help us raise lots of money so we can become the biggest and best church in town. Amen." I think you get the point.
On the brighter side of this issue, are the characteristics of a person, or congregation, who operates under God's wisdom. God's wisdom looks like this: Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom ... wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. What a sharp contrast to the person or congregation operating under human wisdom (which, I remind you, is really the devil's wisdom). Which set of characteristics would you like yourself and your church to be known for?
If our life and ministry, and that of our church, have resembled the first set of characteristics more than the latter, but we really want to change, then listen to James' directive on what to do next: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
You've already been impacted by God's Word through this text, so the very next thing to do is talk to God about what you've discovered. If this is something your congregation needs to do, then preach this text and at the end of the sermon lead them in prayer, maybe even inviting others to pray as well.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
I know I have sinned repeatedly by following the devil's wisdom and not yours. Please forgive me and my congregation. I want, from this day on, to seek your wisdom and be guided by you. I want my life and my church to show the characteristics of people who are living according to your wisdom. I ask this for Jesus' sake and your honor and glory. Thank you. Amen.
