Listen

Peter said to him, “Look, we’ve left everything and followed you.”

Jesus said, “I assure you that anyone who has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farms because of me and because of the good news will receive one hundred times as much now in this life—houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and farms (with harassment)—and in the coming age, eternal life. But many who are first will be last. And many who are last will be first.”

Mark 10:28-31

Think

Next May, I will celebrate forty years of ordained ministry in various congregations and denominations, and I understand the meaning of leaving family and letting go of desires and hopes in service to God better now than I did at twenty-five. Today’s text reminds us that the joy of serving God through Christ comes with a sense of “sacrificial giving.” Jesus promised Peter and his fellow disciples would receive “one hundred times as much now in this life,” and the gift of eternal life. This same promise applies to the community that follows Jesus.

The true call of Mark 10 is the intersection of sacrifice and committed discipleship. Jesus, as he did with Peter and the disciples, affirms and blesses you for leaving behind possessions, desires, and family to follow him on this faith journey. Jesus’ words are as powerful and meaningful for you today as they were for the disciples.

Tom Baynham

Pray

God, Creator and Spirit, I ask for your presence to remind me of the joy of being in service with you and for you. Empower me through your Holy Spirit to faithfully and diligently honor your will through discipleship and sacrifice. Amen.

Go

O people, lay up your treasures in glory.

Your treasures in this world will fade away, but the things of the Lord will last forevermore!