Greatest Serves

While Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified; and on the third day he will be raised.’
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, ‘What do you want?’ She said to him, ‘Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.’ But Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?’ They said to him, ‘We are able.’ He said to them, ‘You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.’
When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’ Matthew 20:17-28

Greatest Serves

O God who loves equally and all
we have failed to see the greatness
in those willing to daily serve us
we do not remember their faces
we do no remember their names
we only remember their mistakes.

We have too long bossed the poor
taken advantage of their need
using them and throwing them away
as if they were not priceless to you.

We ache for fame and recognition
we think we deserve accolades
we have truly done little to deserve
the comfort and safety others crave.

Humble us today so we might see
the great needs around us today
help us to our knees for service
make our greatness your forgiveness
and your love our badge of honor. Amen