Is life a comedy or a tragedy? Are we the hero or the victim? Or maybe the villain? Is the world descending into chaos and dystopia or are we on a path of ever-increasing prosperity and progress? The stories we tell orient us to our place in the world and our role in the story.
The Bible tells the story of a loving God and a messy people. There is a beginning and an end. Major themes of creation, redemption, and sanctification trace the arc of this grand narrative. And Jesus Christ is the center of it all – the great hero of the story who comes incognito to rescue and redeem his broken creation.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation
O God, you are the beginning, the middle, and the end. You are all in all. Lead me. Help me. Forgive me. Keep me from wandering and weariness. Keep my love ready and willing to serve You by serving others. Praise and honor be to You, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God now and forever. Amen.
Confession
O God, how can I believe without your help. I am filled with doubt. “What about . . . ?” “Is it really true?” “How do I really know you’re there? That you’re listening? That you care about me?” I confess with honesty all my fear and disbelief. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Melt me. Mold me. Fill me. Use me. I believe; help my unbelief.
Word: Matthew 20:16
“So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Meditation: A God who Comes in Last by Pastor Nathan Schultz
I hear those words, “The last will be first, and the first last,” and I can’t help but think of the kindergarten weekly job chart. Maybe schools have rid themselves of this system, but 25 years ago, this job chart meant everything to a kindergartener. There were good jobs, and there were bad jobs. But the best job was “line leader.” In ways that only make sense to a six-year-old, leading the line on the walk to gym class was the greatest honor a child could know.
What a childish way of thinking. I have to be first. I need to be first. “Second place is just first loser.”
I thought as I grew older childish ways would be put behind me. Instead I think it has all grown worse. In the smallest and pettiest ways, we find a way to put ourselves first. I learned this on the east coast where everything was a tiered service in quality and speed. I found it was more pronounced in a culture of those who were “self made.” The airport felt like I was only allowed to breathe certain air unless I purchased business class. There were special lines at the salad shop in town. How dare I have to wait the extra five minutes for a $20 salad. If I was a regular, you could use a special repeat customer line.
If you let these words of Jesus mull around in your brain, you start to see the world has no room for being last.
The good news for those who will do desperate things to be first is that Jesus was sent to rescue us from such self-important ways. It might just be why following Jesus is often spoken of as “dying to self,” or being like “the least of these.” Both of those ideas make me uncomfortable to say the least.
Jesus was not only the and the least of these, he insisted upon being last. He did not seek his own well-being when his life was taken from him. Instead, the wheels of injustice turn and he takes on the position of convict.
Before he died, Jesus spoke of the first being last in a number of ways. He did this because he knew that the people on whom he has had compassion would have a different way of being. The people on whom he had compassion would be given new hearts, new life, and a life that will not end. And if you have all of those things, being last isn’t so bad.
Jesus, help us find the joy in putting others first. Let us truly believe that our worth is not measured in privileges and opportunities but in you. Amen.
Benediction
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Amen. (Rom. 15:13)