Preaching the Lectionary, Proper 17 (continued)

Continued from, well, before.

      It is interesting to look at old movies, maybe not that old, five or ten years, and it is amazing how fast the famous actors of a few years ago are gone. And those of fifty years ago are completely forgotten. Fame is short lived and glory is fleeting.
      Humility is a fundamental principle or law in the Christian life, and yet it can be fleeting too. It is an "honor" that is bestowed by someone else. If you think you have achieved humility it has probably fled from you.
      Even though humility can be as a vapor it can also be an attitude from God that brings recognition and permanence. Moses, the Bible says, was the most humble man of the Old Testament. The stability and strength in which he walked before God, remained with him a lifetime. Some call him the father of the nation of Israel.
      Humility is important since it involves authority. Paul tells us that because Christ humbled himself he was give a name above every name in heaven and on earth. This may be Jesus' concern for the Pharisees since they were the ones in authority in Israel and did not seem to know this principle. It is disturbing that the Pharisees seemed unaware of the connection between what they were doing and what the scriptures tell them to do. When reading the story it seems obvious to us, but we must stop and ask our selves, “do we ever act like they do?” Should we check ourselves before going to a festival, party, dinner or social gathering? There may be those there that the Lord would like to honor. It may even be someone who we think is not honorable. We do not always know what someone might need or what someone has done, especially if they are humble about their experience.
      During some of the State of the Union addresses the presidents have asked people to sit in specific seats that were visible to all. The president would then point them out and honor them for something they have done. Wouldn't it be embarrassing and awkward if someone else got to those seats first?
      Could this thinking happen to us? I am going to describe 3 events where seating may be important. Be honest and see what your response would be.
1. Let us say that you are invited to a wedding and the reception of a close friend. At the reception, do you look at the seating arrangement to see who’s sitting next to you? Ever disappointed? Have you ever changed the assignments? (Friends episode)
2. Your boss offers you tickets to see the Lakers play. There are two sets of tickets, one set is courtside, the other set is 15 rows back. You can choose either set. What is your choice?
3. A close associate of yours invites your favorite author to speak at a luncheon. You are invited too. There is open seating, you enter the dinning room ahead of everyone else, where do you sit?
       These situations may not be tempting to you because you already have chosen to be humble. Maybe you go to a movie and pick the worse seat. Two rows back from the big screen. Or maybe on a really crowded airplane you choose the seat between the two biggest guys. You pick the seat nobody else wants, right between two National League football players. You squeeze in between so you can fulfill this law of humility.
        This is another way we have trouble interpreting the wisdom scriptures. We want to fulfill God's word with such zeal that we might not have any wisdom in how we apply it. Wisdom is defined as "knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action."[dictionary] The just judgment in Jesus’ parable is that the lord of the banquet would tell you where to sit. That is where our faith comes in to play. As we position our hearts before the lord in all humility, we don't focus on producing humility as it will flee too quickly when gazed upon, but we look to our Lord who will help us find the exact seat he has for us. True humility is doing the will of God. Being who God wants us to be, no matter where he places us, is the answer. If we all have this attitude then all the seats are the same.
        Looking to man is not the answer either. We do not have to depend on men or on "the kindness of strangers". We are not playing musical chairs, either. It is not all by chance or luck or quickness that when the music stops you are in the right spot or can quickly get to the chair. Our lives are ordered when we submit ourselves to the Lord in humility. He will not waste one minute of our lives.
      It is interesting to look one more time at the Luke scripture concerning the dinner. After Jesus had explained to the other guests their need for humility, he talked to the host of the dinner. Jesus rebukes the host for inviting his friends, neighbors and acquaintances. Those who Jesus said could "repay you". These were not the ones to invite. He suggested that he give a feast in which he invited the halt, lame and the poor to eat at his table, those who could not pay him back. This was an interesting request. I have to say, I have yet to give a party where all the guests were poor, lame, blind and homeless. But Jesus suggested this to the host. His reasoning was that the host would be repaid, but it would come during the eschaton. I don't know if Jesus was suggesting that the host was wasting his time with this group of "friends".

       Is Christ asking us to have people such as this as our dinner and party guest? I think  he was serious. But beyond that difficult request is the hope that everyone at the dinner (the Shabbat) would conduct himself or herself in a way that addresses the kingdom of God. The Pharisees believed in the coming day of the resurrection of the righteous. Jesus wanted them to live like there is a tomorrow, the eschaton,  to be responsible to. Christ’s interpretation and application of the scriptures maintain this tension of “already but not yet". He knew the Kingdom of Heaven had come in some measure with his appearance and that men should be living in that dictate. To live otherwise was to live in a lesser day with lesser hope and lesser fulfillment. Jesus was not being cynical or mean spirited in his explanation and application these scriptures. He was encouraging every man to press into the age he was representing to them. The opportunity for them to receive the Kingdom of God, that had come near to them, was real.
     It is the same with us. He offers us to live in this present age and still be a part of the age to come. We are called to apply the scriptures in this present age with Kingdom intent. "We are heaven's colony. We are citizens of the Kingdom. We live by a different set of rules that those around us" (Stevens). Jesus’ reasoning was one of hope and deliverance for all of us who can in faith, humbly apply the scriptures to our lives today.