St. Nicolai Notes

EXCHANGES ON THE WAY: LENTEN PRAYERS
Day 20: Fourth Thursday
Mark 10:32-45

     O Jesus, Forbearing One, even as You led the way to Jerusalem, where You knew You would be condemned, mocked, tortured, and killed, some of your disciples were jockeying for roles that they hoped would give them power and let them bask in your glory.
     We aren't much different from them. Some of us want to be near You because we see your power more clearly than we see your vulnerability, and hope to share that power. Some of us perceive your holiness and hope to be close to You so we can seem holier than others around us. Some of us believe that if we are close to You, no hard times or evil will befall us.
     Jesus, You instruct that You have no control over positions of power in God's reign. You instruct that those who follow You most closely will share the cup of suffering, the baptism of death, that You faced. You instruct that your followers are to give of themselves in service to others, just as You poured out your life in service of them, and many others.
     Forgive us for our failure to perceive, fully, the nature of the life to which You call us. Forgive us for our vain hopes for status and glory. Forgive us for our frequent reluctance to serve. And forgive us for our reticence to follow your way to its end.
     Transform us into servants who gladly follow You wherever You lead, for the glory of God and the extension of God's reign into every part of creation. Amen.