Date: 08/29/2010                                                                                 Preached by The Reverend Pam Laing

22^nd  Sunday in Ordinary Time                                                  The United Presbyterian Church, Wood River, IL

Bible texts:  Jeremiah 2:4-13 (CEV); *Luke 14:1, 7-14

 

God’s Table Manners

 

        A minister told me of going to visit someone once in a hospital that was undergoing major renovations. He needed to get up to the next floor, but the elevators were not working. Looking for the stairs, he got lost and turned around several times. Finally, he saw a stairway sign – except that when he reached the stairwell, it was blocked off. A sign hanging on a rope across the opening to the stairs read: “To go up you must go down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, look for further directions.”[1]

 

        In today’s gospel reading, Jesus was saying something quite similar to that sign on the stairs:  “In many experiences of life, the best way up is down.” His actual words were: “For all who exalt themselves will be humbled and all who humble themselves will be exalted” (v. 11) Humble ourselves. How do we do that? What does Jesus mean?  Simply put, humility is to look within ourselves in a way that reflects on what we, as God’s people, are to be about. We are not to think more highly of ourselves than we should, nor are we to presume we can judge others as to how good they are. You and I, and all others inhabiting this planet, are sinners in constant need of God’s mercy. God is the judge. We are the ones God judges; and thankfully, mercy abounds.

 

Jesus came to invite people into the Kingdom of God, which is a mutual way of living. In God’s community we do not compare ourselves to others, but rather consider who we are in relationship to Jesus. If we do that, we quickly become aware of how Jesus’ perfection – his compassion, his love, his inclusive spirit – puts us all in the shadows, wishing we could chase away the dark. In all honesty, we all have many traits and do many things that do not measure up to who Jesus is or how Jesus behaved as a human.

 

In Luke’s story, Jesus was invited to the home of a leader of the Pharisees for a meal. While there, he observed people jockeying for position as they seated themselves. Their purpose in being there seemed more self-seeking than about enjoying one another’s company. In today’s lingo, we might call it a power lunch. Some of the lust for power stemmed from the customs of the day. Jesus lived in a hierarchical world where status and wealth determined a person’s social standing. At meals such as the one in today’s story, guests were assigned seats that indicated their place in society, as well as their relationship to the host. The host determined who was important enough to sit near him, and then each one after that sat according to how they measured up. Obviously, assigning positions at the table was a biased process.

 

For example, what if those at our lunch following worship today received numbers? To fit the custom of Jesus’ day, the hosts of the luncheon, the members of the Congregational Development Committee, would rank everyone attending according to how important the hosts think they are. Each one would get a number and be asked to find the place card on the table that matches that number. That person would sit in the best seat, which is closest to the hall door with first access to the mission fair displays, and he or she would get to eat first. Can you imagine how people might try to ingratiate themselves to the committee members?

 

Jesus said, “All who humble themselves will be exalted.” These are words from someone who practiced what he preached. Jesus came down to earth and experienced the life of a mere human in order that we might know and be in relationship with God. He came down to earth to lift up the lowly and to put the high and mighty in their place. Indeed, the best way up is down.

 

To humble ourselves is not a private matter. We cannot be humble alone. Humility happens in relationship. To stand alone keeps us on a surface level of life where we never get involved in the deep-tissue conversations that bring rich and varied meaning to life. To get to know others better is to learn more about God’s world, and to experience the joy of sharing the meaning of life with others. God has put us here to minister to others, and to let others minister to us. Bernard of Clairvaux, a ninth-century monk who wrote about the practice of humility, described what he called the ladder of humility. We remain on that ladder all during our lives, trying to balance our sense of our own worth against our recognition of the value of others in the world. Humility is a life-long enterprise because it is quite easy to fall off the ladder and land in a pool of pride. Benjamin Franklin noted this struggle saying, “If I ever achieved humility, no doubt I would become proud of it.” If he is right, then the truly humble folks are those who do not know it. Once they recognize their humility, pride rushes in.

 

Sometimes we need a little humility training that brings us down a few notches. There is a story, perhaps true – maybe myth, about the renowned boxer, Muhammad Ali when he was in his prime. Ali had boarded an airplane for a trip. Just before takeoff, a flight attendant reminded him to fasten his seatbelt. He replied, “Superman don’t need no seat belt.” The attendant stood her ground and came back with, “Superman don’t need no airplane either.”

 

Humility comes from seeing the truth about ourselves, from realizing our faults, while at the same time knowing that God treasures us in spite of those faults. When we can nurture true humility, we become less judgmental of others and realize that we all struggle with the same need to be loved and to love. If we view others as we want to be viewed, then we become more compassionate and forgiving. You might say that by seeing the log in our own eye, we take less notice of the splinter in our neighbor’s eye.

 

I recently read about a minister sitting in his study when a strange man came in to see him. The man was wearing a large black hat that had turkey feathers sticking out of it everywhere. Below the hat, over each ear, a piece of raw bacon dangled. The man sat down and said, “Preacher, I need to talk to you about my brother, Bob. He ain’t right in the head!”[2] How’s that for an image to pop into our heads the next time we begin to talk down about one of our brothers or sisters who belong to God’s family? A good honest look in a spiritual mirror from time-to-time will do wonders to foster a spirit of humility.

 

Today we will share a meal together and participate in a mission fair so we can think about those to whom Jesus calls us to serve. May we approach this opportunity with humility, knowing that we have as much to learn from those we serve as they can ever gain from us. It might help to think of the world as made up of many luncheon tables where all are waiting to receive nourishment. Instead of vying for the most important spot, I pray we may all look for ways to view everyone sitting with us as equal or better than us. The best way up is down. We know that to be true because Jesus’ table manners showed us it is.

 

When you go to Fellowship Hall for lunch, you will not receive a number. In fact, the method the committee has chosen to serve you fits well with the meaning of this passage. They will bring your food to the tables, with no table being more important than another. You will receive everything in bowls so you can serve one another family style. I encourage you to consider together ways you can share the food so everyone is honored and valued.

 

Our congregation’s Vision Statement, which was created to guide our community in our faith practice, mentions humility. It’s printed on the front of your bulletin at the top. Please read it with me as a means of recommitting to joining Christ in paying special attention to those on the lower rungs of the social ladder: “As we live Christ’s promise of the Good News, we will strive to approach life’s challenges with humor, humility, and prayer. Amen.