Power is everything

Everything is about power.

Your job is about power. Your boss gets the power to tell you what to do and you get the power to buy stuff.

Your degree is about power. The power to get the job you want. The power to have the status you want. And all the power that status brings.

TV is about power. Producers get the power to sell advertising, and advertisers get the power to sell products.

And sadly, a lot of friendships are about power too. When you choose who to spend time with, do you think about what you could get out of it? Whether they’ll be fun? Or make you look good?

The French philosopher Louis Althusser had this big insight: it’s all about power. Everything we do, he said, has only one basic goal. To get power. And he was right. Except for one thing.

Jesus was never about power. He never accrued any wealth. He never accepted any position. He never lashed out at his enemies. Where Jesus was from, the first would be last and the last would be first. The greatest is the servant of all.

In Jesus kingdom, it’s not about power. It’s about love. It’s not about serving yourself. It’s about serving others. It hasn’t fully come yet, but you can get a preview.  You can see Jesus’ kingdom in the community of his people, the church.

The question out in the world is, ‘How can we get ahead of you?’ But the question in the church is, ‘How can we do what’s best for you?’ They’re completely opposite.

I think this is often the case at Unichurch. Our community isn’t perfect, but I think that when you come to Unichurch, the usual question isn’t ‘what can you do for us?’ but ‘what can we do for you?’

This is completely countercultural. The whole world is out for itself. Everything is about power. Except this one little island where things are turned on their head. In Jesus’ kingdom, the greatest serves the least. And one day, it will take over the world. Until that day, Jesus’ people are showing the world what that’s like.