Once there was a parish with a large faith formation program, and to motivate the students to live out the Gospel lessons they were learning, every year there was an awards ceremony in church on a Sunday evening. At that event, the students sang songs and performed a skit based on a biblical story, and then certificates were given out for perfect attendance, for memorizing Bible passages, and for community service. The most important award, however, was given to the one student who was most Christ-like in his or her behavior, and because the identity of the winner was kept secret until the ceremony itself, each year the entire parish eagerly looked forward to this announcement. As the ceremony began, the 1st graders were just beginning the second verse of “Jesus Loves Me” when a muffled boom echoed through the church. The base of one of the candles on the altar had exploded, and the wax candle shot up into the air, bounced off the ceiling, and embedded itself on top of the cross which hung above the altar. Everyone sat in stunned silence, except for three 7th grade boys, who burst into laughter.
The faith formation director and the pastor hurried to the three boys, who had been known as troublemakers all year long, and as the 1st graders were calmed down and encouraged to continue their song, the adults marched the suspects into an office. It was obvious that Billy Johnson was the ringleader; he even admitted he was responsible for rigging the candle to explode—but he was clearly and defiantly unrepentant. The pastor wanted to expel him from the program right then and there, but Mr. Dexter, the 7th grade catechist, intervened; he volunteered to meet with Billy and his parents right after the ceremony, and in the meantime, he said, he knew just the perfect punishment. He whispered something to Billy, and the boy’s face turned pale. He looked like he wanted to escape, but Mr. Dexter took him firmly by the arm and marched him back into church, and the poor kid slouched down into the pew as if he didn’t want anyone to see him.
When it was finally time for the main award of the evening, the faith formation director announced that the teacher of the winning student would present the award, and Mr. Dexter came forward, after first sending word to someone in the back of church to join him up front. Waiting until he had everyone’s attention, Mr. Dexter announced, “The winner of this year’s Christian Behavior Award is . . . Billy Johnson.” The congregation gasped in surprise; how could a good-for-nothing troublemaker like Billy Johnson be the winner? Was this some sort of joke? By this time a man in a wheelchair had wheeled his way up front, and Mr. Dexter handed him a microphone. He said, “Most of you may have forgotten me; I’m Cyril Johnson, and I haven’t been able to come to church for a long time. I’m very proud to have the honor of presenting this year’s award to my nephew Billy. He deserves it. You see, Billy gave me one of his kidneys. He was the only one in the family whose DNA was a match for mine, and so I want to thank him and thank all of you for helping Billy learn to give of himself as Christ did.” As the congregation burst into amazed and enthusiastic applause, a shy and embarrassed Billy was coaxed up front, his head hanging low. Forced to say something, Billy mumbled, “I don’t think I deserve any award, especially after what I just did to that candle. I’m sorry, and I’ll never do anything like that again.” Then, looking at his uncle, with tears beginning to form in his eyes, Billy continued, “I don’t think what I did was such a big deal. I just love my Uncle Cyril, and want him to be well.” Mr. Dexter hugged Billy, and pushed him toward his uncle for another embarrassing hug. The organist launched into a verse of “Amazing Grace,” and then the awards ceremony was over for another year (Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit, John Sumwalt, p. 199). The most unlikely candidate in the parish, Billy Johnson, won an award for doing something very Christ-like, thereby reminding us of an important lesson: genuine love and service allows God to give us the greatest award of all—eternal life.
God’s grace is able to do amazing things—just look at the apostles. The Gospel of Mark (10:35-45) shows them in a very unflattering light. Two of them were scheming to ensure their own status and importance, and the other ten were furious—probably because they themselves didn’t have this idea first. None of the Twelve had yet absorbed Christ’s constant example of humility, so Jesus made it very simple for them: greatness can only come from serving the needs of other people. Jesus was to give the ultimate demonstration of this in His Passion and Death; though perfectly innocent, He died so that we might be saved. Eventually, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the apostles learned and lived this lesson; they drank from the same cup of self-sacrifice that Jesus did. Except for Judas Iscariot, who deliberately rejected the help of divine grace, all the apostles became great saints and humble servants of Christ’s Church, and they now live in eternal glory.
There’s probably a little bit of Billy Johnson in all of us: the ability to cause trouble for others and not take the practice of religion very seriously, and the capability of doing something truly loving and honorable without seeking attention or credit for it. It’s the latter potential that God wants us to develop, and He offers us as much grace and as many opportunities as we need. As the Letter to the Hebrews (4:14-16) assures us, Jesus is able to sympathize with us in our weakness. He is able to use us, imperfect as we are, and bring about great results. As the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (53:10-11) foretold, God’s will was accomplished through the faithfulness of His servant Jesus, and now we are invited to live our lives in this same manner: treating others with kindness, instead of thinking only of ourselves; trying to be humble, instead of letting pride get the best of us; using the opportunities we’re given to serve others, instead of being aloof or self-centered; doing the right thing, even when it would be easier or more enjoyable to behave otherwise; and trusting in God’s loving presence, even when our burdens and troubles seem to be gaining the upper hand.
God loves surprises, so it’s entirely possible He’s planning to resolve something wrong with our life in a wonderful and unexpected way. Billy Johnson’s parish received a powerful illustration of this truth on awards night, and afterwards it was several months before anyone bothered to remove the candle embedded on the cross hanging above the altar. In the same way, maybe there’s something out-of-place in our life that’s actually serving the larger purpose of reminding us to be humble and trusting and willing to serve. Jesus offers a share in His Kingdom to those willing to accept it, along with the grace needed to make it happen. May this be the choice each one of us makes, and may this be the award each one of us receives.
