The Eucharistic Gospel Reading for Sunday of Proper 20: Year B
“He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” (Mark 9: 36 and 37)
The last person to board a cross country bus is the Bus Driver. After separating us from our luggage, he or she takes his or her seat at the controls and takes us to our destination. The bus driver is our servant. Without the driver we can’t get there. However, none of us remembers his or her name. Yet, they get us where we need to be. Such is the call of the Christian; we are to work hard, perhaps only to have our names forgotten. Our call is to bring people to God. Occasionally, we help them lose the bad luggage that holds them back while keeping the good.
I have also looked at Christians as Airline flight attendants. While such high flying personal assistants help us with blankets if we are cold, with a pillow for sleeping, or with a bottle of water to quench our thirst, and so on. What the flight attendant does not do is give us an application to work for the airline; this would be something perhaps you would want to do.
Many Christians tend to want to make everybody Christians. Maybe that’s not what was intended. Just like seeking self-glorification, our Christian Call is not about others liking us, or being like us. It is about being good for goodness sake.
Perhaps the real point that Jesus is trying to make is not to even want to be first or best. Maybe just being present and helpful for folks is the prize. I have been among people helping others. And later, when the group of helpers was proudly discussing their “achievement,” I was not mentioned as one of the helpers. I like it. I call it the humility of invisibility. And this is ok; they didn’t remember Karl our bus driver either. God knows and sees all.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia; Israel and Palestine, and our schools. And, as we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
Let us pray: A Collect for Sundays (BCP p. 98)
O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
onewhoponders 