At The Right Hand Of God

If I hire someone to mow my lawn, I want it done right. And I expect my garbage to be picked up promptly and the bin back in its correct place. I expect good roads and clean parks in my neighbourhood.

I want to be served, and to be served well. I want to be respected, and listened to, and to have my opinions valued, and I believe, so do we all.

These wants aren’t entirely wrong. But they can easily go very wrong and lead one first to insensitivity, to rudeness, to arrogance, and finally to tyranny.

And so, when I really think about it, I am like James and John. All of us have inside a part of James and John, and by that nature would rather be served than to serve.

I think that even the most righteous among us occasionally dreams of winning the lottery and of living in ease the rest of our days rather than of the satisfaction of serving others and serving them well.

And so today, in the name of God, I deliver you a reminder. A reminder about Jesus and what he said and did.

Jesus said, “Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant. And whoever wishes to first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus could not tell James or John who would end up sitting at his left or his right hand. As he said to them, it was not even something that he could grant. But, Jesus himself sits at the right hand of God.

He sits there because he gave himself to us wholly and completely, because he served God and served us all with all of his heart, soul and body.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph just a few days

before his death, He rode on a humble ass, not on a mighty stallion; and he stayed in the humble home of a friend, not in some palacious house with multiple bathrooms, and under main roof parking for various chariots.

Look at Jesus, he gave food to the hungry and visited the sick, and performed many miracles to help people in need. Jesus didn’t just wash people’s souls clean of sin, he knelt beside them and washed their feet clean of dust and dirt. And not once did he complain that no one appreciated him, nor did he open his mouth when he was reviled and persecuted, because he was a friend of sinners.

At one time, he fled from the crowds that wanted to make him a king where they could continuously ask of him to better their life and satisfy all their dreams. They too, were like James and John wanting to be kings and have Jesus serve them. But that is not the way of Jesus nor is it the way he has planned for us.

Today, in our gospel story we have been given a reminder of who is at the right hand of God and of some of the reasons for why Jesus is there. This reminder is for us, so that when we speak to our children, and when we consider what is worth while and what is worthy of respect, let us then, first consider Jesus and his way, and be encouraged to know that he has gone before us and leads us on the path to the side of God. Jesus has shown us that it is better to give than to receive, better to serve than to be served, this is the way to true happiness, joy and peace in our life. And, is it not those very blessings we want for ourselves and for our children?