Hospitality and Invitation

September 1^st, 2013     “Hospitality and Invitation”      Rev. Heather Jepsen

Luke 14:1, 7-14

In our reading this morning we find Jesus again at a dinner party.  In Luke’s gospel the dinner party is frequently a scene of important teaching and today’s passage is no exception.  Here, at the house of a leader of the Pharisees, Jesus offers those gathered a lesson on hospitality and the nature of invitation.

          When it becomes time to eat at the party, Jesus notices how the guests jockey for positions at the table.  I am sure it was a mad dash of sorts; the food arrives and there is some subtle pushing and shoving as people attempt to place themselves at the seats of honor nearest the host.  Jesus then decides this is a great opportunity for story telling and starts into a parable.

          “When you are invited to a wedding banquet, don’t sit at the head seat in case you may be asked to move and thereby humiliated.  Instead, choose the lowest seat and then if need be, you will be asked to move to a higher seat, and thereby be exalted.”

          This lesson Jesus places before us led me to think quite a bit about who sits where when we eat together nowadays.  I know that at our modern wedding banquets, seats are commonly assigned.  One would think that this would ease the problem, but anyone who has any experience drawing up a seating chart knows this isn’t the case.  There are often great pains taken when assigning seats so that those who deserve the most honor are placed closest to the newly married couple.  One doesn’t have to attend many weddings to find that even though seats are assigned, there is still all manner of grumbling about position.  Such behavior illustrates that we still have the desire to literally seek the most important seats.  Even at weddings where seats are not assigned, there is frequently a mad dash to claim the tables closest to the couples.  And one is always striving to sit at the table with the coolest people, or at least the people they know. 

          In our meals at home, seating is also important.  It is not hard to guess who sits at the head of the table in most families, and the remaining seats are assigned from there.  Even in my own family growing up, and the family that I have married into, I know where my seat is and that is the one I choose.  Think for a moment about your family table.  Are seats assigned?  Where do you sit?  How does the seating reflect the leadership of the family?

          When considering this Scripture I found that despite the passage of thousands of years and of many cultures, where we sit at the table still has great significance.  Though we often do not literally push and shove for the best seats, we are aware of the rank in which we are placed and we sometimes eye the ranks above us.

          If we expand this seeking for higher status into our society at large the examples are endless.  Who isn’t seeking higher status and more pay in their job?  Everyone wants a higher chair at that big board room table or at the university.  And, who isn’t watching those around them and ranking which families are of greater status?  We all know who the oldest and more powerful families in town are.  And, who isn’t tempted at some times to throw their weight around a bit to show the world how important they are?  Our culture runs on the desire to get ahead, the desire for the best seats at whatever table we may find ourselves.  For everyone knows that everyone else is trying to get ahead.

          As usual, Jesus teaches us exactly the opposite.  Jesus teaches us about the kingdom of God, which takes the ways of our world and reverses them.  Jesus teaches us that rather than try to get ahead, we should instead try to get behind.  Jesus teaches us that rather than trying to demonstrate how important we are, we should take pains to take the lowest seat amongst the crowd.

          “For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”  It is an interesting phrase.  Jesus has been using the example of the party host asking us to move down, or inviting us to move up.  But in this phrase the verb form used is passive implying the actions of an outsider.  What Jesus is essentially saying is that all who exalt themselves will be humbled by God, and all who humble themselves will be exalted by God.  That really takes all our thoughts about positioning in this world and puts them on their heads.  You can’t do anything about your status, only God has the power to humble or to exalt.

          In the second part of this passage Jesus addresses the host.  “You shouldn’t invite your friends or relatives to a party,” he says “or they may repay you.  Instead you should invite those who cannot repay you, the poor and the lame.” 

          Here Jesus speaks about the nature of invitation.  “Why do you invite someone to your house?” he asks.  “Is it to secure an invitation to theirs?”  It is sad but true that many of us do have this motivation behind our hospitality.  Who hasn’t thought, “I did so much work serving them and they never had me over in return.”  Or even “I sure enjoyed eating at their house; I need to invite them over to mine to return the favor.” 

          We invite our friends and family to our table and we initiate a dance of giving and receiving.  We each take the opportunity to host each other, and frankly I think this is a good thing for relationship building.  I don’t think Jesus is against our friendly back yard barbeques.  But, his story begs the question, of who do we neglect to invite?  Who are the outsiders that do not receive invitations to our houses and to our tables?  How do our table invitations reflect the kingdom of God?

          This is a hard lesson, but Jesus encourages us to welcome the stranger into our house.  In our reading from Hebrews the epistle writer echoes this message, “Let mutual love continue.  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”  What are we doing to show hospitality to strangers in our community and in our world?  How are we inviting others to our tables?  How are we inviting outsiders to our table here at church? 

          Jesus’ table manners in this passage make us uncomfortable.  He calls us out from our comfort zones and demands more of us.  He asks us to take the lowest seats and to humble ourselves before God and others.  He asks us to invite the stranger to our table, and to host those who could never host us in return. 

          But, Jesus doesn’t just ask us to do these things for others; he himself does them for us.  The lesson of Jesus has always been the one of a humble servant; he has shown us this path many times.  And similarly, Jesus the King had invited us to his table.  We have been invited to the table in the kingdom of God and it is certainly an invitation that none of us can reciprocate.  Jesus has given us the great invitation, and we are welcome at his table, in the company of our friends and family as well as of the poor and lame.

          As you go out into the world this week, I encourage you to take note of these things in your life.  Where do you sit at the table and why?  Who do you invite in and who do you leave outside?  Who do we as a church invite in to our table?  And, where are you yourself invited in to sit, to celebrate, and to share?  May God teach us lessons of hospitality and invitation.  Amen.