Saint James the Apostle

The Collect
O Gracious God, we remember before you today your servant and apostle James, first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the Name of Jesus Christ; and we pray that you will pour out upon the leaders of your Church that spirit of self-denying service by which alone they may have true authority among your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Psalm
7:1-10

The Readings
Jeremiah 45:1-5     +     Acts 11:27-12:3     +     Matthew 20:20-28

The mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, "We are able."

~ Matthew 20:20-23

I wonder how many times I have prayed for something, either for myself or for someone else, to which God has said, "You do not know what you are asking." 

In today's Gospel, the mother of James and John wants to assure her sons a place of authority and honor in Jesus' coming kingdom. And Jesus' response is that she, and they, don't understand what authority in that kingdom means. I don't know what the brothers thought Jesus was asking when he asked them if they could drink of his cup--perhaps they didn't know either, and simply wanted to appear confident and worthy of the honor. But Jesus then remarks in a way that may be read in hindsight as a hint at James' future martyrdom. In any event, Jesus gathers the Twelve to clarify this crucial point: the Kingdom of God is not like the kingdoms of this world. In the Kingdom of God, to be great is to be a servant. In other words, it is to be like Jesus, who offered himself, poured himself out even to death, for the sake of others. 

Perhaps we in the church have heard this language often enough that it loses its edge for some of us. But it is radical language; it is a direct reversal of what we expect in the world--a cut-throat world of constant competition, of winners and losers. And because of that, it poses a challenge, even in the church, and one which we need to hold up continually before us. As the collect puts it, any exercise of authority in the church must look like the authority of Jesus: an authority that exists for the good of others, even when it hurts.    

Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, help us to love others as you love them, and to serve others as you came to serve. Give us grace to stay close to you, even when it is difficult, even when it means a kind of dying--to our false selves, and to the false values of this world. Help us know you, the true Life. Amen.

The Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James), a popular pilgrims' route that ends at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela  in northwest Spain, where tradition says the remains of the martyred James were laid to rest.