There is a new movie out, entitled Julie and Julia, about two women with very different backgrounds: Julia Child who changed America’s attitude toward food with her cookbook on French cuisine and Julie Powell, a young blogger who chronicled her yearlong adventure cooking all 500 of Julia Child’s recipes.
Early in the film, there is a heartbreaking moment involving Julie. A would-be writer, she works in a cubicle for the city of New York, answering calls regarding insurance claims for the victims of 9/11. At lunch with her college friends, she is humiliated to hear of their real estate deals and lucrative writing gigs. Hers is a thankless job of trying to connect thousands of desperate callers with the right bureaucracy.
One caller, who has grown tired of being shuffled back and forth among different offices, asks Julie, “Are you the person to speak to about my insurance form?” She replied, “You can speak to me.” “Do you have any power?” he asked. The question catches Julie off guard. “No,” she stammers. That was an eye opening moment for Julie. What are her education and skills, her passions and life amounting to? Left fumbling her pencil as the caller hangs up, she confronts her powerlessness.
The world is a very different place today because many people have had similar epiphanies, confronting their powerlessness and doing something about it. All they needed was to realize their power to start. At one point in the movie, Julie’s husband tells her, “Remember, Julia Child wasn’t always Julia Child.”
In today’s gospel, we encounter James and John in a similar epiphany, each asking Jesus, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” They had just heard Jesus tell the disciples for the third time that he would be put to death, then rise on the third day. However plainly he had said this, the disciples still did not get the message. The notion of rising again may have prompted the sons of Zebedee instead to believe that a new reign was about to emerge, hence they sought the power and the glory, not realizing that the power they would need for building the kingdom of God was quite different.
Instead of granting the favor they asked of him, Jesus again provides a lesson on how to imitate him. He cannot promise them that they will share in his glory but he assures them that they will share the pain that comes with being one of his disciples. “The cup that I drink, you will drink.”
That same cup which Jesus offered to the sons of Zebedee is offered to us as well. Jesus calls us to do the disciple’s work of accomplishing great things ourselves. The power linked with being a disciple is not found in the power we define in earthly terms, but in the example of Christ himself. The heart of our Christian lives is to serve, to suffer, and to die. That certainly is not a rosy picture yet that is the lesson Jesus often delivers.
Many Christians leave the church when their faith journey gets too uncomfortable for them. They get angry at God, the pope, the archbishop, their pastor or at other believers. They miss the point of what being a follower of Jesus entails, forgetting that a bed of roses comes with thorns. Others get angry but they stay, knowing that running away is not the solution. Through prayer and spiritual growth they come to understand that Jesus never said that following him would be easy or serene.
I can picture Jesus saying to the apostles, “Gentlemen, if what is motivating you to follow me is the dream of earthly power, then think again. Let me warn you that if greatness is what you seek, then anyone among you who aspires for greatness must serve the rest.” Discipleship isn’t about raw power; it’s about service and service is about respect for others.
This gospel leaves me wondering, “What motivates us to follow Jesus?” I presume your motivation is to experience the kingdom of God, which is, believe it or not, something we can do in this lifetime simply by following the example of Christ by serving others.
Ultimately, the apostles were motivated by what they believed despite the risk. The values that governed their lives are the values they passed on to us in the gospels and the epistles. They have provided us with the blueprint for realizing the kingdom of God in our midst.
However we judge the quality of our faith to be, Jesus invites us to continually deepen our relationship with him through prayer and service to others. True faith enables us to put aside our doubts and fears, to get beyond our sense of inadequacy, vulnerability, and “unsaintliness,” and do the work of God, each in our own way. Jesus promises his grace to take on the authority of Christ-like service and embrace the power of compassion. All we need is to realize our own “power” to start.
How fitting that we hear these readings on World Mission Sunday for they invite us to see that we too are called to be missionaries. God is confident that we can make a difference, as many missionaries have done, in building up the kingdom.
One beloved missionary, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, offers good advice for those who feel powerless in doing their share. “We can’t do the big things, you and I.” she said, “We’re not capable of them. But do the little things faithfully.” And what might they be? Be committed to the little things, the smile smiled, the courtesy rendered, the meal prepared, the handshake offered, the birthday remembered, the flowers sent, the compliment given. In a nutshell, respect and reverence all life. That is something we are all given the power to do by the grace of God.