Servants Wanted: Inquire Within

Luke 2.1-20

You see the signs in windows of restaurants and stores at the mall – Help Wanted. And what they want are dishwashers, waitresses, sales clerks, fry cooks, etc.. Now these are all worthy jobs, but truth to be told, they are not the most attractive jobs to many. They are not attractive because they do not pay as well as many jobs and usually have few benefits that come with them. They don’t pay well because the skills involved are deemed not as difficult as better paying jobs in our economy.

Our society puts a special premium on special talents, even if that talent can only be summed up as “the talent to make more money.” So we live in a world where one can be considered successful for making money, no matter what the means, and even “famous for being famous.” Which leads to more money.

An article appeared in New York magazine entitled, “Are Jews Smarter?” It’s a bold question. That begs another question, “Smarter than whom?” Anytime you begin to talk about groups and races in this country you better tread lightly with the angels. This particular book tries to make the case that Jews are smarter and richer and just do better than the rest. And this doesn’t sound right to most of us because of a predisposition that we Americans have. This country is founded on some key propositions, not the least of which says, “We believe that all men are created equal.” But are all in fact equal in our society? Are all of us equally skilled, equally creative, equally smart? Are we all equally beautiful, equally moral, equally articulate? The answer to those questions is most assuredly, no. And in this sense some have called the proposition of all men being equal, “our founding mythology.”

But that’s not the whole story. The Founding Fathers established that proposition based, not on the above criteria of intelligence, talent, or goodness, but on this criterion alone – we have equal value because our Creator made us so. Period.

It just so happens that our story tonight is about a young Jewish girl who seemingly had no special distinction except that she was caught up (or chosen) in supernatural events that involved her and her fiancé. “Greetings favored one!” Is what the angel said to her. And Mary rightly wondered what was coming next. This favor would bring her no money, distinction, power, or immediate fame. In fact, this child brought by the Holy Spirit would bring public shame and ridicule. This child would also bring danger, so much so that Mary and Joseph would have to flee the country from a king who wanted them dead.

Mary had a decision to make. How would she react to this news? Would she scream and run? Would she demand to know what was in it for her? Would she simply turn her back on the angel and the child? There was a lot that rested on the choices of Mary. In fact, all of human history comes down to this point – the choice of a humble teenage Jewish girl.
Have you ever seen the program, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”? I watched it the other day. It was that, or one of the many permutations of the show: Shopping Sprees of the Rich and Famous, Vacation Homes of the Rich and Famous, Favorite Pet Spas of the Rich and Famous. The edition I was watching focused on the biggest spending frenzies of the recently Rich and Famous. You know, new bling. I quit watching after they showed me the 1.5 million dollar watch that looked kind of like the one I had just bought at Target for twenty bucks. Watching the show was making me nauseous. Was it because I don’t want other people to have a lot of money? No. It’s because you watch that show and a hundred shows like it and you are told, in so many words, these things, this lifestyle, is the best that life has to offer. You are told – this is what life is about.

And I remembered, when I bought my twenty dollar watch at Target, running into two ladies I know who were also shopping there. The one lady is advanced in years, to use the biblical language. She can’t drive herself places. When she walks she has to be very careful not to fall down. The other lady with her, who is much younger, helps her with these things. She doesn’t just help her occasionally, but in fact, spends a good chunk of her life with the other. I have watched the caregiver helping the other many times. I have seen them going many places – for groceries, for haircuts, to church. I have never seen the caregiver show anything but care and patience and goodness. I said to that caregiver in Target, “I want you know you are doing a good job – I was thinking that the other day- and wanted you to know that.” She thanked me for saying so and assured me that there are times of impatience and argument. But I know she does this well. And I even felt my eyes fill up a little as I looked at her.

What is life about? Is it about what those tv shows tell us? Or is it about what my eyes told me the other day in Target?

Maybe the answer can be found in Mary’s story tonight. Maybe it’s who God picked to share this “favor” with that answers our question for us. God didn’t pick the powerful, the famous, the wealthy, the influential or the articulate to share his good news with. He gave it to a teenage girl who carried it with her for nine months and gave birth to this News outside an inn, in a barn, amid the hay and dust and manure. Everything about this story says humility. Don’t forget it was a manger throne, a palace of straw, for that child king. That’s no accident.

Mary’s answer to God at the announcement, at the birth, and yes, at the cross was “I am the Lord’s servant.” What say you to God’s news in your life? Talents and smarts and skills are great, but what the Lord really wants are hearts turned to him. The Lord asks if you will serve.

Will you follow the path that the world says will make you happy or are you ready to answer the call of God in your life?

Servants are wanted – inquire within.