The use of power
17th November 2023
Jesus called the disciples together and said:
You know that those foreigners who call themselves kings like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over the people they rule. But don’t act like them.
If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. And if you want to be first, you must be everyone’s slave. The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.
Mark 10.42-45
Today is the day the church remembers St. Margaret. She was born just over a thousand years ago, probably in Hungary, but after being an exile and refugee in her youth she ended up in Scotland, under the protection of King Malcolm (Duncan’s son). She was a prayerful Christian, who thought about becoming a nun, but Malcolm persuaded her to marry him in 1070.
As the Queen, Margaret used her influence to reform the church, including restoring with Malcolm the ruined abbey on Iona. She was also known for her support for those in need – including visiting prisoners in the royal dungeons, washing the feet of beggars and caring for lepers. She founded schools, hospitals and orphanages and had a special concern for those who were poor.
She seems to have taken to heart our reading from Mark’s gospel – ‘If you want to be great, you must be the servant of others’. Reading about her reminded me of something I heard on the radio on Monday about the title ‘Prime Minister’. Where does it come from? Minister means one who serves others – who ministers to them. The Prime Minister is the one who leads their fellow ministers in this service.
Those who lead are called to service. Those who have them most power are called to have a special concern for those who have the least power. That is relevant not just to the way our country is run, but also to the incredibly sad news we are hearing from Gaza and Israel at the moment.
We might wonder how this is also relevant to us. As I have gone on through life experience has shown me that in most human situations and relations there are issues of power. This is true in work situations, in family relationships, in churches, in other groups and activities, and in institutions like the university. Sometimes these power dynamics are clear and visible, sometimes they are hidden.
In our life and in our relationships there may be some times when we are aware of a power imbalance. Sometimes we may feel ourselves to be in a position of weakness, and sometimes in a position of strength. This can be just for a short time – in a social gathering or a meeting where we feel more or less confident. Or it may be over many years.
When we feel ourselves to be less confident – in a position of relative weakness – our faith may give us inner strength. Jesus stands with the weak and the vulnerable – God loves us as we are – our worth does not depend on the judgment of others.
But sometimes we may sense that we are in the stronger position. Maybe we are more established in a role and someone else is new. Maybe we are operating in an environment in which we feel comfortable, and someone else finds this more challenging.
When that happens, we can respond by enjoying our position of strength and trying to protect it. We fear weakness and our human instinct tells us to find allies, defend ourselves, and maximise our power.
But the way of Jesus is different. Nye Bevan, who founded the NHS, said that the purpose of power is to give it away. Jesus says that if you want to be the greatest, you must be everyone’s servant. Maybe, rather than giving away our power, we are called to use our power not for our own good, but for the good of others – as St. Margaret did.
Think about those who are weakest and most vulnerable… those in the news at the moment – in Gaza – in other places – those in our own countries – those you know…
Lord of love, bring help, support and inner strength to those who are suffering so much and have no power to save themselves.
Think about those who are powerful in our world – the dominant, the rich, those who lead…
Lord of justice, open their eyes to human need and suffering, and teach them to use their power for good.
Think about the power dynamics that you are involved in – the places and situations where we feel weakest, and those where we feel strong.
Lord of mercy, give us such confidence in your love for us that we are strengthened when we are vulnerable, and freed to care for others when we feel strong.