Heb. 13: 1-3, 7-8, 15-16                                                                                             Rev. Dr. Galen E. Russell III

Luke 14: 1, 7-14                                                                                                                                August 31, 2025

“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.”

Prayer: O Lord, please enrich our lives with your presence and your word, so that we may humbly serve you and do the good you call us to do. Amen.

Some of you may know that I enjoy doing weddings. I’ve done hundreds. I have one coming up next month with two of our church members Erin Miller and Greg Gerhart. I’m looking forward to that.

Jesus’ parable brought back two memories of weddings, no… specifically wedding receptions.  I remember one time I got to the reception and was looking for my seat card on a table where all the guest’s seat cards were. My card wasn’t there. So, thinking that I was seated with all the other guests, I asked where was I sitting? Oh! You’re not seated among the guests. You’re seated at the “help” table. [wah, wah] So, I sat with the DJ, the photographers, the wedding planner. Which was fine—the company was good, and we got the same meal. But, I had humble pie for dessert. But yeah, to be honest, that was weird.

On the other occasion, I got to the reception and was looking for my seat card on a table where all the guest’s seat cards were. My card wasn’t there. So, thinking that I was seated with all the other guests, I asked where was I sitting? Oh! You’re not seated among the guests. You’re seated at the head table, with the bride and groom, the bridal party, and the parents! Which was great. The company was good, and we got the same meal. But honestly,

I thought that was a weird experience, too. True stories, both of these.

But which of those two experiences would you prefer? Far better to move up than to be sent down, right? Better to start with humility than with perceived entitlement. With being among the common guests than to assume you’re a privileged guest.

 So when the religious leaders were watching Jesus closely trying to snag him, turns out Jesus was watching the guests closely, too. He took the opportunity to teach them about having God living in your heart. His parable effectively said something like, “Look at you, all scrambling to display your status and privilege, claiming the best seats in the house. You guys look ridiculous.”

Then he undoubtedly remembered Proverbs 25: 6-7, which he basically quotes saying to them, “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’…”  Because a major piece of Christ’s wisdom about having God living in your heart is to be humble about it. Don’t lift yourself up—you’ll likely be humbled and brought down. [wah, wah] Instead, humble yourself first—and you’ll likely be lifted up.

Because a Christian is a person who knows a little something about imperfection. And acknowledges that. A Christian has a sense of not having measured up. Has an honest awareness of one’s frailties and weaknesses and mistakes. Can feel guilt and deep shame. And STILL… is loved and graced and forgiven and made new by God, even though caught up in waywardness and imperfections. “Christ died while we were yet sinners” is the way Paul puts it (Romans 5:8).

One of our Stillspeaking writers Bob Thompson told of a massive, wooden arch in Hickory, NC, that was 60 feet tall and spanned 178 feet over a roadway. Well, in 2022, due to an engineering defect, the thing splintered and collapsed right onto the highway leaving a pile of pick-up sticks. Bob Thompson said he thought the huge splintered mess of sticks should be removed and placed on the church lawn as a reminder of what a church actually is. “We prefer to see ourselves represented by our tall steeple, granite veneer, and manicured lawn. [But] if we are brutally honest, we are a community of splintered wood. Only by the love of God are we being changed. Only by the grace of Christ do we find dignity and possibility. Only by the power of the Spirit are we able to stay in close enough proximity to let mercy transform us” (Stillspeaking Daily Devotional, “Splintered Wood,” Bob Thompson, August 25, 2025, personal email subscription).

Each of us has defects. Paul emphasizes God’s sacrificial love, highlighting that Christ’s death was an act of love and grace, even while we have our defects. Even when we’re like a splintered pile of wood.

 But, when we receive God in our lives, we become spiritually privileged people. We become endowed. We become recipients of a grace that is sufficient for all our needs, and a peace that passes all understanding. This is, I think, the view point a Christian has. This is our viewpoint, our reality we have, as we look at life.

 Even so, we are to be humble about it, doing good for others because God’s grace is always doing good for us. It’s always lifting us up. It’s always privileging us.  Our response is not reciprocal, as in doing good back to God. It is multilateral. As in doing good to multiples of others in multiples settings.

 I love the fact that in the second part of Jesus’ teaching, he addresses the rich, privileged leader who is putting on the meal. He teaches how much better it is from God’s viewpoint to invite those to the meal who can’t repay you back. You will be blessed in the end by God, if not right away. God’s grace is like that.

 I can’t help but think—that’s us! We’re the rich, privileged leader. And we’re the ones in the position to put on the meal. We’re the ones endowed with God in our hearts. We’re in the position to give to those who don’t have. To do good for multiples of others. We may not see the blessing right away, but God promises it is there. Or it at least it will be there. We may have to wait for it. Delayed gratification, But, that’s ok.

 We love God best when we love what God loves, other people, other creatures of the earth. Heck, even the earth itself. We love God best when we love the justice that God loves.  When we love the poor people God loves, we are loving God. When the hungry, the crippled, the lame, the blind and deaf whom God loves are spoken for, are cared for, are given a voice, we’re speaking from the privileged viewpoint of having God living in our hearts. When we make sacrifices to help others in need, doing good, speaking truth to power, these sacrifices actually offer praise to God.

I think the author of Hebrews means that a sacrifice of praise in God’s eyes is doing good to others and for others. Those who have God and Christ in the heart have this fruit, this endowed privilege as the way we see life, and do the difficult work. So others can have the same spiritually endowed life.

 When we absorb the magnitude of another mass shooting, this time in a Minneapolis Catholic Church, I think it is time to make a sacrifice of praise. Two children were killed, 17 other children and adults were injured. They were shot while praying in church! And politicians said “We’re keeping them in our prayers.”

 Well, thoughts and prayers are not enough! In my humble opinion, we are privileged to have God’s presence and love and word in our lives and our hearts, so in addition to praying, it is time to do the good, the right, the sacrificial thing.  At the very least, get assault weapons banned in our nation. We don’t need them. We are not nearly as safe with them around. It’s time for politicians to do the hard, sacrificial work that gets this done. This would be a sacrifice of praise. It’s time for churches to be a voice of truth to power. This would be a sacrifice of praise.

The Christian’s privileged viewpoint is not concerned about status or entitlement or the love of guns.  It is concerned about a life of integrity and faith. For all people. Especially our children. That is what is demanded here. We cannot love our guns and our 2nd Amendment more than we love our kids. Because when we’re helping them, we might as well be entertaining angels without us knowing it. 

I know some of you may disagree with me. And that’s OK. I do hope I help us think. And apply faith to what Jesus teaches. And make it real.

Because the Christian’s privileged viewpoint may turn upside down what we think is important.

 Do you remember the scene from “The Guardian” when Master Sargeant Ben Randall is asked by Jake Fischer, the trainee for Coast Guards uses, repeatedly what his real number was, implying how many lives he saved? Finally Ben gives a ridiculously low number: “22.” And the Jake tries not to be critical saying, “Well, that’s not bad. It’s not 200, but…” And Ben interrupts and humbly says, “22 is the number of people I lost, Jake. The only number I kept track of” (The Guardian quote, retrieved August 29, 2025). That’s what was important.

We are privileged Christians. Endowed with God and God’s grace. So, Be humble about it. Do good because of it. Live the gospel. This is the viewpoint that is important. Amen.