Mark 10:35-45

Sometimes we can get things so perfectly wrong that we don't have even a hint that we've stepped in it again. Here's one example:

Drive through any town or suburb in America and you will see signs announcing the names of local churches. There will be a "First Presbyterian", a "First United Methodist", a "First Baptist", a "First United Church of Christ." Only after the "First" designation has been snapped up to later churches start to shop around for a different name. "Second" isn’t very popular. Better to be "Third" or "Fourth." There is even one "Twelfth Presbyterian Church" that I know of. Every church wants to be "First." And if they can't be first, most abandon being numbered altogether.

There is a church in Dayton, Ohio, founded and pastored by the Rev. Dr. Daryl Ward, that has taken a step out of that traditional line up. They call themselves "Omega Baptist Church." What is "Omega?" "Omega" is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. The divine declaration of being "the alpha and the omega" is another way of saying "the first and the last." In other words, "Omega Baptist Church" isn't claiming "first" place for itself. It is putting itself at the end of the line. It's another way of calling itself the "Last Baptist Church."

Being last, being the bottom of the heap, being so far out of the competition that the competition doesn't even know you are there, is so NOT the place any of us want to be. The American dream of "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps," of homegrown grit and a gimcrack, "go-get-'em" spirit, is the capstone of our society. The reward of hard work is to get ahead, get to the top, to be first in all you do. Second place is second rate. We all want to "go for the gold." We all want to win.

James and John, the "Sons of Zebedee," certainly did. In today's gospel text they try to shake Jesus down. "Teacher we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." Isn't that a shake-down? They want to ensure for themselves the best seats in the house at the messianic banquet in the glorified future. They want to sit at the head of the table, on the right and the left hand of Jesus himself. They want the honor that they think should come from following Jesus.

But Jesus turns their hoped-for hierarchy on its head.

(from http://www.sermons.com)