This weekend my plan is to watch the Red Bull Rampage…
“What’s that?” you ask… The event is sponsored by the energy drink Red Bull. So, already you should know to be scared, be VERY scared! The event is held in the desert canyons of Utah in the USA and is essentially crazy mountain bikers hurling themselves down insane cliffs and drops-offs. Each year the event gets more and more daring. It pushes its competitors to extreme acts. Watching some of the footage on a screen is completely nuts, seeing it in person would be just about too much to bear. But where will these extreme adrenalin attempts stop?
It seems there are no limits – the desire to excel and go beyond is insatiable. The pursuit of greatness
is too alluring, too captivating, too attractive. But, it’s deadly.
It’s deadly because the event pushes competitors to take unbelievable risks. It’s also deadly because once
you taste the victory you want more and more (and more!). Its appeal is like a desert mirage – it looks so captivating, so appealing, so idealistic, but it leaves you thirsty. Barren. Dry. Parched.
This is why the way of Jesus is so incredibly extreme. As we return to John’s gospel this weekend we meet Jesus full of power – the master, the supreme one, the powerful one – the insanely gifted Lord of all. The GOAT (Greatest Of All Time).
But his ability doesn’t press him into popularity contests, or to try to dominate his opposition, or gloat about his unbelievable abilities. In John 13 on Sunday we find he musters all his power to serve.
What a world we would live in if our insanely gifted friends and family used their power to serve. Yet, it is an upside-down pursuit isn’t it? HOWEVER, if we can cultivate this life within the life of SCPC’s leaders today and tomorrow we have a real opportunity to show our city a pathway for life. A life that isn’t a mirage. Rather, it would be an oasis. Others using their power, gifts and abilities not to gloat about who is the GOAT, but rather seeking to serve and not be served.
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:3-5
SP
