28-Aug-22 (Luke 14:1,7-14)

When I was a little older than you are right now, my family got a chance to go to the World's Fair. The World's Fair is an amazing thing: There are demonstrations of things from all over the world. There are also some fun rides.
I remember one time standing in the line, waiting for our turn, someone else just walked to a place near the front of the line and started talking to the people there. They looked really surprised and I'm pretty sure they didn't know him at all, but he made like he was going to get in line right behind them.
What he didn't realize was that the person who ran the ride had seen him do it. He waited until the guy who cut in line got right up to the entrance and then informed him that he had to go to the back of the line. The guy who cut in line was furious, but he eventually made his way all the way to the back. As he had been standing near the front, the line had gotten quite a bit longer so he was worse off than if he had just got in the back when he came.
Jesus told a story about people like that. He said that people who try to take advantage of being rich or powerful now will find that it won't work for them in God's kingdom. In God's kingdom, the folks who've always be forced to wait and the people who take advance will have their places switched.
I think it will be better for us if we learn right now to let others have their turn and learn not to try to grab the best for ourselves. Maybe when God's kingdom comes, we'll already be good at it.

Let's pray about that.
God, we know that, if anyone deserved to be treated well and to have all the advantages, Jesus was that one. Yet we know that Jesus served others. Help us to learn not to try to take advantages for ourselves. Help us to serve others, just like Jesus.
We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.