Above and Beyond
Makeshift Memorial to Boston Marathoners
Have you ever received something you didn't expect for doing what you were supposed to do?
I once received an Above and Beyond award for doing my job. It's not that I didn't know I could get the award. I actually had to submit an application describing what I had done and why it was deserving of an award. It seems a bit bizarre now, but I was proud of that award.
I have no recollection of what it was for. While it made me feel great at the time, I question the whole thing. Does anyone deserve special recognition for doing their job?
Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, "We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!"' - Luke 17:9-10
There are some situations that warrant special recognition, like first responders who risk their lives to save people in a disaster. I get that and agree with it. Soem call them heroes and I can't argue that point. Even though it is their job and they chose it, and we need people who will do it, I have to say the work they do, all of them, goes above and beyond normal service.
The fact that we expect people to put themselves at risk of death to save us is a bit bizarre, isn't it?
In a way, it is a form of human sacrifice.
I know how horrible that sounds, and we can justify the need for those who go and battle the fires, rescue the trapped, fight the wars and capture the criminals, but it really is all about keeping us from harm, isn't it?
We honor those who have given their lives so that we could live, and that seems to make it all ok.
It is clear that I should expect nothing special for doing my job. Even if I help someone else do theirs, or do their job better, isn't that what should be expected of us?
In today's reading from Luke, Jesus is making a point about how we treat each other. The fact that we are no different from the people we hire or the slaves we own or the troops we command sings loud and true in this chapter.
In our everyday lives, we do and say things that look and sounds like we see ourselves as more important or more deserving than others, and we even build structures and hierarchies to support that view.
What would the world look like if we all ran to the fire or the earthquake, if we all stood up to tyranny if we invited everyone to the table, if we served one another, if we helped others achieve their goals?
Putting the command to love one another into practice is not easy. It changes everything. It is truly the only thing that goes above and beyond.
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