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INVITING THE LEAST IMPORTANT

Many of us watched an episode of Secret Millionaire last Monday night, here a rich young woman comes to Frankston without at first revealing that she is a "millionaire". She comes first to our Community Breakfast and helps serve and even clean out the dirty shower. On the last day she reveals that she is very rich and hands over a cheque for $60,000 to the Breakfast.

I could not help thinking of our Gospel reading for today, where Jesus goes to dinner with a leader of the Pharisees, and tells them not to be so keen on sitting in the places of honour, but be prepared to sit in the lowest place. It is just what Jesus has already done, forsaking his place of honour with God, to come as a servant among us.

Jesus tells us that when we give a dinner, we should not invite those who will repay us, but the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind, those in need who will never be able to repay us. He says that this way brings its own rewards. Of course he is right. Those who only do things so that they will look good, or get something back, miss out on the joy of helping those in need, of living the Jesus’ way of servant love. One of the joys we experience is that of meeting some amazing people along the way.

As we still struggle through the process of finding Parliamentary leaders for our nation, I am reminded of Robert Greenleaf's great book Servant Leadership. One of his key principles is never to follow someone who is not a servant leader, someone whose chief motivation is not service. 

Ask about each person who offers for leadership, Is their motivation power, or self-glorification, or serving the community? It is a good question to ask ourselves too, for Jesus' secret is that the way of service is in fact the way to true greatness and real happiness. We might also change the world!

Robert Johnson

Pentecost 14