Ordinary Time

Pause

“We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans...”

from "Life Together" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1939)

Today we pause to discern how God might be interrupting our lives to break us out of our comfort zone, inviting us into a deeper walk of faith.

Listen

He sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be least of all and the servant of all.” Jesus reached for a little child, placed him among the Twelve, and embraced him. Then he said, “Whoever welcomes one of these children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me isn’t actually welcoming me but rather the one who sent me.”

Mark 9:35-37

Think

In our current society we seek out role models, people who exemplify aspects of the human spirit we find to be important. We emulate their actions in the hope that we too might become strong leaders that can affect change. In the tech world it might be Steve Jobs. Or in the sports world, perhaps LeBron James. Neither are without their faults, but each excelled and inspired others to follow in their footsteps. Perhaps when it comes to our life of faith, we don’t have to look further than these verses from Mark’s Gospel with Jesus’ simple instruction, “Whoever wants to be first must be least of all and the servant of all.”

These words continue to inform and guide my understanding of community, because they are so counter-cultural. We are bombarded with messages of individuality and are encouraged to put our needs before the needs of others. Jesus is challenging us to turn that idea upside down and imagine a different kind of community; a community of selfless giving. Jesus is our role model in this.

Rob Schoeck

Pray

God of all, help me to become the master of myself so that I might become the servant of others. Take my head and think through it. Take my mouth and speak through it. Take my hands and work through them. Take my heart and set it on fire for your love’s sake. Amen.

Adapted from a prayer by Peter Gomes

Go

Be prepared. Whatever your plans are for today, or however you imagined your day going, be prepared.

God may be reaching out to you in the most surprising and unexpected way. God wants to be in relationship with you and is trying to break into your life. It is up to you to be open to that invitation, no matter what guise it might take.

Be prepared, because God loves you and will show you this through the people and the world around you.