Jamey's Newsletter: Sunday, April 28, 2024
As a child, I had the typical sibling rivalry with my two younger brothers. Every time our parents announced a trip to the store, it was a race to the car. We would dash out the door, shouting 'Shotgun!' at the top of our lungs, each vying for the coveted front passenger seat.
Do you know what "shotgun" means? Whoever called it out first got to ride in the front passenger seat. The term harkens back to horse-drawn buggy days when the passenger would hold a shotgun to fend off robbers.
When I read the account of James and John going to Jesus and saying, "Grant us to sit, on your right hand and one at your left, in your glory" (Mark 10: 37), I think of them saying before the other disciples, "We call shotgun!"
"Lord, when you are elected Messiah and your kingdom is come, we want to sit on your cabinet." After all, they are the ones who left everything and followed Jesus. They risk their reputation by attaching themselves to this traveling preacher. They are the ones who believed in him when everyone else refused. It seems understandable that they would request a place of honor. And James and John were clever enough to call "shotgun" first.
Jesus wanted to set the record straight and tell them, "You do not know what you are asking" (Mark 10: 38).
My dad has a flock of chickens. The chickens have been together for a while and seem to get along. The chickens established the pecking order early on. One day, another chicken showed up. I don't know how a chicken shows up, but anything is possible when you live in Clermont, Georgia.
Anyway, my dad checked on the chickens the next day, but the poor chicken visitor barely had any feathers. The chicken had disrupted the pecking order and was paying the consequences.
The pecking order is reserved for more than just chickens. It shows up in the boardroom and the classroom. There is always someone fighting for the top position. From Wall Street to Peachtree Street to Green Street, someone always tries to beat everyone else at the game of life. Some will stop at nothing until they reach the top of the pecking order.
James and John are trying to peck their way to the top, and the other disciples are not having it. They become angry at James and John, and Jesus uses the situation as a teaching moment.
Jesus seems to be saying that the unbelievers, the ones outside the reign of God, are more interested in calling shotgun and creating a pecking order that is only focused on power and control. But this is not how I am ordering my kingdom and the work of my kingdom, Jesus implies. He says, "Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all" (Mark 10: 43 - 44).
There is an old Native American story of a young, brave warrior who goes to an elder and says, "I am in turmoil. My life is divided. My heart is filled with selfishness on one hand and wanting to do good on the other." The elder says, "Two dogs live within the heart. One is good, and one is evil." "How do I know which one will win?" asks the young man. "The one you feed," says the elder.
Within our hearts are both arrogance and humility, selfishness and selflessness. The apostle Paul put it this way: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do" (Romans 7:15).
There is a desire to serve and a craving to be served—the one we feed wins. Jesus says God's way is the way of serving others.
Jesus rejected a leadership of power but pointed to a leadership of service.
I encourage you to commit to one act of service this week. Whether volunteering for our ongoing community projects, reaching out to a neighbor in need, or simply offering a kind word to someone struggling, every service is significant.
Jamey
Last Week’s Worship Service at Gainesville First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Georgia
Click Here to Watch Modern Service: Love Our City through Acts of Reconciliation
Click Here to Watch Classic Service: Love Our City through Acts of Reconciliation
Interested in watching this week’s Service? Click Here
Weekly Prayer
Heavenly Father, we ask for Your grace to truly embrace the path of servanthood, to seek not the highest seat but to serve where the need is greatest. Lord, help us remember that we serve You in serving each other. Amen.
Wisdom Nugget: Choosing service over status is the better way.
A Question to Consider: Service is a path to true greatness. What's one way you can serve in your community this week?
Meme of the week
Dad Jokes
What do you call a detective who solves cases accidentally? Sheer Luck Holmes!
I heard you should always look into a mirror before making a big decision. It helps you reflect!
Photo Taken By Me
Book I read this week
(Thank you, Laura Head, for the recommendation. If you have a book recommendation, please send it my way)
Summary: Jonathan Haidt investigates the severe decline in youth mental health that began in the early 2010s. Haidt, a social psychologist, examines how changes in childhood—from a play-based to a phone-based structure—have contributed significantly to rising rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide among adolescents.
Videos I Found Interesting:
How Cell Phones Impact Our Relationship by Simon Sinek
Found Interesting on Social Media
Articles that caught my eye:
Let the Cultural Christians Come unto Jesus
The True Cost of the Churchgoing Bust
70 Sayings You Learned From Your Southern Grandma
Podcast Worth Listening to:
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Volunteers and Supplies needed for VBS at Gainesville First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Georgia
Click Here to Sign Up to Volunteer
Happening at Gainesville First United Methodist Church
Sunday, May 5th / 11am / Lakeside
We are celebrating Confirmation Sunday and the beginning of Lakeside season by having one worship service at 11am at Lakeside on Sunday, May 5. Everyone is invited to stay and enjoy a free taco lunch under the big tent after worship!
Weekly Blessing and/or Quotes
Go forth with the courage to serve, the heart to understand, and the hands ready to work God's will in your lives and in the lives of others. Amen.
