Seating request Mark 10:35-45

Mark 10:35-45 Gospel reading for Sunday October 21st

For what it's worth, you can check out my reflections from three years ago under the heading of the REQUEST OF JAMES and JOHN. (We have been the full circle since I started writing Gospel Reflections in 2009 ... so maybe it is time to move on!) In order to make full sense of what appears below though,  it is probably worth reading the earlier reflections ... and of course the Gospel reading itself before proceeding.





There is probably not a lot more to say ... except to back this up with a very relevant and powerful anecdote from my experience in working with one of our Lutheran schools last year. It happened as part of a two-day whole of staff retreat that I had been invited to facilitate with a group of probably around about 40 people. There was nothing unusual about the proceedings of the first morning ... I was happy with the way that the sessions had unfolded, the staff seemed to be relaxed, interested and engaged. It was time for lunch, which was to be held in a separate area of the venue ... quite a generous and aesthetically pleasing space. It was a serve-yourself style of meal. Everyone filed through patiently and in quite orderly fashion to collect their meals. The dining room was set up with maybe 10 tables with perhaps 6-8 chairs around every table. There was plenty of room. It was after people had filled their plates and were moving to the tables that I noticed something quite amazing. Each table filled completely before another table was started. No one looked around to suss out who was sitting where. Eyes were fixed purely on the spaces that were left at the already part-occupied tables. If no seat remained, someone started a new table and automatically that table was filled in the same fashion. No-one had said anything - this just happened. It was an unbelievable scene and powerful statement of Christian community in action. I made a mental note to observe again the next day ... and it was a perfect action replay. Hats off to that school. It had obviously been somehow built into the culture of the school; that it was important to treat everyone as your friend  ... someone who you would want to sit next to. A classic case of the Gospel informing all activities of a Lutheran school.

The Lutheran school staff room ...  testing ground for measuring the degree to which we model genuine community!

Nev