Hospitality
Based on Luke 14:1, 7-14
Delivered on August 28, 2016 at CCH, Hudson WI
Hymns:
We Gather Together, Here I Am Lord, They’ll Know We Are
Christians
Luke 14:1, 7-14
14:1 On one occasion
when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on
the Sabbath, they were watching him closely.
14:7 When he noticed how the guests chose the places of
honor, he told them a parable.
14:8 "When you are invited by someone to a wedding
banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished
than you have been invited by your host;
14:9 and the host who invited both of you may come and say to
you, 'Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you would start to
take the lowest place.
14:10 But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest
place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up
higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table
with you.
14:11 For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those
who humble themselves will be exalted."
14:12 He said also to the one who had invited him, "When
you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or
your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and
you would be repaid.
14:13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the
crippled, the lame, and the blind.
14:14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you,
for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
This parable of the dinner party seems simple enough, yet it
was a hard concept for Jesus listeners.
I’m going to explore three ideas from the story.
Be a gracious guest
Be a gracious host
Understand hospitality
Be a gracious guest
We don’t have seats of honor often, though I remember only
Mom and Dad sat at the ends of the table.
We use to sometimes laugh and say if someone sat at the end seat that it
was their responsibility to pick up the tab because that meant they were the
parent. That seat of honor came with
paying the bill.
Weddings are a different story. There is a head table for the wedding
party. There often are special tables
for the family of the bride and groom, and maybe one for special friends. Some couples give a name card at each place
so people know where to sit. If the
couple take care with table-mates, I can trust I’ll be put with people I enjoy.
Other times the wedding couple leave it up to the guest to
sit where they would like. I kind of
like the name cards because I don’t know who is also invited. I know I’m friends enough to the bride or
groom to be invited. I want to be close
to their table because I love them and want to see them as they continue their
special night. I also want them to see
me and know I’m supporting them, but where do I really fit. The day is about them, not me.
The parable includes
the verse “For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble
themselves will be exalted." Yet I have a feeling Jesus was hoping to get
them away from the “exalted” part totally.
One way to look at this verse is to see it as both becoming level. Adding a little to those at the bottom and
cutting down a little from those elevated until they were shoulder to
shoulder. After all, both were “invited”
according to the scripture. In the eyes
of God both are loved and wanted as guests.
When you are invited to be with a group of people, don’t
assume you’re superior. Try not to focus
on yourself at all. Honor the fact each
of you there are important to your host.
This was a wedding banquet. Only the happy couple should be on your
mind. They are for the moment the
exalted ones.
This is not easy. Our
comfort and our happiness seems to always be at the front of our minds. It’s part of our self-preservation – take
care of number one! Self-promotion may
have some benefit in the workplace, but it has no place in community. Living in community calls for a servant’s
heart, and servants normally ate in the basement or in the kitchen.
Be a gracious host
The first parable is seen through the eyes of the guest, but
I feel for the host. I’d feel terrible
to have to tell someone to move because the seat was saved for another
person. Yet at a wedding, it may happen. It is only the host who knows the full
invitee list, and even if they don’t have place cards they have a vision of who
will be at a few of the special tables.
I’ve already given my vote on having place cards, but understand that
isn’t always the option that is chosen.
A good host is attentive to his guests. He wouldn’t know a special friend was sitting
in the less desirable spot if he wasn’t also visiting with the people in those
spots. The host visits with all who are
invited. The host is also someone who
can see the big picture because he knows the details.
The host in the story is better not focusing on himself. He is best as a host by staying focused on
his friends. In Jesus day it may be that
he raises his own status by showing off who is at the party, but I believe it
was Jesus recommendation to be other-focused instead. Mingling, chatting, greeting the guests
personally is part of a good host’s behavior.
Jesus parable also gave this advice to the host. 14:12 He said also to the one who had invited
him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or
your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you
in return, and you would be repaid.
14:13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the
lame, and the blind. 14:14 And you will
be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the
resurrection of the righteous."
When my daughter was married I considered myself a second-host. I visited each table at the reception,
introduced myself as Mother-of-the-bride, asked how they knew the happy couple,
and then I thanked them for their love and support of the two of them.
It doesn’t need to be your party for you to take the role of
greeting and offering love to those there.
The act of accepting those gathering around you puts you in that host
role of this parable. Offer love whether
you will be repaid in kind or not.
Understand hospitality
This passage of scripture has two separate lessons. Both are connected to the meal theme but he
has a different audience he’s focused on.
This second lesson is helping define hospitality. Hospitality was an important part of
community life. If you only invited
people who would invite you back it was more like a barter system than
hospitality. True hospitality meant you
gave without expecting payment back.
The Greek word translated “hospitality” literally means “love
of strangers.” By that definition,
inviting only your friends wouldn’t really be hospitality. You can be a giving person and a loving
person by inviting those you know, but you become a person with hospitality
when you offer that same kindness to someone you have never met before.
The hospitality of the local community was how the gospel was
spread. Jesus had sent out his disciples
in Luke 9:3-5 telling them, “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no
bread, no money, no extra shirt.
Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town
and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” They depended on hospitality and that was
rewarded by the listeners hearing the good news of God's grace!
So that’s hospitality.
Be a humble guest and be a host to strangers without expecting anything
in return. The scripture is about good
behavior now, but I believe it is also about our heavenly banquet. When the Mother of James and John asked Jesus
if one could sit at his right and one his left Jesus asked if they could suffer
as he would and when they said yes he said, “You will indeed drink from my cup,
but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to
those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” God is the great host. He knows the big picture. The person with a servant’s heart is what is
prized.
Love those who love you, but don’t forget to offer love to
strangers as well. When you are at a
special event recognize all present are invited just as you are. Also remember to feel free to be a second-host
and offer your love and acceptance of those present. It is our calling. It is the gift that God gives us, and the
gift that we can pass on to others.
So let mutual love continue.
Embrace the true meaning of hospitality.
The command to love one another is repeated throughout Biblical
teaching. To love each other because God
first loved us. This means caring for
the stranger because they are loved by God.
It also means remembering when we gather as community we are gathering
as a people each loved by God – each and every one of us. One great fellowship of love throughout the
whole wide earth.
Amen
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