High School Annuals

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lthough you seldom look at it any more, you could probably put your hands on it if I asked you.  It is tucked away in a drawer, lying on the top shelf in your closet, occupying some area of a basement wall, acting as a bookend, or sleeping quietly in a box in the attic.  Occasionally you flip through it and it is the cause of much laughter and tears as you share it with old friends or family who prayed as you navigated the treacherous waters of adolescence.  It is not something anyone else would want or care for but to you it is priceless.  It is your old high school year book or books depending on just how sentimental you are.

My old annuals currently live on a shelf in a closet.  They are safe and dry but I seldom pull them out to look at them.  When I do, a flood of memories comes rushing back as I relive past moments, remember whole conversations I had with friends, and revisit a time when life was simpler, more manageable, and essentially carefree.  Several of my classmates wrote notes in my annual, filling entire pages with autographs and things to make sure I didn’t forget them. I remember each one to this very day.

There is a section in each high school annual dedicated to those classmates who were elected by their peers as superlatives.  The categories usually include prettiest and most handsome, most dependable, most likely to succeed, wittiest, most musical, etc.  In the opinion of their fellow classmates, the individuals chosen for these various categories stand out above all others, beyond comparison, for that is the meaning of a superlative—the best of the best!

The Bible is filled with men and women who were the strongest, the bravest, the fastest, the most beautiful, etc. We speak of people like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Noah, Esther, Ruth, etc. just to name a few.  Each of these names carries with it its own imagery, immediately calling to mind a picture of what the individual is recognized for:  Solomon was the wisest, Abraham was the most faithful, Samson was the strongest, Esther was the most beautiful, and Ruth was the most devoted. 

Yet, when Jesus talks about superlatives, he applies a very different standard.  His requirements seem to fly in the face of everything the word superlative connotes.  Let’s look at Luke 9:48 to see Jesus’ requirements for being a superlative. This verse simply states, “Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all--he is the greatest...”

Jesus used a small child as his standard for superlative faith, strength, and trust.  The child Jesus chose isn’t even named in the story yet Jesus states categorically that unless we all become as children we cannot see God’s kingdom.  The standard for reaching superlative status in God’s kingdom can be found in the closing words of Jesus’ statement.  If we want to excel and be considered great in the Lord’s sight, we must be content with being in last place.  Here, there is no glory, here there is no recognition, here there is no pat on the back, and here there is no one applauding or yelling out our names. No, there is no one to recognize our service or see our contribution; no one, that is, but God, Himself. 

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he criterion for excelling in God’s kingdom is based solely on the attitude of the heart and the desire to be subordinate to and compliant with the will of God.  In fact, there can be only one superlative, not many, and that superlative is Jesus Christ.  It is he who is the most loyal, the most faithful, the most beautiful, the most dependable, and the most loving.  Yet, Jesus says we can be great in his kingdom. We do so, however, not by doing but by sacrificing.  When we give up our wants and our desire, when we are content yield to God’s will and recognize His authority as our creator and Lord, then we are in the very position for God to use us for His purpose.  These are God’s requirements for being a superlative.  How do we measure up today?