Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, come.  Take my lips and speak with them.  Take our minds and think with them.  Take our hearts and set them in fire with love for you.  In Christ’s name, we ask it.  Amen.

Now, I’ve done no scientific research on this.  I didn’t even try to look it up on the internet, but I would guess that if you polled most people in our nation the majority would tell you that they probably wouldn’t choose to be shorter if they had the option.  Again, this is very unscientific, but I would guess that, in fact, given the option most people would choose to be taller if they could.  Here’s a priestly confession, when I go to the doctor’s office I’m 5’ 10 ½’’  inches tall, but if you ask me how tall I am or check out my driver’s license guess what height you will hear…that’s right…5’11’’.  I’m rounding up every single time.  My grandmother, Carrie Lou, is 5’ tall with her shoes on.  When I was young, she never left home without her heels—at least two inch heals.  And her excellent sense of style was only part of the reason for wearing them…if you get my point. 

Now assuming there is, at least, some truth to my suggestion that many of us would like to be taller than, in fact, we are, my question is why?  What’s so great about being tall?  My father is 6’3’’ and he hits his head on everything, and he’s nearly bald so it always leaves a mark.  Well my suggestion is that being taller, being a more commanding physical figure in our culture, is often equated to being a greater person in our culture.  I remember when I found out that Sylvester Stallone was actually a fairly short person.  I was absolutely blown away.  In my worldview, there is no way that Rocky Balboa could be any shorter than 6’2’’ tall—no way.  Now despite the Napoleon Bonaparte’s and Mike Adam’s of history, I really believe that there is a deep subconscious assumption, though unfounded, that physical stature is intimately connected to one’s potential to be powerful, influential, even great.   

In today’ Gospel lesson, Jesus confronts his disciples about an argument over whom among them is the greatest.  Jesus responds to this argument by saying, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”  And to underscore his point, Jesus calls over a child, takes the child in his arms, and says, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.  And whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

In the first century world that Jesus lived in, children were essentially non-persons.  They were left, perhaps even as often happens still today, with the women in society, who themselves were considered subservient to the men.  However, children were even further down the social ladder than women.  Only slaves, and in some cases female slaves, were lower in social standing than children.  Thus, to say that the followers of Jesus could welcome him, their Teacher and Lord, by welcoming a child was a mind-blowing suggestion.  You see Jesus is trying to help his followers understand how God views greatness.  Greatness comes not from being high on society’s status ladder, but by welcoming, as we would our Lord, those on the bottom rungs of the status ladder or those who don’t have a place on the ladder at all.

“Greatness” is a word based on measurement.  The Greek word translated “greatest” in our Gospel lesson means “more.”  Often a person can be designated great only if he or she excels in some way beyond others, is more than others.  For us to be called great means then that there are others who do not measure up to our status or achievement, and who are therefore less great than we are.  Jesus is not taking issue with the idea of measurement to determine greatness; he is simply saying that the disciples were measuring in the wrong direction.  True greatness is not measured by how far we rise above others in status or fame or achievement, but in how far we are willing to go to include and care for the least and the lowly in Jesus’ name.  Jesus is urging his followers to stand tall in their recognition of every person—even the most weak among us as someone for whom Jesus came to give His life. Thus, in welcoming such a person, they and we welcome Jesus.  And in welcoming Jesus, we welcome God.

There is a book written by Bill Hybels that has been on my bookshelf for years now that I have never actually read though I actually do recommend his books.  I bought the book, honestly, because it was on the fifty percent off rack at the book store, but, also, because I loved the title which is “Descending into Greatness.”  Before Jesus was resurrected and exalted at the right hand of God the Father, he suffered death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.  He was last before he was first.  Jesus went as far as any human can in caring for the welfare of others—he gave his life.  Jesus descended into greatness.  As contemporary disciples of Jesus, we are called to do and be the same.  If you want to be great you must be last of all and servant of all.  Greatness is not determined by status, or fame, or achievement and certainly not physical stature.  Instead, Greatness is determined by our willingness to provide for the needs of the world like our Lord Jesus did before us.  We are called, also, to descend into greatness 

Now, believe it our not the Bible occasionally takes note of certain characters’ physical height.  In the books of Genesis and Numbers, the Bible mentions a race of tall people called Nephilim, and Saul, the King of Israel before David, was noted as standing, “head and shoulders above everyone else.”  There was, of course, also Goliath, noted as a giant and in the New Testament there is Zacchaeus standing at the other end of the measuring stick.

However, when we read about these biblical characters, we see that physical size has no bearing on the kind of person the individual is.  Nonetheless, just as we tend to be preferential toward beautiful people or people with a commanding presence, so biblical people sometimes subconsciously equate physical stature with certain abilities.  Even the great prophet-priest Samuel once had to be reminded that you should never judge a book by its cover.  When God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king of Israel from the household of Jesse, Samuel took one look at Jesse’s eldest son Eliab, who apparently was tall and striking, and thought, “He must be the one!”  But not so, for God told Samuel to pass over Eliab, and said, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”  Well, we all know this, of course, and when we think about it, we seldom connect a person’s height or appearance with his or her character.  We know that the real way people stand tall is in the height, depth, and breadth of the love they have toward others—particularly those who are underserved in our world.

There was a famous rabbi from Brooklyn who used to stand every week for hours as thousands of people filed by to receive his blessing or his advice about matters great and small.  Once someone asked him how he, who was in his 80s, could stand for so long without seeming to get tired.  The rabbi replied, “When you’re counting diamonds you don’t get tired.”  Even more so than any diamond, every human life is precious and valuable beyond measure weather old or young, rich or poor, tall or short, black or white, popular or friendless, innocent or guilty.  The only way our stature can truly be measured is by our willingness to welcome into our churches, families and lives those on the fringes of all three.    

In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of injections of human growth hormone for healthy children who are simply short.  Four years of shots could add an extra three inches to an individual’s final measurement.  So the average height of a human may go up a bit, and injections may be the way to get there.

But for growing tall spiritually, the prescription remains unchanged.  The long and short of it is to welcome into our churches, homes, and lives the least and the lowly, for in doing so, we welcome Christ.  Amen.

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