One time when Jesus went for a Sabbath meal with one
of the top leaders of the Pharisees, all the guests had their eyes on him,
watching his every move. He went on to tell a story to the guests around the
table. Noticing how each had tried to elbow into the place of honor, he said,
“When someone invites you to dinner, don’t take the place of honor. Somebody
more important than you might have been invited by the host. Then he’ll come
and call out in front of everybody, ‘You’re in the wrong place. The place of
honor belongs to this man.’ Red-faced, you’ll have to make your way to the very
last table, the only place left.
When you’re invited to dinner, go and sit at the last
place. Then when the host comes he may very well say, ‘Friend, come up to the
front.’ That will give the dinner guests something to talk about! What I’m
saying is, if you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up
flat on your face. But if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become
more than yourself.”
Then he turned to the host. “The next time you put on
a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the
kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get
invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and
experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor
will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s
people.”
Have you ever been
to a family dinner or a banquet and noticed that not everyone was at the
table? How did you handle this? Did you
invite them to join you? Did you ask
permission of the host to scoot in a chair and add a plate? Did you simply notice and not say or do anything?
If this has
happened at a home or a celebration, we can imagine that it happens in church
too. As we look around our worship, who
is missing? Who is present but doesn't feel as though they are fully welcome?
How do we extend the welcome of the kingdom – which is to embrace
everyone – those who look like us, believe like us, live like us and those who
don’t? What would our community be like
if we really welcomed all?
This is a
challenging word for homogeneous communities.
It is a word of liberation too. I
wonder who will gather around God’s table this Sunday. Please join us Sunday, September 1 at 10:00am
in Christ Church where everyone matters and belongs. Looking forward to seeing you in Church!
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