What’s for Dinner?

Reverend Philip Stringer

Luke 14:1, 7-14

LET US PRAY: Gracious Lord, Bread of Life, feed us with your Word, and speak to our hearts, that we may love and serve only you, now and forever. AMEN

While living in Taiwan, we went to visit with a special friend in a city about 4 hours away from Taipei by train. Our friend, Elizabeth, wanted to end the day with a special dinner -- took us to a restaurant famous for seafood -- but when she spoke with the staff and asked about options for children, she immediately changed her mind. We got in the car, and she said, “How would you like to go to McDonald’s?” It was the perfect choice for the end of the day, a host who understood our needs and set aside formalities for her friends.

There are different kinds of meals for different occasions: formal, business (power-lunch), lunch with a friend. There are celebration meals for Christmas – Thanksgiving -- banquets for weddings and funerals and baptisms and graduations.

It is no surprise that special events almost always include eating together -- because eating together is one of the most intimate of acts, and it is an act that is rooted in life, growth and healing.

Have you ever noticed that it is impossible to fight and eat at the same time? One must either stop fighting or stop eating. Truly, something important happens at mealtime -- something very intimate and close — perhaps even holy.

Our gospel text today invites us to consider the kinds of meals that are present in our own lives -- and particularly, how we might look at our lives themselves as a kind of meal. What sort of a meal are you invited to? -- and what sort of a meal are you inviting others to attend?

Jesus used the dinner at the Pharisee’s house as an opportunity to teach two lessons: One -- how to be a good guest and, second -- how to be a good host.

We can get lost in the details if we listen to Jesus expecting to learn rules for social etiquette. Jesus has never been interested in appearances.

In our house — and when I was growing up — we felt the pressure of busy schedules on our family time like I am sure all of you do. One way we tried to protect family time in our house was to eat dinner together. The rest of the day, we may not have seen much of each other -- but we knew that, unless it was an unusual circumstance, we were going to spend time together around the dinner table, talking and sharing our experiences of the day.

When I was young, my mom had an interesting way of reminding us of “good manners.” To teach us to keep our elbows off the table -- she would reach over and flick our elbow -- and she was a good flicker. It hurt!

In one way, I suppose that in the first part of our lesson as Jesus is looking at the guests picking the best seats for themselves, Jesus is “flicking their elbows.”

“Do not sit down at the place of honor,” he said, “But go and sit down at the lowest place.”

Jesus might be flicking the elbows of the people choosing the places of honor -- but in their culture, and at this dinner, they had good reason to. It was customary for the host to ask questions of his guests so that they could demonstrate their learning and wisdom. To sit close to the host meant you had something to say. To sit away from the host meant you had nothing to say -- you were like a student sitting at the feet of teachers.

Only a fool would risk being mistaken as a student in a roomful of teachers. To take the lowest seat was a risk of great embarrassment. Your only hope of rescue would be if the host knew you and respected you enough to WANT to have you speak.

We shouldn’t get lost in the details of social etiquette of ancient Palestine. In terms of social savvy, Jesus’ advice would have been pretty hard to take.

But I don’t think social etiquette is at the heart of what Jesus is trying to teach. I think Jesus is talking about not trying to earn honor but believing that we have received honor as children of God.

I think he is talking about being content with the honor you already have as a child of God, regardless of how others might measure you.

And I think Jesus is talking about respecting others -- whether they are socially great or small -- because they are loved by God.

If that is what Jesus is talking about -- how are your manners? Do you feel Jesus “flicking your elbows” with his words? Are you afraid that God will flick your elbows?

Jesus doesn’t say these things to make us ashamed or afraid -- but so that we may be at peace and enjoy the party. After all, we have been invited to the party. And at this party, Jesus changes the focus of the meal from a contest of status into an experience of community and mutual affection.

He does the same thing when teaching about being a host. Again, his purpose isn’t really to flick our elbows. In fact, if anyone followed Jesus’ advice literally, they would bring ruin upon themselves. Again, in ancient Palestine, the list of those you invited was as important as the list of those you didn’t. To invite was to value and honor. To NOT invite was to dishonor and reject. So, to invite the rabble that Jesus’ describes, is to say that they are better than your friends, family and neighbors. Such an insult would not be forgotten -- you would never be welcome in these people’s homes again.

His words are uncomfortable to us-- like a flick on the elbow -- but they were shocking to those around him -- completely unreasonable -- like whacking elbows with a hammer!

Jesus’ words always compel us to look at ourselves -- and in his teaching today, we do get our elbows flicked -- we do see how we come up short in showing compassion and respect to others.

But in addition to teaching us about ourselves, he is also teaching us about himself and the ways of God. He teaches us that God’s guest list includes those whom others would reject. He teaches us that God isn’t interested in boasts and accomplishments.

And that’s good news because Jesus is giving a dinner (HC) -- and you’re invited. It isn’t a meal reserved for the perfect and righteous. It isn’t a place for boasting. It’s for you and me who know that we have many sins and failings -- that we are blind to the needs of others and the selfishness of our own hearts. We are crippled by sin and unable to stand upright. We are the people Jesus invites to his meal, and there is no way we can repay him.

And he doesn’t expect payment. He only longs to be near us. He invites us because he loves us.

That’s the kind of meal Jesus gives.

Although we may find it difficult or impossible to follow Jesus’ advice on dinner etiquette in a literal way -- still, I challenge you to think of the living of your life as being like a meal.

And you are sharing that meal with the people in your life. Who have you invited to your party -- and why? Who could you invite? How can you be a gracious host?

We gather here today for a feast where we are the guests, and Jesus is the host. It isn’t much of a meal in terms of physical substance. But that’s not what this meal is about, of course. It would be easy, however, for us to come to this meal without thinking too much about who it is who invites us, and why, and what it means for us to be his guests.

I remember a congregation retreat from the church I grew up in . . . I know that he didn’t think about the meal this way -- and he would be sad to know that that one moment is what I remember most about him.

If we aren’t careful, it is easy to come to this meal without remembering who invites us, and why, and what it means for us to be his guests.

What’s being served -- in terms of the elements themselves -- isn’t what’s important here. Where we sit at the table, isn’t what is important.

But two things are important for us to remember:

-The host is Jesus -- and he is a gracious host who invites us in love.

-How we come to the meal doesn’t change Jesus’ desire for us to be there. But it does show whether or not we share our host’s character.

When Jesus gathers us here, he gathers us -- the poor and broken, so that he may serve us in love. He gathers us so that we may share something special with him and each other. Something intimate and holy. That’s the kind of meal this is, and there is none other like it.

The life you live -- and those with whom you choose to share it -- is an offering to God -- a “serving up” of yourself in thanksgiving.

So, who will you invite to share it with you?

How can you be a gracious and generous host?

We gather at the feast at our Lord’s table, offering to him, as gifts of thanksgiving, what he has first given us.

Let us pray: Come, Lord Jesus. Be our guest -- and let all you have given us be blessed.

AMEN