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<P><FONT size=4>The scene closes with Jesus announcing his mission. In all of
Mark’s Gospel, this is the only time Jesus says a word about his purpose: "For
the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many. ‘The entire Gospel centers on this revelation. Here,
discipleship and Christology come together. We who would follow will find our
purpose and the power to live in Jesus teaching: Whoever wants to be first must
become the slave of all, and we’ll have the power to do it because of the One
who did it first for us.</FONT></P>
<P><A href="http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2033"><FONT
size=4>http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2033</FONT></A></P></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Stacey Elizabeth Simpson, 2000</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Nouwen writes: "The way of the Christian leader is not the way
of upward mobility in which the world has invested so much, but the way of
downward mobility ending on the cross. . . . It is not a leadership of power and
control, but a leadership of powerlessness and humility in which the suffering
servant of God, Jesus Christ, is made manifest."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=653"><FONT
size=4>http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=653</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Kenneth L. Carder, 1997</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>And so before we condemn them, let us see that we all have the
drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve
distinction, to lead the parade. Alfred Adler, the great psychoanalyst, contends
that this is the dominant impulse. Sigmund Freud used to contend that sex was
the dominant impulse, and Adler came with a new argument saying that this quest
for recognition, this desire for attention, this desire for distinction is the
basic impulse, the basic drive of human life, this drum major instinct.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><A href="http://www.blackwebportal.com/wire/DA.cfm?ArticleID=513"><FONT
size=4>http://www.blackwebportal.com/wire/DA.cfm?ArticleID=513</FONT></A></P></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Martin Luther King, Jr., 1968</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>Lord, when you at last bring peace on earth, let that peace first be in my
heart, in my marriage, in my family. Lord, when you at last lift up the
poor and set things right in the world, be sure that I am one of the major
beneficiaries.</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>Passed by a church the other day that had a sign out front that proclaimed,
"Celebrate Recovery!" Come, celebrate recovery, redemption, joy with
us! Ever seen a church with a sign out front that read, "Come! Be
Crucified! We've Got a Cross that Fits Your Back Too!"</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://day1.org/1474-good_news">http://day1.org/1474-good_news</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>William H. Willimon, 2009</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>
<P>Being a servant is a MUST, a demand, like water being wet and fire being hot
and ice being cold. So a follower of Christ MUST be a servant. </P>
<P>If fire is not hot, it is not fire. </P>
<P>If ice is not cold, it is not ice. </P>
<P>If a follower of Christ is not a servant, he or she is not a disciple. </P>
<P>Jesus said, “Whoever follows me, MUST be your servant.” </P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_b_having_the_hearts_and_hands_of_a_servant.htm">http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_b_having_the_hearts_and_hands_of_a_servant.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Edward F. Markquart</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT size=4>It is pretty easy to see that ambition creates a lot of tension
in whatever situation it is found. The American plan is to get ahead! Ahead of
what? Ahead of others! Be that financially, socially, on the corporate ladder or
whatever ladder is around. It takes place in family, where someone always wants
to be ahead of the others. That can be physically--stronger than the others,
brighter than the others, more advanced in skills than others. </FONT></P>
<P><A
href="http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/archiv-6/040725-5-e.html"><FONT
size=4>http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/archiv-6/040725-5-e.html</FONT></A></P></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT lang=0 size=4>Walter Harms, 2004</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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