The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost

Proper XXIV

... At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance...

 

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

            Peace on each one who comes in need; 

            Peace on each one who comes in joy. 

            Peace on each one who offers prayers; 

            Peace on each one who offers song. 

            Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son, 

            Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One.

Opening Prayer

Praise to you, God, for all your work among us. Yours is the vigor in creation, yours is the impulse in our new discoveries. Make us adventurous, yet reverent and hopeful in all we do. Amen.

Scripture Reading          Mark 10:35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

 

Poem: “A Poem from Leavings (2006)”                    by   Wendell Berry

If there are a “chosen few”
then I am not one of them,
if an “elect,” well then
I have not been elected.
I am one who is knocking
at the door. I am one whose foot
is on the bottom rung.
But I know that Heaven’s
bottom rung is Heaven
though the ladder is standing
on the earth where I work
by day and at night sleep
with my head upon a stone.                                                                      

 

Meditation

The gospel reading for this Sunday relates Jesus' teaching to his disciples that whoever would be first among them must be a slave. "For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." As followers of Jesus, we are also called to serve rather than to be served.

 

As we think about how this relates to our lives -- our choices and decisions, our work and our relationships -- it may be helpful to look for models of service and humility in others. Of course Jesus is our chief model, but there might be others: saints or heroes, people from the past or people we know personally in the present. 

 

Writer and activist Wendell Berry, who recently turned 90, often reflects on humility and service. His writings are grounded in his own long-time commitment to live life on a Kentucky farm, where he can learn the lessons of nature while engaging in social action for causes such as world peace, economic justice, and sustainable agriculture.

 

In this short poem, one of his so-called "Sabbath poems" that emerged from his Sunday walks on the farm, Berry muses that he is not one of the chosen few but rather one who is knocking at the door with a foot on Heaven's bottom rung. The ladder is standing on earth, where "I work by day and at night sleep with my head upon a stone."

 

Questions for Reflection

1. What models do you look to -- past or present, public figures or private acquaintances -- as those who strive to serve rather than to be served?

2. What images and keywords emerge for you in the gospel reading and in the poem?

3. What do you think of the poem's concluding words about working "by day and at night sleeping with my head upon a stone?"

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today 

We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer

We bring to God a troubled situation in our world 

We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust

We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection

We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives

We name before God those who have died.

 

Now to God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or conceive, by the power which is at work among us, be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all ages. Amen.                   

Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.

May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.

 Reflections this month offered by: Frank Nowell