Jesus says when you go to a banquet or a dinner party, don’t sit at the best spot, take the path of humility.
Well frankly, I find such command hard to strike a chord for us at here Bethlehem. Because we at Bethlehem are mostly coming from backgrounds, steeped in the virtues of modesty, humility, if-you-can’t-say-something-nice-don’t-say-anything-at-all, the virtues of self-sacrifice, never pushing your way to the front.
“After you, please.” — “Oh no, I’m OK. Thank you. How are you?” — “No, no, no. You first, I insist.” — It’s how I was raised, as a little boy, and I imagine (and have noticed), in general, it’s been even more intensified for little girls. Soft-spokenness is esteemed. It’s even seen as a virtue.
In fact, I would even venture to say that asserting oneself too much in lots of circles would really be looked down upon. Making bold requests, or offering your solid, unbiased opinion, or speaking out of turn. You can do that here in our midst, because no one will stop you — everybody wants to be nice — but many of us probably won’t look favorably on it, might even talk about you behind your back afterwards. Right? “Wasn’t he pushy?”
So when “YOU FIRST” is about the only thing many of us Christians are assertive about, wouldn’t it seem we’ve got this Gospel lesson covered? Of course we’d give up the best seat... Is there really a guiding word here for us? Can we check this Gospel lesson off the list? “Yep, got it covered.”
As I was reflecting on this with some colleagues, however, a wise friend pointed out, “But isn’t our modesty/humility, and willingness to flip the conversation or the attention so quickly on another, a way of taking the place of honor?”
Because by letting ourselves be passed over, we are essentially saying, “I don’t need any help.” Let all the eyes go on to the poor, the lame, the blind -- the misfits -- not on me. “I DON’T NEED ANYONE’S HELP. Let others be vulnerable. I’ll sit right here, thank you very much.” Could we be placing ourselves in a place of honor when we say that? When we assert our independence and tell everyone ‘I don’t need your/any help’?
Friends in Christ, this is a text again about hospitality and community formation, on all kinds of levels. Welcoming the stranger among us, and welcoming us among our strangeness. There is an important place for you at this banquet! And for everyone!...
The truth is, the reign of God looks a lot more like the Department of Motor Vehicles than our congregations. Everybody’s there! What did Martin Luther King, Jr. say? “Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week.” We are called always to extend God’s wide welcome to everyone we meet. Jesus couldn’t be more explicit here.
We are invited again today into Jesus’ radical (last week I said) “holy flipping.” That’s very Lukan: Jesus is always flipping things around, changing perspectives. Bringing the haughty and the rich down, and raising up the poor, sick, bent over, outcasts. The last first, the first last. In fact, let’s just try something, as a way of getting into this text a bit…
New perspective! You probably sit where you do because it’s the best seat in the house...for you. And now you’ve given that up for the opposite. Worship in your new seat for the rest of the service today. And in your processing afterwards, while your having lunch with family or driving home, the question is not “Did you like it, the different perspective today?” but rather “What do you notice from your new place?”
Today we have again a glimpse of God’s original intention of radical diversity. And of course that includes you, that includes us. God’s welcome most definitely includes you, but not just you and me and all those who look and dress and live and worship like we do: It also those who look, and dress, and live and worship very differently. God always includes the outsiders. For God, diversity, strangeness, difference is not a problem that creeps into our neighborhoods and our churches. It’s God’s original intention! Look at the creation story or the Pentecost event, when the church was born:
God creates a bunch of creatures, gathers a bunch of people, blesses ‘em, promises to stay with ‘em, and frees ‘em to go -- it happens in Genesis, in Acts, and it happens today.
Our farmers and scientists warn us of the dangers of mono-cultures and extol the virtues of cross-pollinating. That’s what this text is really all about: CROSS-POLLINATING! Mixing it up.
Yeah! The reign of God is like a lush and colorful garden with all kinds of different smells, bees moving from here to there. The top seat to the low seat to the middle seat -- seating doesn’t even matter. What matters is all the mixing, the learning from one another’s different perspectives, the celebrating, and welcoming. AND EATING. (just a glimpse of that on Friday’s Summer Pictures and Stories!) God’s banquet is a feast of rich foods and drinks. Laughter, children, stories, and songs, and dessert. Do you see?! Cross-pollinating. CROSS pollinating. CROSS pollinating.
This is the moment of our church body, by the way. The ELCA. We are starting to break down as a mono-(bi-tri-)cultural church. And we are in fact starting to cross-pollinate. The ELCA publishes an African American hymnal -- did you know that? We’ve got one in Spanish too! We’ve got a joint declaration of justification with our Roman Catholic siblings, we’ve got the Call to Common Mission with Episcopalians, pulpit and table sharing, agreements and joint statements and ongoing dialogues with Methodists, Presbyterians, Moravians, interfaith dialogues and relationships and education materials committed to honoring our Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu neighbors. Mixing, mingling, cross-pollinating...not because diversity is some PC goal for the future, that’s the original state of God’s creation way back at the beginning! And isn’t it interesting, as we do this, how the ELCA’s budget and head count is shrinking? Similar dynamic on a smaller scale too, right? Many have reached their limit of cross-pollinating. “OK, with that group — I WILL NOT come along.” We all do this. We all reach our limit. Where can the conversation stop for you? And where is God nudging you to grow? Could that be Jesus asking you to take a different seat? (for some, that’s letting yourself be served!) A new perspective? God’s welcome and embrace is always larger than ours...And friends, God’s mission goes on, despite our cut-offs, and limits. The welcome of God extends always, with or without our participation or permission.
This is tough work. Hospitality is tricky — it’s tricky just with our friends and family. It’s a lot of work cross-pollinating, learning to live with strangers. But it’s right work. It’s good.
Friends in Christ, let’s keep working together as a community of faith at our hospitality. Let’s stick together as we reach out, struggling to give that person — who is the most challenging for you — a top seat at the table...because like it or not, God already has! And God gives you a place too. Thanks be to God for new perspectives, new opportunities both to serve...and to be served (for those of us who might glory in our upstanding humility). Today’s a new day of grace! So let’s celebrate: let’s eat, let’s party, let’s sing! The banquet is here and now! AMEN.
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HoD — ‘Vamos todos al banquete’ #523 — English or Spanish
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