Friday, April 4

Others Above Ourselves

Dr. Robert Gorrell

Reading

But he answered one of them, “I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?”

So the last will be first, and the first will be last.
Matthew 20:13-16 (NIV)

Reflection

I’m a huge Flannery O’Connor fan. I put her up there with Tolkien and C.S. Lewis in using storytelling to convey the essence of the Christian message while remaining approachable to a non-Christian reader.

If you’re looking for a place to start with O’Connor, I’d recommend the short story “Revelation.” It’s the story of a Southern woman named Ruby Turpin who considers herself the ultimate Christian. (O’Connor was a Southerner and a Christian.)

There’s just one problem with Ruby’s Christianity—she looks down her nose at everyone else, including (but not limited to) the poor and people of color. In fact, she even thanks Jesus that she is not one of “them.”

Eventually, God does something special for Ruby. Just after sunset, she experiences a vision of people crossing a bridge of light from Earth toward Heaven. But the people who ascend first are the poor—“white and Black trash,” freaks, and lunatics—those at the bottom of Ruby Turpin’s hierarchy. They are joyous and disorderly as they enter Heaven’s gate. The last to enter are people like her. Suddenly, Ruby painfully realizes what the Kingdom of God is really like.

Matthew alone records this story. Matthew had once considered himself superior, working for the very government that tormented the Jews. His encounter with Jesus changed the way he saw the world. He became a follower of Christ.

Flannery O’Connor wrote “Revelation” as she lay dying. It was her testimony that the call of Jesus is a calling to always put others above ourselves.

Prayer:
Today, God, help me lift up everyone I meet. Especially, make me a servant to the poor and vulnerable.
Amen.