Sept. 1, 2013, 15th Sunday After Pentecost

Luke 14:1, 7-14

1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.    7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
    12 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

“Humility Is Our Key Word”

These words are about how it is in the Kingdom of God and how God would have us be.

With God there are no “greats”; no “ inner circles”; no “less or more important”; no social status.  No game playing, pretending to be humble so we can be great.

“Half of the harm that is done in this world, is due to people who want to feel important.  They don’t mean to do harm - but the harm does not interest them.  Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves.”  T. S. Elliot _”The Cocktail Party”

We live by grace not by our accomplishments.   Humility is our key word.

Humility is a sigh of strength.  It is a fruit of healthy ego-strength; liking myself but not hung up on myself.  It comes out of the honest struggle with my weakness; and the gracious acceptance of forgiveness.  It comes when I forget myself and remember who I am - a sinner - and who my God is - a gracious, loving, forgiving God.  Humble people like themselves and don’t need the acclaim of others to do so.  They just go about being their forgiven selves.


“True humility doesn’t consist of thinking ill of yourself but on not thinking of yourself much differently from the way you’d be apt to think of anybody else.  It is the capacity for being no more & no less pleased when you play your own (bridge) hand well then when your opponents do.”  Buechner, “Wishful Thinking”, p. 40

Humility is loosing oneself in living and not keeping score.  It is letting the love of God consume us until nothing is more important then the privilege of being a servant.
It is getting lost in doing good.  And letting God keep score, if God want s to, which God probably doesn’t.


Nelson Mandela - “Invicitus”
“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory, when nice things occur.”



“Be All You Can Be - Yourself”

Jesus is doing more then changing social customs.  He is challenging the games we play; the sham which is ours because we don’t know how to be real with each other or with ourselves.

We find it hard to affirm our strengths and acknowledge openly our weaknesses.  Being humble is often a cover up for our feelings of pride.  Yet, the best thing we can do for ourselves, others and even God, is to be ourselves and accept ourselves as a child born in the image of God.

It is good to be human; we don’t have to play games to try hide our strengths or weaknesses.  We can be who we are, in the grace of God.  A forgiven sinner who is loved by a gracious God.  Jesus died to show us our value, our priceless value to God our Creator.  Our challenge is to be real with ourselves, others and God in the light of this awesome truth!