We all know of those certain people who have very high
ambitions in life. These can range from wanting to win the lottery, or in
obtaining that certain perfect job. Maybe their ambition is for a top-class
sports car, or maybe a mansion with lots of rooms and it’s own personal
swimming pool. Maybe it’s  being rich
with wealth and possessions. Even within some churches, I have personally seen
those whose only ambition is to become a Bishop, when nothing less is good
enough for them,the ambition of power and status, having mitre fever as I call
it.

Whilst to have some ambition is a good thing, if you are setting goals for yourself or for an organisation, it is when those ambitions
lose their balance and ignores the consequences for others, that ambition can
become very toxic and corrupt.We have an excellent example of over ambition in our Gospel
reading today from Matthew. James and his brother John, who together with Peter
are the three favoured apostles, approached Jesus together with their mother.
According to Matthew, it was indeed their mother who asks Jesus to promise her
sons would get the highest places in His heavenly Kingdom. Jesus responds
directly to James and John and Jesus recognising the possibility of corruption
in their ambition, Jesus puts a stop to it by asking them, “Can you drink the
chalice that I am going to drink?” Without truly understanding what they had
agreed to, they replied that they could. Jesus knowing full well what awaited
them, concurred with their agreement. Just like a good parent will give their
teenage children a realistic picture of what to expect in Adult life, Jesus
tells them that indeed they will have much to suffer.James the Apostle that we celebrate today, became the first
Martyr amongst the apostles. Jesus knew that ambition wasn’t a bad thing in
itself, and he didn’t wish to extinguish his apostles enthusiasm, indeed it’s
an enthusiasm about eternal life, it’s a goal that each and every one of is
should indeed have as great things are rarely achieved without both enthusiasm
and suffering. Jesus just needed to refocus their ambition, so that they would
truly understand not just the goal of eternal life, but also the true nature of
the pathway that that is required to achieve this goal. Jesus knowing that the
Apostles could possibly succumb to the temptations of personal ambition, gave
the Twelve apostles a lecture on power and authority to remind them that
authority in the kingdom must not imitate the authority that is ever so present
in the world.Jesus tells them that their role as his apostles =the first
shepherds of His church, was not to rule but instead was to serve. Jesus didn’t
only tell them to serve only each other and the lowly of the world, but offers
himself as an example -revealing to them that he will go so far as to sacrifice
his very life for the sake of all humanity. “The Son of Man did not come to be
served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for the many”. Jesus is
telling James, John and the other apostles that the ambitious are blessed, but
that their ambition must not be driven by self=assertion, but by
self=extinction. This message also goes the same for us today, that we always
act with Thanksgiving and praise :Thanksgiving because all that we have, all
that we are, all that we achieve =all of this is solely given to us by the
Grace of God, and praise because all that we do must be for the Glory of God
and not for ourselves.Let us pray :O Gracious God,We remember before you today thy servant and Apostle James,
the first amongst the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the name of Jesus Christ ;
and we pray that you will pour out upon the leaders of your Church that Spirit
of self=denying service by which alone they may have true authority amongst thy
people, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God,
for ever and ever.Amen.