Jeremiah 2:4-13
Psalm 81:1, 10-16
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Luke 14:1, 7-14
Having had two daughters get married this summer I know all about the complexities of seating plans and the stress they cause! The Gospel story is one of those ouch moments (Luke 14:1, 7-14). You can feel the discomfort of being asked to let someone else sit where you have sat. The first part (v.7-11) is a strange story and doesn’t quite seem right. Human nature is just as likely to turn the instruction about humility into a new strategy for self-exaltation – “I’ll take the lowest seat so that I get asked to take a higher one and therefore made to look good in front of others!” Jesus knows that and that is not the way of the Kingdom of God, which is a complete reversal of human ways of thinking and behaving, so he says: “For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (v.11). We live in a society that is fixated about status – Alain De Botton’s book title Status Anxiety sums up our society perfectly. Prayerfully reflect upon what are the things about yourself that you are anxious over. Some people are anxious and pushy to ensure they get the very best for themselves and their families – in a sense it is quite understandable, it’s human, but Jesus says the Kingdom isn’t like that - it's not easy to be Kingdom People! Many people though have a low self-image and wouldn’t even think of taking the best – if that’s you, hear Jesus saying to you “Come, sit here with me.”
Verses 12–14 also cut across our normal patterns of behaviour. We see here the topsy-turvey hospitality of the Kingdom. The invitation to the banquet is to those on the margins, those not normally invited, those who in Jesus’ society would have been considered ‘unclean’ and undesirable. Prayerfully consider those in society who are normally excluded, who are those that YOU exclude? How might we develop an even greater sense of hospitality? Also give thanks for those times and places when we and others do find an open welcome and feel at home.
The reading from Hebrews (13:1-8,15-16) builds on the Gospel passage. It begins with an injunction “Let mutual love continue” – this love for one another is there, but don’t take it for granted, continue to work at it. Verse 2 is one of my favourites “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Even in the Church we can be strangers to one another and perhaps here is a challenge to show hospitality and through that to get to know those we don’t know, and be prepared for the surprise of “entertaining angels”. The circle of that hospitality though needs to be ever enlarging for it is often in the outer ripples that the “angels” are to be found! Popular perception sees angels as some kind of strange, mythical, heavenly being where as the literal meaning of the word, as born out by this context, is messenger. Angels are messengers from God and our passage reminds us that often such messengers come in the guise of the stranger. Give thanks for those times when you have felt ‘visited’ by God through another person. Remember too that there will be others who God visited through you!
The Hebrews reading gives us a number of areas for shaping our prayers this week. It’s an interesting list: prisoners, those who are tortured, marriage, then an injunction to keep our lives free from the love of money, Church leaders and preachers – i invite you to focus your prayers on these things this week. Finally remember that in the midst of all “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever” (v.8) – hold on to that and practice verse 15 and 16.
Through him (Jesus), then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
