"The Servant’s Cup"

Message preached October , 2006
Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Glen Arm, Maryland USA
based upon  Mark 10:35-45

Order of Worship

Begins with a skit:
"The Chief and The Baby"
(a traditional tale borrowed and adapted from a worship children's story by Rev. Richard J. Fairchild,
who pulled it from "The Whole People of God" 1994 Sunday School Curriculum.)
characters:   N - Narrator         C - "a great Chief"        W - "a wise old Woman"

N - There once was a great chief who was very proud. One day he was walking through his village boasting,

C - "I am truly great. There is no one greater than me!"

N - A wise old woman came up to the chief and said,

W - "I know one who is truly great."

N - The great chief was surprised and then very angry.

C - "What? Who is this great one? There is no one greater than me!"

N - The wise old woman said,

W - "Come to my house tomorrow when the sun is at the highest point in the sky and I will introduce you to this great."

N - The great chief said,

C - "Very well. I will be there and we shall see who is the greatest."

N - The chief went home and slept very soundly to gain strength. In the morning he prepared himself carefully and put on his finest clothing. As he did he reminded himself of all the great things he could do.

C - "There is no one greater than me!"

N - he repeated to himself as he walked over to the old woman's house. When he reached the house he called out,

C - "Old woman, I am here. It is time. Where is this other chief?"

W - "Come in, come in."

N - the old woman called... When the chief entered the old woman's house he saw the old woman sitting against the wall with a baby crawling on the floor beside her. The chief looked around. There was no one else there.

C - "Where is the great chieftain you told me about yesterday?"

N - he asked. The old woman motioned towards the baby and said,

W - "This is the great one I told you about."

N - The great chief was not amused. He yelled angrily at the old woman and shook his finger at her.

C - (very loud & mean) "What do you mean? Don't try to trick me. This is just a baby!"

N - The baby frightened by the sudden loud, angry. voice began to cry. The chief became flustered. He didn't mean to make the baby cry. He forgot about his anger and got down on his hands and knees. He pulled his eagle and hawk feathers from his hair and brushed the baby's cheeks with them. He pulled off his medicine bags and held them under the baby's nose. He pulled off his necklaces and jingled them in the baby's ears. Gradually the baby stopped crying and began to listen and watch.... The old woman smiled and said,

W - "You see, even you, the great chief, had to stop talking to take care of the baby. In any home, in any village, the baby is truly great because even the greatest and most powerful chief, like you, must become the baby's servant. This is how the creator planned it. The creator did not make you great so that you could boast about your greatness. The Creator made you great so that you could help others who are not as strong as you."

N - And from that day no one ever heard the chief boast again.

The rest is in "amble and ramble" format, without a manuscript.

(para traducir a español, presione la bandera de España)

©2006 Peter L. Haynes
(you are welcome to borrow and, where / as appropriate, note the source - myself or those from whom I have knowingly borrowed.)

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