PLACES OF HONOR
Jeremiah 2:4-13; Luke 14:1, 7-14; Hebrews 13:1-2
“But
when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he
will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’”
Had an interview for a part-time
job last Monday afternoon. One of the questions the interviewer asked me was,
“How would people you know describe you?” Oh, no! I thought, “Depends on whom
you ask!” What I said was, “I think they might describe me as, uh, friendly…and
well-read…and usually cheerful…and that I have a pretty good sense of humor.”
The job I applied for was as
hostess/seater at Robert’s Maine Grille in Kittery. I had my first shift on
Friday, and as far as I know I’m still employed. I was fearful that the hardest
part for me was going to be, because of my advanced age, all the walking around
and up and down a significant set of stairs. I was worried about my body
holding up, when I really should have been concerned with my brain!
I have to learn all the table
numbers, upstairs and downstairs, and the layout has some logic to it, but I
haven’t quite got it locked and loaded in my advanced-age brain.
Yet, that was not the most
challenging part of my first shift; the hardest part was remembering the table
number once I got to the section at which I was supposed to seat the guests!
Was it 302 or 303?
Another thing I’ve learned is
that if I bring folks to one table, and they spy an open table on the terrace
or by a window, they inevitably want to move to the “better seats.” Very
humbling experience, since I’ve been known to do that myself!
How fortuitous it us for us,
then, that this week’s gospel lesson should be about where people are supposed
to sit. In Jesus’ day, there was a seating chart, so to speak. Seats were not
numbered like in our restaurants; and the best seats were not near the window
or on the terrace. The best seats in the house were those closest to the host,
and the most honored position of all was the seat on the left side of the host.
Your status in society was reflected in your proximity to your host at the
meal.
When Jesus noticed how the wedding
guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them a parable that resonates
with us today when it comes to wanting the best seat in the house.
Think of all the places in our lives
where we have assigned seats: in school, at the theater or concerts, at
restaurants, on airplanes, at wedding receptions, sports stadiums, and…at
church. Do you know that some folks will not even visit a church because they
are afraid they will sit in someone’s seat? Oh, we church people do have a
reputation!
Someone once said, “People are
kind, polite, and sweet-spirited…until you try to sit in their pew.” Someone
else said, “People are funny. They want the front of the bus, the middle of the
road, and the back of the church.” The most dreaded seat in the house at church
is the front middle pew, right smack in front of the preacher.
There was a couple who never
missed a Sunday at church, even in the summer, on holiday weekends, and when
they were away on vacation. One time on vacation, they found a church in the
area that looked nice so they decided to go there.
The woman liked to sit in the
front pew—unusual, I know. So, on Sunday they entered the little community
church and sat down in the front pew, where all the deacons sat every week. The
usher, noticing this territorial infraction, walked down front and said to the
couple, “I’m sorry; this pew is saved.” And the husband replied, “So are we.”
On the surface this parable may
seem to be saying that we should not jockey for the best seat in the house. Nor
is the lesson about how not to embarrass yourself at a wedding—we’ve all seen,
I am sure, people who were absent from school that day! This parable is
actually about living humbly so that Christ may exalt us when he calls us to join
him in the heavenly feast at eternity’s table.
Are you saved? If Jesus were
interviewed about us, how would Jesus describe us, the way we lived our
faith? Could he only say, “Friendly,
well read, and has a good sense of humor? A good golfer or knitter? A great
cook? A talented quilter? Those things are okay for this world, but to move up
higher, to the better place, we need to attend to a deeper place, the place
where we stand with Jesus or without Jesus. Are we saved?
Jesus humbled himself when he came
down to earth to walk where we walk, to feel what we feel, and to sit where we
sit. If you came to church one morning and saw that Jesus was sitting in your pew, would you want to say to him,
“Excuse me, Jesus, but this pew is saved?!?”
Jesus notices us, you know. He
hears what we say, and he observes how we are. He knows why we do what we do,
even if we do not understand it ourselves. The Lord knows that beneath our
public persona, deep down, we are like the uninvited guests to the wedding
feast.
We are the poor, for we never
seem to be satisfied with what we have. We are the crippled, our hearts are
handicapped. We are the lame, paralyzed in place, with a faith is going
nowhere. We are the blind, hidden flaws are obstacles on our faith walk. We
have no means to repay Jesus for the sacrifice he made on our behalf. Yet, yet,
we have his promise that if we believe in him, trust him, follow him, eat and
drink him, we ARE saved.
Jesus is the Host of heaven and
earth, and he invites us to live with him because he loves us. “Come to my
table,” he says. “I have prepared a feast for you.” Be glad in the good news, friends. Jesus
invites us daily to move up higher, to a better place for each of us: places of
honor at his feet in the throne room of heaven. Amen.
September 1, 2013
First Parish Federated Church of South
Berwick, ME
The Reverend Donna Lee Muise, Pastor
