Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost (22 September 2024)
Readings
Sermon
Sermon Text: Mark 9:35
Jesus said that if anyone wants to be first, they must be last of all and a servant of all. This is blasphemy to our culture which promotes a me-first attitude to just about everything. This is not the biblical perspective which urges us to have a mind like Christ. He is Lord of all who came into this world to suffer and die to set us from free sin and death. Our Lord was a servant to us and that is what makes himself first among us. We should imitate Christ by sacrificing ourselves for others in body but also word. God works through His Word to bring life to us in Christ. Therefore, in addition to helping others according to their bodily needs, we should also be proclaim the life-giving Gospel. At times, we will also need the Law to tell people they should not think “Me First!” but think of servitude towards others in Christ’s name.