James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John (Mark 10:35-41 NRS).
(Image courtesy of gardenofpraise.com)
Last week I spent three days at a gathering with three hundred other United Methodist clergy from around the state. It was a spirit-filled time, and a blessing to me in many ways. Yet I took notice of a phenomenon that often is hidden from those outside the intimate world of clergy collegiality: competition. Maybe you are surprised, then again, maybe you are not. We are, after all, only human. We have great desire to serve the Lord who called us into ordained ministry, but we also exhibit all the faults of humanity. It is not cut throat like the financial sector on Wall Street, but it can be intense. Then again who has not seen this same social dynamic at work within a church? Competition is not limited to either clergy or laity. It seems to be pervasive in both and through out all humanity.
Clergy competition reveals itself in the need to pontificate to one another, to pray twice as long as the one who prayed before you, and to offer up your church’s stats and events calendar at inopportune times. I guess there is this proneness to bragging about our church, our ministries, and our congregation. Like proud parents, we rejoice at what our congregations accomplish in Christ’s name, but, unlike parents, we are on the same level as our church members. We are all disciples of Christ, and we are all working to fulfill the Kingdom of God. What I realized in the midst of observing this covert competition is that we need to spend less time competing and more time communing. Not as in hippy kumbaya kind of commune, but gathering together in community to communicate with one another in profound intimacy. Through clergy communion we exchange our ideas, our experience, and develop a deep sense of connectivity that is so vital in the United Methodist Church. We acknowledge this need for laity and the local church. We have named it and blessed it “fellowship.”
Yet when I read the above text from the Gospel of Mark, I see the seed of competition even in those first called to be set apart for servant leadership: the Apostles. I can just see the other ten seething when they learn that James and John have been jockeying for a prime position in the Kingdom to come. Some think preference should be given for length of service, others for quality of job performance. Meanwhile, they are too busy worrying about what the others are doing to be focused on being the best disciples they can be. They have accomplished a lot by this time, but they have also had some monumental failures. Instead of communing and consolidating their resources and experience, they are being divided by their humanist tendencies. They were all called by Christ. They all have a share in the Kingdom. They all have much to share with one another. We can learn a lot from those first twelve, both positive and negative lessons. What we need to grasp is the idea that those twelve learned to commune regularly and worship Christ together, even after his ascension. They continued to be perfected in the same divine love that saved them from their sins. They continued to urge one another to follow the will of God, and spread the Gospel truth. Competition only clouds the mission. Communion clarifies it with the lens of Christ.
Prayer:
Christ, our Lord,
How wondrous is your love for us,
Even when we divide ourselves and quarrel with one another!
Transform our conversations from competition,
Into joy, praise, and sharing the blessings we have received.
Let Christians come together in your holy name,
And discover the richness of manifesting the Body of Christ,
Not only for the world, but for us as well.
Bring humility into our hearts,
And our hearts into our hands.
We desire to serve you and all God’s people.
May it be so, and pleasing to you.
Amen.
She Offered Them Christ 