A Blessing To Others

August 29, 2010
Luke 14:1, 7-14

Jesus, observing the maneuvering going on for the places of honor at a dinner he’s attending, shares with the other guests the wisdom of ‘being humble.’ He says, “when the host comes he may very well say, 'Friend, come up to the front.' That will give the dinner guests something to talk about! What I'm saying is, if you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face. But if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself." Still, the guests went for the best seats because position influenced what others thought of them. The same jostling for position and attitude was true in the synagogues – and perhaps that was the point.

Some would say that today, we are the Pharisees. We are the faithful and active church members who are trying to live virtuous lives. We are the insiders who anxiously shift in our seats when outsiders come into the dinner party we know as church. Yet, who are the ones Jesus holds up as worthy of inviting? Those on the margins, right. So, let’s imagine they came, those on the margin. Where might they sit if they were here today?

Someone once said that as human beings we are by nature a bit tribal. And as such, we are most comfortable with people who are like us. Joining a group of which we are not naturally a part or having them join us is difficult and takes effort on our part. That is how it was in Jesus' day as well. There were all sorts of groups, and groups within groups, that tended to congregate only with “their own.” People of different groups did not normally eat together. And the poor and homeless were often absent altogether.

Jesus instructs his host, as well as the church, by saying: when making up the guest lists and deciding how to share the blessings that has been received, don't be strategic. Don't think about what you might get in return. Be extravagantly generous. Invite the most unlikely, most unexpected guests into the life of your “church” and share that most necessary, most enjoyable experience of eating together. "You will be blessed,"

Who is missing from the table here? Who is excluded? Who would Jesus have us invite? The Reverend Kate Huey suggests the common problem of many churches is that, “We have domesticated hospitality, …that keeps (us welcoming only) our "own kind" of people, or at least those we can feel comfortable around. Our generosity toward strangers and all those we might consider "strange" is often offered from a distance, without personal contact.” However, Jesus' challenge calls us to be more aware of those “on the margins” and to follow him in including them at our tables. It is then we catch a glimpse of the way things will be in the reign of God, when those “beneath” us are not only welcomed but also become honored guests. “For Luke, the kingdom is not present where some eat and some do not.” (Fred Craddock)

In Hebrews 14, Paul writes how Christians ought to express faith through how they live their lives. He says be hospitable to strangers; be faithful to your spouse; be content with what you have; be empathetic to the suffering of others; and be mindful of the those imprisoned or without hope. The first Methodists — brothers John and Charles Wesley and the small group they gathered with at Oxford University in England — had the same idea. Along with their regular meetings for prayer, Bible study, and the reading of spiritual classics they held one another accountable to living out their faith, which included feeding the hungry, comforting people in grief and visiting those in prison.

Were John Wesley here today, he would probably put us all on the spot by asking, “Have you ever had one of those moments when you realize you have missed something by not being able to be present for others? Have you this last week not just counted your blessings but have actually hungered to be a blessing to others? Have you ”

Emilie Townes has written a beautiful reflection on today’s passage from Luke that includes just such an awareness: "Being a blessing is not easy, but trying to jump-start it by scurrying into places we think will shower us with blessings or display the blessings we have received is much easier. In all these cases, the deep theological meaning of blessing is lost…." She then challenges us to "mine (or dig) for how we seek blessings,” – be a blessing by putting others ahead of yourself. And move up to a higher place.

An article by Frank Rich appeared in the New York Times earlier this month about the recent death of a wealthy, prominent woman, Judith Dunnington Peabody, who enjoyed the highest place at the tables she graced. She could have chose to remain in her own circle of privilege and comfort, but she didn’t. Several accounts of her life reveals a woman who understood deeply what it means to be a blessing, and what it means to love the strangers in our lives, not from afar, but sitting right down, next to them. Besides the traditional fundraising (among her "own"), Judith Peabody worked with and for those in need, those whom most folks would have avoided, including a Hispanic youth gang in East Harlem that she invited to her apartment for dinner – all of them. During the 1980's she became a caregiver for gay men with HIV/AIDS, consoling and holding their hands. What made her so unusual one person said was: "She was always going into areas where polite society didn't go… friends would tell her: 'I can't believe you're doing that. We don't know people like that.'"

In this week's Gospel, Jesus tells us to surprise everyone, even ourselves, by a guest list that comes from the margins – turning position on its head. Become a blessing – give and you will receive. The good news is we can be a blessing. May it be so!