How often do we take note of all the people whose work is necessary to make something happen?
I’m sure most of us can name a handful of Dallas Cowboys. Some of us can name even more. We might recognize the stars if we run into them in a restaurant. But how often do we realize that there are dozens and dozens of people who work behind the scenes in the team office, and thousands of people who work at the stadium, without whom no football could or would be played. Would we recognize them if we saw them on the street?
Jesus’ final meal is no different. DaVinci’s famous painting of the Last Supper contains the “stars,” but did not memorialize all of those whose work was necessary to make it happen. Were they less important?
The Apostle Paul tells us that all of us have unique and irreplaceable gifts that are necessary to fulfill our mission as followers of Jesus Christ. The overwhelming majority of those gifts are not ones that attract attention. But they are no less important. And our mission cannot be faithfully fulfilled without them.
May we all recognize, and have the humility to contentedly be, the irreplaceable, necessary anonymous.
I invite you to pray: Lord, I offer myself to you. Use me to do whatever is needed, no matter how small. Like the unnamed disciple in the story, help me to serve without recognition. Amen.
