The Head Table

THE HEAD TABLE

Mount Hope UMC

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Luke 14:1-14 New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

14 One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely. 

Jesus Teaches about Humility

⁷ When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: ⁸ “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? ⁹ The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

¹⁰ “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.¹¹ For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

¹² Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. ¹³ Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.¹⁴ Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

           

            I don’t know how it was at hour house, but when we were growing up, my father always sat at one end of our rectangular kitchen table.  We always considered that the head of the table.  But thinking about it, there were two ends to the table and either end could have been the head.  My Mom always sat to my Dad’s left and my younger sister sat across from Mom.  That meant I sat opposite my Dad at the other end of the table.  So, I was either at the end of the table, or at the other head!  Ha! Ha! Ha!

            Today’s scripture is still talking about Jesus healing on the Sabbath.  If we had read verses 2-6, we would have heard about the healing of a lame man on the Sabbath and the same question Jesus raised about freeing the ox or donkey from a ditch.  As some of you may know, my furbaby Simba, who I told you was very sick last week passed in my arms Tuesday night.  I want to tell you, if there was some way I could have healed him and kept him with me, I would have.  But God had other plans for Simba, and for me dealing with the pain of losing him.

            The focus, however, is not on healing on the Sabbath, but people who think more of themselves than they have a right to.  You know, people who think they’re all that and a bag of chips.  Those special folk who you always have to make exceptions for.  Those who bust in front of you on the road, or in the store.  Those who ask to get in front of us because they have some important place to be.  You know how we are, we get somewhere early so we can get the best seats, if the seats are not assigned.  Have you ever been to a concert or a sporting event where you had to buy tickets and paid for the best seats that gave you a perfect view of the stage or floor, only to get to the event and find someone else sitting in your seat?  Then you have to go through a whole big deal about asking the folks to move.  Sometimes you have to get an Usher’s assistance in moving the folks ‘cause they want to act like they don’t know what you talking about.  I know you know what I’m talking about.

            I’m sort of one of those people, because Thursday I promised a friend and former co-worker I would be at the courthouse in Upper Marlboro to support her and her son who has been incarcerated for 30 years (since he was 18) so that he could get into a program that might eventually lead to his release.  This woman has been fighting his release for 30 years.  He didn’t commit a murder.  He’s not black either.  It was a bad crime fueled by drugs, so we’re not trying to in any way accept what he did, but the boy’s sentence went from 17-27 years and was converted to a life sentence by the Governor of Maryland in 1995 because 1 inmate was released and committed a murder, so the Governor passed a law converting other inmates serious crimes to life.  In any event, I was told to be there at 9:00 and I know how difficult it is to park in front of the courthouse, so I left early and got there at 8:15 so I could get a good parking space.  I still didn’t get a handicap space, but I got a good parking space in front of the courthouse – and paid the daily price for parking, although I was only there for 3 hours.

            In Jesus time, they didn’t have banquet tables or even kitchen tables.  Men sat is one room on the dirt floor around a low table and the food was laid out on the table.  There were no table settings with plates, forks and knives – there were bowls.  You washed your feet and hands before you entered because, if you were being served, there was only one serving spoon to use and the bowls of food were passed around or served by the woman or women of the house, who ate after the men.  Children ate what remained.  Today, in many foreign countries and cultures, they still eat like this although, if they have acquired goods, they may have a table with legs and a few chairs.  I had a Muslim friend whose only furniture were chairs and maybe a mattress or two.  Since he was a male, I didn’t know what was in his bedroom.  In this country men, women and children all dine together.

            In Jesus’s time people ate with their fingers.  They dipped their hand into their food bowl and ate.  Today people in other countries and cultures still have the custom of eating this way.  In this country, eating is more like a free for all.  Everybody grabbing whatever bowl or serving platter they can grab and piling food on their plates waiting for the next bowl or plate be available until our plates are full of every delicacies offered.  In other countries and cultures, they still have the same eating courtesies and traditions of the past.

            It was customary in Jesus time that the guest of honor was seated as far away from the opening of the house as was possible, with other guests in order of importance next to the guest to the most lowly by the door.  The reason for this was to protect the guest of honor from marauders, thieves, robbers and assassins.  In other words, there was a caste system – it probably still exists in some foreign countries.

            So, this made me think of head tables at events.   The first Sunday I was at Mount Hope, I remembered how you had a welcome reception for me and my family and you had a “Pastor’s” table reserved.  I cannot tell you how that humbled me.  I was not comfortable with the privileges the culture of Mount Hope afforded to their pastors.  I’m still not comfortable with some things and I have tried to adjust to the culture in others.  We no longer have that table reserved for me.  Sometimes we still use it to reserve it for special guests, but you all know that I prefer to sit with the congregation.  It’s just who I am.  I don’t like a big fuss made over me because I’m the Pastor.

            The point of the scripture is that we should not be trying to impress folks with our perceived importance.  We are all important in the sight of God.  It is people we are trying to impress and God is not pleased when we do that.  Now, we all need validity and to know we are valued from others.  But we don’t need to force people to recognize our importance, or to call attention to it.  I know there are some who are offended if they aren’t led to the front and acknowledged when they enter a Sanctuary or special event.  The reality is – it’s not about them – it’s about God.  So, if you come into this Sanctuary with an agenda that you are the bomb diddy, don’t expect me to elevate you because I can’t possibly exalt you higher than you’ve exalted yourself.

            In this country, we place importance on political and social standing.  Back when I was growing up, I don’t know about you, but we used to have to stand when someone with authority came into a room – the priest or pastor, the teacher, the policeman – anyone who was considered a person of authority was to be respected by standing in their presence when they entered a room.  Were you taught to do that?  That taught us respect for authority.  We were taught to say “Yes, ma’am” and “Yes, sir” and “Thank you” and “You’re welcome”.  I still do that.

            I don’t think some our children have been taught to do this.  I am not talking about Mount Hope children because in my experience, they have excellent manners.  Those who have not been taught to respect those in authority and their elders are demanding respect from the adults in their area of influence.  Some of them have been taught good manners, but way too many have not.

            But remember what Jesus said to the man who wanted to be first among his disciples?  He said that the first shall be last and the last shall be first.  Jesus had a heart for those of lower social standing because often they had no experience with being valued and sharing in some of the good things life had to offer.  They always received the crumbs that fell from the table of the wealthy or well off.  Jesus was inviting them to sit in a place of honor at his table.  That is what Jesus does to us.  The Word says that God is no respecter of persons.  We are all precious in His sight.

            Today is Communion Sunday.  You probably have noticed that I changed the format of who received communion and when.  In the past, the Ushers and Communion Stewards were the last to receive the elements.  But now they are the first to receive the elements.  Then they usher and serve the congregation.  Our Finance folks get served separately because they have to leave after the Offering to do the count.

            There is a place of honor for everyone at God’s table for it is open to all who love him and earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another.  We have no need to be the first at the feast.  There is enough to go around for everyone who will come.

            There is no need for us to exalt ourselves by giving our credentials about who we are and what we’ve done.  We are all designer originals in God’s eyes.  We are His peculiar people, created in His image and likeness.  To God we are perfect in our imperfection because of our confession that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and that at His name every knee shall bow and every tongue that Jesus is Lord.

            See, at the table of the Lord every seat is the head of the table.  Every person at the table is the honored guest.  We confess our sin and are pardoned past, present and future.  We give thanks to God for saving us and we know that there is therefore now no condemnation to those of us who are in Christ Jesus.

            Big Momma’s table isn’t big enough.  Momma and Daddy’s table isn’t big enough.  The table at the White House is not big enough.  But at the Table of Forgiveness and Pardon, there is plenty good room for all the saints to gather and give God thanks for salvation.

            So today, I invite all who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior to come to the table of sacrifice laid.  I’m not inviting just Methodists, or Baptists, or Lutherans, or Catholics, or any specific denominations.  I’m inviting all to the table.  It is not limited by age, race, religion, position or money – this table is open to all ages, all colors, all social statuses, all political beliefs, all who believe in Jesus Christ who died for our sin and was raised on the third day and now sits at the right hand of the Father.  If you think you’re not worthy, you need to come.  If you think you’re not good enough, your need to come and come quickly.

            I read a quote this week that said anyone who is waiting to give their life to Jesus who is waiting to get their life together first is like someone waiting to stop bleeding before they go to the ER.  You better come.  I never read where Jesus saved one person who didn’t need him to help them, to care for them, to heal them, to love them, to forgive them.  Come now while you still can.  Today is fading fast and tomorrow is not promised.  Come to the table and sit and feast with the rest of the saints of God.