Tuesday 24 August 2021

Psalm 145

Background

For me, one of the most interesting lines in this passage is in verse 26 when Jesus says “The greatest among you must become like the youngest”.

Recently, I went on my first and last physical trip as Youth President with a group from Yatton Methodist Church. On the last night, on a rainy, windy campsite, we gathered under a gazebo to share in communion. We had to be quite hushed as there was a swallow nesting in the roof. In many ways, it felt like how I imagine it would have done in the upper room on the night of the Last Supper. A group of friends, who had grown to care for each other as family do, weary and tired, gathered around atable. Some of the group attend church, while around half are associated with the church through a youth group. This meant that many of the children and young people had a fresh perspective on communion that many of us 'institutionalised' church members don’t. Sometimes we can simply go through the motions of eating the bread and drinking the wine, forgetting what the holy supper represents. There was something incredibly moving about the way the children and young people served the bread and wine (cranberry juice!) to each other. As we ate and drank, we simply talked: about the week, what we had enjoyed, what we had learned, and it was such a spirit-filled time. Laughing together, exploring faith together, and showing love and grace to each other in the way that Jesus shows us. I think this is the "being like the youngest” that Jesus was alluding to: being a follower of Christ means to live your life loving others with the innocence, authenticity and giving that we see in children and young people.

In verse 26, Jesus also speaks about servitude. Earlier in Luke, we read about the way Jesus washes the feet of the disciples, a job conventionally assigned to the lowest of the low. Throughout the whole night of the Passover, Jesus was trying to prepare the disciples for his death, Resurrection and Ascension. But in this passage, the disciples clearly didn’t fully understand what Jesus was trying to teach them when he washed their feet. They were still arguing about who would be the greatest. Jesus wanted them to understand that to follow him, to go and continue his teachings after the Resurrection, they needed to be different to “those who exercise authority”, and to be servants to others from a place of love and humility.

To Ponder:

• What does Holy Communion mean to you? Has this changed from when you were a child? How can you see communion in a new way?
• How can we serve others from a place of humility? What intentional ways can you reflect the grace and love Jesus shows us to others? How can you share why you serve others with those you meet?

Prayer

I pray that I, and the Methodist Church, can live out Jesus’ calling to be like the youngest, and to be like the one who serves, loving God and others with all our hearts, souls and minds.