We live in a world of "instants". We have instant tea, instant coffee, TV dinners, microwave ovens which will almost instantly cook something, fast food restaurants, and so much more. Much of our society is geared to a time factor - and generally the quicker the better is the rule. When you drive out on the thruway, very seldom do you find someone going the speed limit. The general flow of traffic is faster, because we're trying to get from point A to point B in the shortest possible time.

Now all of us can appreciate that time is a precious commodity, and in our time conscious world it is easy for us to desire instant success as well. Young couples get married, and they want to be able to afford a home, nice furniture, a nice car, and much more - right away! But it's not just young couples, rather they are reflecting the prevailing attitude in our society. We want to get to the top immediately. We want everything and we want it now! To use Jesus' expression, we want the place of honor, and we want it now. To start at the bottom and work our way up doesn't interest us very much, we want to be at the top.

This attitude isn't a modern invention. In fact, Jesus often ran into this same attitude in His day. It was present in the crowds who would gather to hear him, and it was present even among His disciples - those who were closest to Him.

It was certainly present in James and John when they approached Jesus and said, "When you sit on your throne in your glorious Kingdom, we want you to let us sit with you, one at your right and one at your left." They wanted the seats of honor. They sought to be glorified, lifted up above all others.

Yet, as Jesus pointed out to them, they had not thought about what that really meant. Jesus responded, "You don't know what you are asking for. Can you drink the cup of suffering that I must drink? Can you be baptized in the way I must be baptized?' All James and John saw was the glory, the honor that those seats would bring. They gave no thought to the kind of discipleship that would be required to earn those seats of honor. They were not ready to think that Jesus would face extreme suffering and then death, and that to follow Him would mean that they too must be willing to walk in those dark places.

With confidence that was born out of their ignorance of what lay ahead, they responded to Jesus, "We can". No problem. Of course we can handle those things. It was easy for them to be confident, for they never expected to face real difficulties. They never expected what lay ahead.

Jesus knowing their innocence about what lay ahead, and knowing that earning the places of honor was not that easy, let them off gently by saying, "It is God who will give these places to those for whom they have been prepared".

Then as the other disciples gather around, they became angry with James and John. They had asked for the places of honor, and the other disciples were angry for they too had been hoping for those special places. They too had given a great deal. They too were called and left behind their families, their livelihood, and a way of life that was familiar and often comfortable to travel around with Jesus.

They are angry because two of the followers have tried to cut in line ahead of them, to sneak in and grab the prize of success that they all hoped would be theirs. It was then that Jesus took their ambitions and turned them upside down by saying, "If one of you wants to be great, he must be the servant of the rest; and if one of you wants to be first, he must be the slave of all."

Jesus took the standards of the world - of both their society and ours - and flipped it on its head. We all know that the great are served by others. Because of their wealth, they can hire people to do anything that they don't want to be bothered with. Because of their position, a certain level of service goes with the job.

Can you imagine the President of a company like General Motors putting on a pot of coffee for the office staff? Can you imagine the President of the United States out there mowing the lawn of the White House or vacuuming the carpet? Of course not! People are hired to do all of those jobs for them - and more. It is assumed that with power and wealth comes privilege. There is even a rationale behind these perks - the President has more important things to do. The President can't waste time with those things that are a normal part of life for most of us.

The office of President - whether of our nation or of a large corporation, carries with it the images that Jesus talks about of being great, of being first, and it also reminds us that the great are served rather than serving others. Of course, when a politician runs for office they talk a great deal about serving, but in practice we know that many of our public officials believe that they are above the law, that the rules don't really apply to them, that they can do what they want. Most often it is only lip service that they give to the idea of being a public servant.

The last shall be first. It's a concept that seems foreign to us. The first shall be first and the last shall be last. That's how things really work, and we want to be first.

Wendell White in his book Psychology in Living tells us of a man who died suddenly because of an explosion. When he reached the next world, he found a pleasant attendant asking him for the third time in a few hours if he could do anything for the new arrival, the man answered "no, no," and then suddenly, "Well, yes, I believe I would like to play some golf now. Will you show me the golf course?" "We have no golf course here" was the response. "Oh," the man replied, and then added, "what are those men at the end of my cottage doing?' "They are just completing work on it. We weren't expecting you yet." "I'll go over and help them." "No," said the attendant, "they will complete it for you." "Well, then I'll plant my vegetables now. I always grew some of the finest on earth." "I know you did, but here your vegetables will be cultivated and gathered for you." "All Right," the man replied, "I'll grow flowers. I have always enjoyed doing so." "We have a flower gardener for you." "Why, of course, I should have realized that up here there is something else for me to do. What is it?" "Nothing." "I don't understand. No golf, and I'm not to do any work. If I'm not to do anything here, what's heaven for?" "Oh, mister" said the attendant, "You're not in heaven!"

We want to be first, we want to be served, but we also want to be in charge. This man found hell to be a place where he could not serve, where he could not do anything at all.

I suspect that those people who have made the biggest impact upon the world are those people who have truly tried to serve others. Look at the impact that people like Albert Schweizer, Madame Curie or Mother Theresa have had upon the world. These are people wh served, and in their service they made a real difference.

So often in life we think that we're in charge. We make our plans. We set our agenda, and we really feel like we're in control. Every once in a while reality intrudes upon our delusion to remind us that we aren't in control, and that things that are totally outside of our control can completely change our agenda.

The challenge that God has placed before each one of us is to let the power of God flow through us, and use us. When we do so, we live lives of service, lives that are an offering in service to God. It is in that context that all of a sudden, Jesus' words begin to make sense, for those who are truly great are those who serve God, and the last shall be first, for the last are those who have been too busy serving God to even think about getting in line.

Amen.