December 13th, 2023
Scripture
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’s seat; 3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it, but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others, but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others, for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them rabbi. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. 9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father, the one in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
--Matthew 23:1-12
Christmas Eve at the Dollar Store
There are mostly younger adults of parental age, many of them men, hurrying through the untidy aisles. Anxiety and desperation mark their faces. They grab a rubber ball, a pair of shoes, a cheap looking “Barbie” style doll, or a teddy bear. They try to figure how far that paycheck or small Christmas bonus will stretch. There is only an hour left to secure a Christmas for the kids. The store will soon close and the ride from the friend at work will be gone. The wife’s younger brother can’t pay back that loan. It is what it is. People wearing the Victory Church sweaters are on the sidewalk telling everyone that Jesus is the reason for the season.
Does Advent offer any present or future hope for these desperate parents and their children? Does it offer a happier day for the tired store clerks serving them? Mother Mary has a song about that hope, recorded elsewhere in the Gospels: Luke 1:46-55: “God has lifted up the lowly and filled the hungry with good things”. It’s not a surprise that her son is teaching that the greatest among us must be servants; that if we exalt ourselves we will be humbled, but if we humble ourselves we will be raised up.
How does that work out for a follower of Jesus at the dollar store on Christmas Eve at about 4 pm? Maybe a follower of Jesus will offer a smile to anxious shoppers and tired store clerks. Maybe a student of Rabbi Jesus will hand over a dollar bill to a customer trying to count dimes and nickels at the register. Perhaps a child of our Father in Heaven will offer his place in line to a customer holding large items and asking somebody on their cell phone to please wait a few more minutes. The greatest among you will be your servant. It’s alright to be humble in daily life. God our Father will lift us back up.
The Rev. James Blagg, Rector
St. John’s Durant