Humility and Service

Readings: Psalm 81: 1-16, Jeremiah 2:4-13, Hebrews 13:1-16, Luke 14:1, 7-14
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, September 1st 2013

A printable PDF file can be found here

If  you have ever driven a van filled with youth on a church trip you will know that they will not be overly concerned about where the van may be going, as they will be  occupied with the internal politics of who sits where.

"I want the front seat."
 "I want to be next to him'
"Don't put me next to her!"
"I'll get sick if I'm not by the window"

Jostling for position. Everybody out to get the seat that in their eyes is the best. People do it all the time, in relation to numerous different things.

Our account from Luke this morning gave us a story in which there is a party going on and everybody wants to be on the head table.  Being on top table meant that you were important. Part of the in-crowd.  Jesus appears to be looking on in wry amusement as they hustle for places.

When everybody is settled, He offers the gathering some advice. He warns them of the danger of struggling for position all of the time.  That you may make a serious misjudgment and find yourself embarrassed by being asked to move down the table to a more lowly place because you've sat yourself down in a place of importance.

If you are playing the importance game, He suggests that it would be better to occupy a low position on the table, then be seen by the host, who would recognize you as a friend and invite you to a higher place on table. If that happened then everybody was going to be impressed!

At first glance it seems to be one of those "Sometimes by doing the wrong thing, you end up doing the right thing' type of stories. Sometimes you have to think things through in a way that isn't, at first, the obvious way. See what you make of these!

1. Is there a 4th of July in England? (Yes. It comes right after the third!)
2. A butcher in the market is 5' 10'' tall. What does he weigh? (Meat)
3. What was the Presidents name in 1965? (Barak Obama. He hasn't changed it)

Sometimes the way things appear are not the way they really are. The man who takes the high place at the table may not be all that he thinks he's cracked up to be.  The person way down at the end may turn out to be more important than anybody else there.

There's a story about the Marquis of Angelsey, who occupies a beautiful Stately home on the banks of the Menai Straits in North Wales. He inherited the place from one of his ancestors that lost a limb in the battle of Waterloo. Legend has it that his ancestor and another officer were observing the battle of Waterloo from horseback when a stray cannonball hit the ancestor in the leg.

The officer on the horse next to him said, "By God, sir, you've lost a leg!"  The gentleman looked down and replied "By God, sir, so I have". So they rode back to camp. Anyway to cut a long story short, for his stiff-upper-lip bravery he was given a country estate (and a wooden leg) and he and his ancestors (who still have the wooden leg in a display cabinet) have lived quite comfortably ever since.

Much of the home and its magnificent grounds are now open to the public. I guess their finances aren't what they used to be. However the estate and its owner the current Marquis of Angelsey are still considered to be the gentry of the area.  The story goes that on a visit there somebody was seeking an audience with the Marquis, with the intention of relieving him of some of his wealth by fair means or foul. The man came across a Gardener who was digging the flowerbeds.

    "What sort of person is the Marquis?" he asked the gardener.
    "Oh, I've heard this and that,” replied the gardener.
    "Has he got as much money as they say?'
    "Depends on who the 'they' are" replied the gardener.
    "Is he a generous man? I mean would he help somebody out if they said they were     in need?"
    "I dare say he might,” said the Gardener.

    "I've heard he's a bit eccentric, like a lot of these upper class rich folk" said the     man, "I mean if somebody got their hands on his money, he probably wouldn’t     miss it!"
    "I dare say" said the gardener, "Sounds like you'd like to meet him."
    "You could arrange that for me?" said the man; "I'd make it worth your while!"
    "No problem" said the gardener. He brushed the sweat from his brow and     removed a dirty garden glove to shake the mans hand.
    "Pleased to meet you!" said the gardener, "I am the Marquis of Angelsey!”

As the old saying goes, "You can't always judge a book by its cover". It is the same with people. Everybody has a tale to tell. Those who are at the bottom of the pile may not have always been so. Those who make it to the top can turn out to be the victims of good luck and whilst having around them all the trappings of success can be quite empty within themselves.

Joy in life does not come through occupying the high places or knowing the people of most influence.  Lasting happiness cannot be found in the multitude of possessions that people accumulate around themselves. Life is about more than position and possession.

The message within the message is that fulfillment comes to us through making a realistic assessment of our lives before God. We think of ourselves in one way. Sometimes we may over estimate our importance, at others put ourselves down and make ourselves out to be less than we are. Both are a denial of who God made us to be.

And then there's the way other people see us! Sometimes they may make a more realistic assessment of our lives than we make of our selves. Sometimes they will be wrong about us.  Sometimes we may have made a favorable or unfavorable impression on a person without even realizing it. Everybody we meet and spend time with forms some kind of impression of the person that we are.

That's why people like to hang out with the important folk. To make an impression. It happens every time there is a Hollywood Premiere or awards ceremony. The TV commentators go to great lengths to figure out for us 'who's who' and 'who's with who', who are the 'up and coming', whose 'on the way out'. Don't be seen hanging out with a loser... there goes that next movie offer!

The Kingdom of God, Jesus keeps telling us through the gospels, is nothing like that! In the Kingdom of God, everything is turned around. Verse 11 of our reading; "For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."

To reinforce that message Jesus tells the dinner guests that if they really want to put on a party that, in Kingdom of God terms, would be considered the showiest, ritziest, most glamorous party of them all, then give a reception and invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. Ask everybody to come who hasn't got a hope of ever repaying you.

According to this teaching, Kingdom greatness is not measured by whom you know or whom you hang out with but by what you have done for those least able to reward you. That explains why Jesus is so critical of those who are at the party jostling for the best places. From the Kingdom perspective even if you are at the head of the table, you are still a nobody unless you have love.

As Paul’s famous words from 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen remind us, "I may have all the faith needed to move mountains, but if I have no love, I am nothing!” It is love of that nature which brings security, lifts up the fallen, and heals the broken hearted. 'Love of God' and 'Love of neighbor' are the two great principles upon which the Christian faith is built.

It is in the light of God's love that we are able to make a realistic assessment of our lives. If we want to observe true greatness than what better place than in the gospel story of Jesus Christ. To be Christian is to measure our life against Christ's.

When we do so, we realize it is only by the Grace of God that we can come to any table, and we sense the futility of worrying about our position there. When we come to the table in the humility of genuine faith and with thankful hearts, it is then we experience God lifting us up.

We love because Christ first loved us and gave His life for us. It is His love that is the motivation and it is God's love that sustains us through the action of God's Holy Spirit upon our hearts. 

As we come to a table laid with bread and wine may we reflect on the Kingdom values Jesus invites us to embrace. It's not where we sit when we come to this table that counts for anything. This is not the place for childish politics.

"I want the front seat."
 "I want to be next to him'
"Don't put me next to her!"

We are around this table only through the grace of God.  We who have done so little are offered so much. We who have failed to love are invited to be recreated by Christ's love. We who have lost sight of what is really important are bid to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit of God that we may be guided by the law of love written on our hearts.

Come to the table. Taste and see that God is good!

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.