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Mark 9:35

If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.

Sometimes things happen in life that are difficult to explain.  It often helps to talk to someone wise, someone you trust, and that can help you see things in a different light or from an alternate perspective.  In the church, we sometimes call this, "spiritual direction."  In Mark's gospel this weekend, we find Jesus taking time to explain his role in salvation to his followers.  He'd been preaching earlier to the crowds, but now he went deeper and could explain things more in a one-to-one or small group manner. 

In their world, and in ours today, we often measure our worth by how successful we are; our title, our salary, our neighborhood and the kind of car we drive.  The disciples today were wondering about their status or ranking.  They asked Jesus who was the greatest.  Instead of saying, "Abraham," or "Moses or Elijah" or even "Peter" or "John or James," he threw them a curve. He told them that the last shall be first, that he will be the servant of all.  Then he took a child, put the child in their midst and said, "Whoever receives one child in my name, receives me."  Why did he use a child?  Young children cannot care for themselves; they are weak, lost, need direction and will not last long without help.  On the surface, Jesus is trying to make the point that we are to care for the children and all of our young people.  But even deeper, we are to serve all people—the weak, the lonely, the lost, the sick, the ones that in society's rankings, would be considered last.   We are to cast away our comforts and get dirty…to be last.  But it takes great strength, humility and courage to do that.  Do you have the courage to do that…to courageously live the gospel? 

Psalm 72: 12-13

"For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save."

It's the Advent season and a week from now we will be celebrating the birthday of our Savior Jesus Christ.  Most of us will be with family or friends, exchanging gifts and sharing in a bountiful meal.  The house is decorated with all the lights and holly, the tree with all of the ornaments collected over the years; a beautiful scene to be sure. 

What about those in our community that go unseen; those on the fringes that we see between buildings, in an alley or off in some bushes?  What kind of Christmas will they have?  They are the poor, the marginalized.  Did God abandon them?  God calls all of us to rescue the poor, to have pity on them and to do something about it. A gift of food, clothing, or shelter would go a long way for the least of these.  Open your heart this Christmas to remember them in your prayers, and if God puts it on your heart, then take that leap of faith to help those less fortunate.  That would be the best gift in the eyes of God.