We often measure greatness in terms of personal achievement. The great ones are the ones who have become noticed and the ones whose names we all remember. Even in our own lives we can fall prey to seeing our own greatest moments as those when we were the center of attention or the most noticed.
In Mark 9:30-37 Jesus redefines the notion of greatness by placing a child before us, and teaching us "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."
The sermon can be found here.
1. Think of the people you most admire. What are the qualities that inspire you about their lives? How do those qualities match up with the qualities of greatness that Jesus spoke of?
2. We are called to have a childlike (but not a childish) faith in God. Where in our life are we living like a child of God? Where may we need to make some changes?
3. "Then Jesus sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all." (Mark 9:35 NAB). What might it mean to place our selves last of all? In what ways are we expressing our service to God both in our personal life and in the life of our community?
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Very thoughtfull post on personal achivement. It should be very much helpfull
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Karim - Creating Power