• Best Seat in the House, Luke 14:1, 7-14, Kerstin Barnes  (see below)
   

• To Be Or Pretend to Be?  Luke 14:1, 7-14, by Rev. Frank Schaefer  
   

• What Does Our Invitation Look Like? Luke 14:1, 7-14, By Rev. Randy Quinn
   

• OH LORD, IT’S HARD TO BE HUMBLE, Luke 14:1, 7-14, Rick Thompson
   

• Life of the Party, Luke 14:1, 7-14, Thomas N. Hall

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Best Seat in the House
a sermon based on Luke 14:1,7-14
by Rev. Kerstin Barnes

It happened a couple of years ago. I was interning in San Francisco and was tagged along to many events and occasions by my supervisor. One of these events was an upscale wedding rehearsal for a bi-national couple; he was from the U.S., she was from Germany. It was a beautiful rehearsal, and afterwards, the party of approximately 30 people headed for a really nice restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf for dinner.

We were led to a separate room for special occasions. There were three big, round tables to accommodate us. First we were served drinks and just stood around, socializing. Then it was time to sit down, and boy, did I wish we had had a rehearsal for that procedure as well! The big question was: who is sitting where?

Bride and groom, of course, sat at the center table. I, of course, as an outsider who had graciously been admitted to join the party, squeezed myself into a corner spot. The parents of the groom took their seats next to their son. The seats filled up quickly, and all of a sudden, the parents of the bride sat down next to me, in the corner, and looked somewhat confused. The bride’s mother looked over to the table where her daughter sat, and said, "Well, all seats are already taken over there." She sounded sad. She continued to stare at her daughter, who was engaged in lively conversation. Then she said, "We should sit over there. I mean, the groom’s parents are sitting there, after all."

Don’t you think the bride’s mother has a point? Wouldn’t that be a classic question for "Dear Abby"? Shouldn’t the parents of the bride be sitting at their daughter’s table, especially since the groom’s parents took a seat next to their son?

Now there are several options how this story could have ended. No. 1: The parents of the bride walk over to their daughter’s table, and ask some of the people sitting there to switch seats, so that they can sit next to their daughter, in the proper spot. No. 2: The parents of the bride remain seated at the corner table, but continue to complain about the awkward situation. No. 3: They leave the party, hurt and insulted. No. 4: They remain seated at the corner table, start chatting with the other guests and have a good time. No. 5: Some people at the center table realize what’s going on, get up, and offer the bride’s parents to switch places with them.

Can you guess happened? I will leave you in suspense for the moment. I promise you to get back to this story later and to tell you, how it actually ended.

Well, it seems that some of the guests of that wedding rehearsal party did not listen to the message of today’s Gospel. Jesus clearly says: 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!

Of course Jesus is not just talking about another social event. Jesus is not "Dear Abby", and his words are not shallow advice. Jesus is using the parable of the wedding banquet to tell us something about ourselves. To begin with the very, very good news: we are all invited! We are all invited to participate in the great feast of life in God’s dominion! God is our host. God calls us to celebrate. No matter, how burdened we are. No matter, what our profession or calling is. No matter, if we have achieved something in life or not. We are invited. Our ticket for entering the banquet hall is the grace and forgiveness of God. God knows that you are not perfect, and God doesn’t expect you to be perfect in order to attend. God calls out to you: I gave my Son to die for you! Your sins are forgiven! Come, celebrate this wonderful news!

So we are invited, and we come. But basically nobody tells us where to sit. We have to find our spot in this great celebration called life. And how many among us are really humble and choose the lowest seat - being without possession, being without a home, being without dignity? Nobody, I think. At least nobody seems to choose such a spot in life. I guess most of us see ourselves as being part of the middle or upper range in life - haven’t we worked hard for that?

I wonder how many of us believe we are in the right place in life, either by choice or by placement. I wonder how many of us think that they should be in another spot, higher up. To be more concrete: How many are happy with what they have received from God? Wished they had a better career? More money? Better health? How many wish they got more appreciation for what they do?

We want to get what we think we deserve. We want to be appreciated for what we are and for what we do. Often we believe that we deserve better. At least we want to hear a "Thank you" for what do, right? We expect to be rewarded for our efforts, and if only just a little bit. Now it seems that mothers and fathers do a lot for their children without getting the appreciation they deserve. And maybe parents even don’t expect huge sign of appreciation. But it is still hurtful when our children criticize us more than give us thanks for all we’ve done for them.

We long to get what we deserve. We even negotiate with God once in awhile: God, I am trying to be a good person, and I am trying to do good deeds. I really would like you to acknowledge that. And isn’t it so that we sometimes feel we are better people than those folks who don’ seem to try as hard as we do? [continue]