“What I read this week…”This morning's Gospel stopped me - cut to the core. 011

This morning's Gospel stopped me - cut to the core.

The mother of James and John comes to Jesus with a bold request:

“Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”

(Matthew 20:21)

It’s a Mama Bear moment—ambitious, proud, hopeful...she wants glory for her sons who seem so committed to the cause.

Jesus doesn’t rebuke her directly - He calmly turns to James and John and asks a question:

“Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?”

They say yes. A little too quickly if you ask me. James and John have been by His side, but they don’t know what the cup holds that Christ is talking about.

Neither do we. We've probably heard this story a hundred times, sat quietly while the preacher unpacked the significance of it all, wondering what that chalice is going to look like.

And yet… it’s still the question every man and woman must face when they step into a life of formation:

Can you drink THE cup?

Not the cup of honor - the cup of suffering.

Not the platform - the cross.

Not the reward - the refiner’s fire.

We love the idea of impact, legacy, greatness - but we forget what the route looks like: obedience. surrender. blood. sweat. tears.

This is the place where Formed to Serve becomes real.

Not when everything is working - no, no....

But when the cost is high, and God asks everything of you - all of it.

The way He did with:

Abraham, when the promise became the test.

Mary, when her yes shattered her reputation and safety.

Jesus, when the cup didn't pass.

Maybe you're here today holding a cup you didn’t choose.

Or maybe, like James and John, you're just now realizing what you did say yes to.

That’s not failure. That’s formation.

This is what the weekend workbench is really about—not losing the ground you gained when the weekdays were structured and strong… but holding fast when the structure disappears and the sacrifice gets personal.

This is the hour of Gethsemane—when the formed either flee or kneel and stay.

So what will you do with the cup in your hand?

Set it down? Spill it out? Pass it on? Or trust the One who drank first—and said, “Follow Me”?

Reflection for the Weekend:

Don’t be afraid of the cup - be afraid