[Propertalk] Sermon quotes on the Gospel for October 18: Part 4

[Joe Parrish]

The scene closes with Jesus announcing his mission. In all of Mark's Gospel, this is the only time Jesus says a word about his purpose: "For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. 'The entire Gospel centers on this revelation. Here, discipleship and Christology come together. We who would follow will find our purpose and the power to live in Jesus teaching: Whoever wants to be first must become the slave of all, and we'll have the power to do it because of the One who did it first for us.

http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2033

Stacey Elizabeth Simpson, 2000
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Nouwen writes: "The way of the Christian leader is not the way of upward mobility in which the world has invested so much, but the way of downward mobility ending on the cross. . . . It is not a leadership of power and control, but a leadership of powerlessness and humility in which the suffering servant of God, Jesus Christ, is made manifest."

http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=653

Kenneth L. Carder, 1997
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And so before we condemn them, let us see that we all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. Alfred Adler, the great psychoanalyst, contends that this is the dominant impulse. Sigmund Freud used to contend that sex was the dominant impulse, and Adler came with a new argument saying that this quest for recognition, this desire for attention, this desire for distinction is the basic impulse, the basic drive of human life, this drum major instinct. 
http://www.blackwebportal.com/wire/DA.cfm?ArticleID=513

Martin Luther King, Jr., 1968
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Lord, when you at last bring peace on earth, let that peace first be in my heart, in my marriage, in my family.  Lord, when you at last lift up the poor and set things right in the world, be sure that I am one of the major beneficiaries.
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Passed by a church the other day that had a sign out front that proclaimed, "Celebrate Recovery!"  Come, celebrate recovery, redemption, joy with us!  Ever seen a church with a sign out front that read, "Come! Be Crucified!  We've Got a Cross that Fits Your Back Too!"

http://day1.org/1474-good_news

William H. Willimon, 2009
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Being a servant is a MUST, a demand, like water being wet and fire being hot and ice being cold. So a follower of Christ MUST be a servant. 

If fire is not hot, it is not fire. 

If ice is not cold, it is not ice. 

If a follower of Christ is not a servant, he or she is not a disciple. 

Jesus said, "Whoever follows me, MUST be your servant." 

http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_b_having_the_hearts_and_hands_of_a_servant.htm

Edward F. Markquart
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It is pretty easy to see that ambition creates a lot of tension in whatever situation it is found. The American plan is to get ahead! Ahead of what? Ahead of others! Be that financially, socially, on the corporate ladder or whatever ladder is around. It takes place in family, where someone always wants to be ahead of the others. That can be physically--stronger than the others, brighter than the others, more advanced in skills than others. 

http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/archiv-6/040725-5-e.html

Walter Harms, 2004
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