Sermon: “Your Place at the Supper Table” Depending on where you are from and your own family tradition, that longed-for word may be “Supper’s ready – come to the table.” For me, supper was what you ate in the evening, and dinner was Sunday afternoon. I asked some others about this, and one person said, “Supper was the normal stuff you ate – dinner was ‘real good food.’” The word goes out and everyone gathers at the table, moving to their more or less assigned seats. Nana sat at the head of the table – closest to the kitchen – so she could jump up and refill the gravy boat when it got low or cool. Papa – even though he helped prepare the meal, he would sit at the other end. And the now adult children and grandchildren present would take places somewhere along the sides. Nana usually offered the prayer – and if she got too long her youngest adult daughter would offer up a quiet snoring sound (sound). Everyone would giggle a bit, and soon the prayer was over. Everyone would reach for the closest bowl or platter of food – and someone would ask, “Which way are we passing?” Most always it was to the right. And everyone at the table ate and talked and ate and talked – until everyone was satisfied. If your family is at all like this family, then you too had certain traditions for the supper table, and the Sunday afternoon dinner table - including where everyone was supposed to sit. Everyone had their place at the supper table. What happens today around the supper table in our homes has happened around supper tables throughout the generations – including in ancient times, and in Jesus time, when he gathered with others for a meal. One of the things I’ve always liked about Jesus – he liked to eat. A weddings feast with good and then even better wine – feeding the 5,000, sharing meals with outcasts and sinners and tax collectors – meals with his disciples – we read a lot in the gospels about Jesus at meal times. Often these very ordinary gatherings around a meal become “teachable moments” for Jesus – just as they are often are for us around our tables, when we teach and learn together about many important things of life. In today’s meal gathering Jesus has something to teach us – something about living today in God’s kingdom, in God’s realm. Here Jesus reminds us of two practices of Kingdom living - and as we know and live out these kingdom living practices, our lives will be more in line with God’s desires for us, and as Jesus says, our lives will be blessed – more grace-filled, and satisfied and whole. In Luke 14 Jesus is invited to the home of a Pharisee, on the Sabbath day – on Saturday, the day of rest – for a meal. The genuineness of the host Pharisee and the others around him is in question. Luke says, “They were watching him closely.” Jesus is, once again, under scrutiny. The lectionary reading skips the next verses, where Jesus heals someone who happens by on the way into the Pharisees home – an unlawful act – healing is considered a form of “work” – which is forbidden by the 4 th commandment. Jesus asks if it’s lawful to heal on the Sabbath – but they don’t answer – and Jesus heals the man, and then kind of jabs those watching him: “If you ox or donkey falls into a ditch on the Sabbath, do you not immediately pull it out?” Writing on this, John Calvin says, “The law of the very Sabbath ought not to hinder the offices of charity.” Doing the loving thing is always the right thing to do - despite any rule or social convention, even if it gets you in trouble. Jesus then arrives at the Pharisees home for the meal – and then the tables turn and it is Jesus who puts the Pharisees under scrutiny. He “notices how they chose the places of honor.” Some wanted their place at the supper table to be near the host – near the prominent and important and the rich people in the room – elbowing there way into the place of honor. Now remember, in the ancient world people did not “sit around” a table – they reclined on pillows – and tables were low to the ground. And with effort you could squeeze yourself in to a more prominent place. Sometimes there were several tables in the room – and sometimes there was a large U-shaped table – and reclining on the inside of the U was the more prominent, prestigious place. This may sound a bit odd to us, but think - if we were invited to a banquet, and mayor Jerry, or Coach Kragthorpe and Brian Brohm were there – or Oprah or Prince Harry and William – or a Member of Congress - wouldn’t you want to sit close? Nuzzle up a bit, to that power and prestige? I think I would. Jesus notices this – and opens his mouth, and becomes a rather rude guest. Jesus tells them a parable – to the other guests - about going to a wedding banquet – and not sitting in the place of honor – choosing the least important and prominent place. At first glance it all sounds a bit like Emily Post kind of advice – how to save yourself embarrassment in social settings. We all know you’re not supposed to sit at the head table at a wedding after all – that’s for the bridal party. We sense how it can “look good” when we chose a lower, less prominent seat, and then the host comes and asks you to sit closer. All good manners stuff. Then we get to verse 11: “For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” Here is another example of this great reversal in Luke’s gospel, a reversal from the way things are, the way we and the world think things are supposed to be – to the ways of God, and how God is going to cause things to be. A world where “the first shall be – what? Last – and the last, first.” We see this way back in the first song in Luke’s gospel – when Mary sings of God, who “scatters the proud in the imagination of their hearts, brings the powerful down from their thrones, and lifts up the lowly – who fills the hungry with good things, and send the rich away empty.” Jesus teaches here how the practice of humility is a part of kingdom living. When we exalt ourselves, when we are overly prideful and self-important – this is the opposite of kingdom living - and God is at work reversing all this. For us practicing humility is not just to look good, or to have good manners – as important as they are. Humility is what God desires and requires of us – as the prophet Micah says, to “seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.” Humble – close to the word “humus” – (not hummus, the dip) but humus – the soil, the decomposed, rich soil – being “down to earth.” Being and living as Paul says, “not thinking of yourselves as better than others” – this is humility, a realm-of-God way to live. Having chastised his fellow guests, Jesus goes after the host. Makes me thing that Jesus might not be the person you and I would want to invite home for supper. What would he say to us in our homes? “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, don’t just invite your friends or relatives or rich neighbors – the kind of people who can return the favor. In other words Jesus tells us – “don’t just invite those who make you feel comfortable, who help you fulfill your obligations – or who advance your status.” “Guess who we had over for dinner last night? Impressive, huh? I sure hope we get invited back to their house.” Hospitality only for reciprocity is not an exercise of genuine love. It is not a show of heart-felt generosity. It is only a living out of the world’s way of getting ahead - “I’ll scratch your back, and you scratch mine.” “Instead,” Jesus says, “Also - Invite those who never get invited out.” The Message Bible puts it this way: “Invite those from ‘the wrong side of the tracks.’ Then you will be – and you will 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." (14:12f - Message translation) Whom do you and I invite to our homes for supper? Jesus urges here the kingdom practice of generous hospitality, of loving hospitality – that does not worry about getting invited in return – or getting anything in return. Maybe it’s the neighbor who has less than you have – or the person not likely or simply not able to invite you back. Maybe it’s a friend or several friends of your children, and the table is crowded. Maybe it’s hosting an exchange student, or as we hear in the Hebrews lesson, “showing hospitality to strangers, and entertaining angels unaware.” Humility, and generous hospitality. As we cultivate the soil of humility, and cultivate the heartfelt generosity of hospitality, we are living in God’s realm, God’s way. And the blessings come – not from other people, though surely that does happen from time to time. The blessings also come, and the blessings always come from God. May the kingdom of God ways of humility and generous hospitality be practiced among us, in our homes, our community of faith – as we seek to fulfill God’s purposes for us. And all God’s people said. Amen. |