Which seat will you be in?

So, today I am at work...I happen to work at a religious institution...all of us working to advance the Kingdom of God...or at least that's what we are supposed to be doing. I have to be honest, sometimes, it sure doesn't seem that way. Sometimes, when I see the politics and backstabbing and maneuvering and empire building, I wonder what God must think of us. Sometimes, when I look around the workplace, I just see people scurrying to "sit next to Jesus."

When I read Luke 22, the scene of the last supper, and it talks about a dispute breaking out among the disciples as to which of them was considered to be the greatest....I picture the disciples trying to determine the seating arrangement at the table...you know, who will get those honored seats right next to Jesus and who will rank in the seats next to that and so forth, until you get to the last seat at the table, the furthest one from Jesus....and that being the place for the lowliest disciple.

That's what I see everyday at work...a bunch of people clamoring to "sit in the honored seats."

So, today, I am at work and I'm not feeling well, I mean a really bad upset stomach, churning and growling...got the picture? I have to go to the bathroom, and badly. So, I run into a stall and go...I flush and the toilet is clogged...not because of me, but the previous person. So, now I have made a total mess in this toilet and I can't get it to go down. There is no plunger in the bathroom, so I have to go to Bobbye, the cleaning lady for our building. I find her and I ask her for a plunger for the toilet that is clogged...she looks me right in the eye and smiles at me and say, "Honey, I'll go take care of it." I plead with her to let me do it because I have made this mess and I can not ask her to clean up after me. She smiles and says, "Honey, I don't mind. That's my job."

Okay...so as all of us so called 'leaders' clamor to show our new president how wonderful we are, and what important jobs we have and how well we do them....as we parade around in our flowing robes....as we send out a gazillion emails to our new president to show him the impressive work that we are doing....there is Bobbye....she silently and with a smile on her face, pushes her cleaning cart to the third floor to unclog and clean a toilet. She doesn't complain....she doesn't fuss...there is no fan-fare when she is done....if our institution were having the last supper....she wouldn't even be asked to sit at the table, not even in the last seat...

So, my prayer today, as I left Bobbye pushing her cart to clean up my mess..."Lord, when we get to heaven, please reserve a seat for Bobbye right next to you!"