Uncle Floyd is a little nervous.  He is going to go visit Mr. Potato Head at the Potato Bun Factory in Chambersburg.  Mr. Potato Head is a very important person there.  He has a big office and a big desk.  His desk and chair are almost like a throne.  Uncle Floyd is wearing his suit today because this is an important visit.

“Hello, Hello!”  said Mr. Potato Head, shaking Uncle Floyd’s hand.  “It is so good to have you come into my wonderful office.  Please have a seat.  What would you like to do for  me!”

“Well,” said Uncle Floyd, “I am lining up volunteers to help at the Winter Homeless Shelter in Harrisburg.  I reckon you might want to take a turn there.”

“Well, let me write you a check to cover any costs you have ‘over there’ at the shelter.  Would a $100 help?”

“I reckon what we really need is people to stay overnight with the homeless in the church where the shelter is.”

“Well, well!” said Mr. Potato Head is his important voice.  “I would be happy to have several of my employees help ‘over there’.  Just let me set up a committee for that.  I’ll need to appoint a chairman and have him summon the men ‘on the floor’.  Oh!  ‘On the floor’!  That’s factory talk for where the men work here.  It’s kind of dirty there, so I never go down to ‘the floor’.”

“I reckon I was inviting YOU, Mr. Potato Head.  Are YOU available some night this week?”

Mr. Potato Head is the kind of leader who has power and authority over many people at the factory.  But he does not understand that good leaders also step down to the floor to be with the workers, even when it is dirty.

Our lessons from the Bible today talk about kings and how important they are and how they have power and authority over many people. 

Jesus is a king. 

At the time when Jesus was to be crucified, Pilate was the governor of Israel and a very important person indeed because HE worked for the Roman Government.  Pilate sat on his throne and summoned Jesus to stand before him.  He asked Jesus if he was a king because he had heard that some people called Jesus a King.  But Jesus did not look like a King and Pilate did not understand the answers Jesus gave.  You see Pilate did not understand the kind of King that Jesus really is.

Jesus is the kind of King who has power and authority over ALL people, but he also is the kind of king who ‘steps down from the throne’ to save US, his people.  We are all a bit dirty, but Jesus doesn’t mind that.  Jesus is the very best king who ever was, who  ever is, and who ever will be.  Jesus is at our beginning and at our ending. 

In a way, Uncle Floyd has asked Mr. Potato Head to ‘step down from his throne’ to help the homeless people at the shelter in Harrisburg.  Mr. Potato Head does not like to ‘step down from his throne.’  He likes being important and he doesn’t particularly like to get dirty with the men who work ‘on the floor’ of the factory.

And so it follows, Mr. Potato Head isn’t sure that he personally wants to stay overnight with these homeless people. 

“They are probably dirtier than the men who work ‘on the floor’.” Thought Mr. Potato Head to himself.  (In fact, they are!)

So I wonder what Mr. Potato Head will decide to do.  I think I know what King Jesus would do.    THE END

Printer friendly copy of this story