At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ~Matthew 18:1 

We all want to be the best. Whether it is in sports, at work, at school or in life, we want to excel. We want people to notice us. We want to leave a mark.

Last week I got to spend a few days with my grandfather-in-law, Earl Buckley, in Mankato, Kansas. If you have never heard of that town, I am not surprised. It doesn’t even make a blip on a radar screen. For those who know the TV show, The Andy Griffith Show and its town of Mayberry, Mankato isn’t that big, but life still runs about the same.

Earl has lived in Kansas almost all his life, except for the time he spent in the Navy during the Korean War. He is a man who has no worldly recognition, nor does he seek it. He has lived a pretty simple life compared to some, yet to be around him you know you are in the presence of a great man.

Earl has been involved in his church his entire life. He is a Gideon, and despite the fact that he has a hard time getting around, he spent Memorial Day weekend driving (with my wife and children) around to small country cemeteries decorating tombstones of family members and those for which no family remains.

But that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. Earl was a farmer. He planted and farmed his own land, and when that wasn’t enough to keep his family going, he went to harvesting other’s land; from southern Kansas all the way up to North Dakota. In addition, he began working in construction and has a book filled with pictures of all of the buildings he put up in his town and the surrounding area. He did a lot of this until just a few years ago when he was encouraged to take it easy.

It wasn’t just that Earl was getting older and shouldn’t be driving a combine anymore, although that was one of the reasons. It was not common for him to spend a week or two bringing in a crop and get paid in homemade pies or some other form of barter. And I am not talking about all-you-can-eat-for-a-year pie; just a pie or two. When questioned by his family he would say, “Well, they don’t have much and I have a combine just sittin’ here. So what else am I going to do?” For Earl, to help someone, even at the detriment to himself, is always more important. Even at 87 and having an increasingly difficult time hearing, seeing and keeping his balance, he is out in his community trying to help others. It is just who he is…or from another perspective, it is who Christ has made him.

When the disciples asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in heaven?”, they were probably expecting to hear names like Moses, Elijah, King David, or maybe Sampson, Abraham or Debra. They were seeking to be on that list. James and John even go so far to ask Jesus if they can sit at his right and left hand in heaven, a place only reserved for the most honored of people. Yet this is not the answer that Jesus gives them. Jesus says to them, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

Children in Jesus’ time were not like children today. Parents didn’t schedule their lives around activities, they didn’t make play dates for them. Children were of little to no value; unless you were the oldest boy, who would be the heir to the house. For Jesus to make such a comment was to change the perspective on what it means to be great. Greatness was no longer something to aspire to, it wasn’t something that meant gaining an attribute or accolade in some way, but instead was something of a taking away. It was the removal of pride, the ousting of arrogance, it was the lowering of brow, the humbleness of heart and the innocent hunger of the child to please and serve. Jesus’ definition stands in opposition to the world’s.

You might think to yourself, “Sure, that’s what people are like in a small town” or “Earl is just from a different generation,” but is that it? I think not. When I sit with Earl I see someone who does his best to live out the gospel message. And the reality is, when his earthly journey is over, his death will go unnoticed by most of the world. But to those who know and love him, a gentle tear will appear on their hearts stitched up by the promise of eternal life through Christ. And I guarantee you that heaven will rejoice in his presence…

“Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?” 

This quote from C.S. Lewis would fit us to a T if only “good fire” were replaced with “relaxing pool." We’ve just concluded our Mother’s Day Weekend and our annual opportunity to “Take Mama Away for Mother’s Day.” Over the years the locations have changed - from Rocky Point, Mexico to Tucson for three years, then Ahwatukee, and this year we stayed right in our own backyard at Desert Ridge. Our worship leaders for this weekend have changed with time - our time together has been led by Mac Schafer and Kristin Willett, then Kristin Willet and Sarah Johnson, and this year, Frank Harmon and Kelsy Brown. Without a doubt, some of the participants have changed, too…but the one constant that has remained is the sense of community that is cultivated when people gather and can really spend time together. 

Our PPC community was evident throughout the weekend. It was wonderful to see families interacting in different groupings, enjoying each other’s company. They shared in laughter and joy, watched children spend hours in the pool together, regardless of age. They saw the train of lazy river inner tubes snaking its way around the lazy river with so many of the PPC children and youth. There were kids flying through the air, with dads taking on the role of “human cannons” to our younger, lighter “cannonballs!” As for the parents, I heard time and time again that it was so nice to have complete conversations, finish our sentences, knowing that children were engaged with each other, in a safe and child friendly space that allowed families to come and go as needed. Conversations flowed…all the while continuing to strengthen our community.

The friendships that are forged and rekindled, the faces that we don’t always get to see in church, serve our membership in so many ways. We reconnect at church, and know that there is someone at PPC who knows us - who has seen our family in action - and in bathing suits, no less. There is comfort in being known, recognized, and genuinely liked by others in our church….similar to the old Cheers song, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name.”

Some might say that a weekend at a resort isn’t really the work of the church, but I disagree….I think it’s a wonderful enhancement of the time we spend together on our campus, and a wonderful way to expand and grow our church family and community.

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:35-38

Growing up in Indiana, the house I grew up in is located on a small private lake. I spent many days on and around that lake playing, swimming and fishing. No matter how much time I spend around lakes, I cannot resist the urge to throw a rock into the calm water. If you have ever thrown a rock into a calm lake you will notice that at the point in which the rock enters the water circles form. I used to love to watch and see how big the circles would get. It always amazes me how big the ripples get despite the size of the rock. 

I mention this because as we are closing in on the annual Pinnacle Rummage Sale, I can’t help to think of the rummage sale as a rock thrown into the community of Scottsdale. This one event has dozen’s of people from PPC giving hundreds of hours of work to make it possible. But those aren’t the only rings that are made. There will be the rings of the lives affected on the Teen Mission Trip, which the rummage sale supports. There are the rings of all those who we get to meet through their donations. Rings of those who will be at the sale to purchase items and even bigger rings of the different people in the ministries that will get all of the items not sold.      

As I was thinking about all the lives that are and will be affected by the rummage sale, I can’t help but think how missional the rummage sale has become. Part of being missional is meeting people where they are and on their terms. It is about being present for people and through those relationships, through those encounters, we too get to share our lives…our lives in Christ with them. 

It is interesting how something like a rummage sale can literally open doors and conversations about PPC and what God is doing here. Not just with me, as the pastor, but conversations between neighbors and friends about what is going on at Pinnacle. As we walk along the shoreline in Lent towards Easter, and even our journey beyond Easter, there are lots of rocks along the way that are ready to be thrown out into our community; from Holy Week Activities, Vacation Bible School, Take Mama Away, the youth’s Mission Trip, the number of rocks goes on and on. However, it doesn’t matter how many rocks we have in front of us, a rock on the shore can’t make any ripple. For a rock to make ripples it needs to be thrown. With all the rocks that we have at PPC, we should stop simply making ripples and start making waves.