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.”

Luke 14:7-14

Dear God, why do we need to be honored in front of others? What itch is that scratching? Is it insecurity? Is it the desperate need to know that our lives mattered? Typing this made me think of the passage in Matthew 16 about Jesus saying we need to lose our life to find it. He was referring to death and his own crucifixion (this is right after he rebuked Peter and told him to get behind him), but the lesson is consistent for this story. The day…no, the moment I start looking out for myself first is the point where I start to diverge from you. Not that you don’t want me to have good things. I don’t need to live an austere life to be submitted to you. But it is better for me to take less, offer someone else more, and then let you offer me something greater than I took for myself. The layers of these lessons from you are so consistent and so deep.

And it makes me think of the stuff I prayed yesterday about idols. When I worship an idol I understand there is a value exchange. I give up something so I can get something. And the idol is also offering me something so it can get something. The idol doesn’t want me. It tolerates me so it can get my affection and build up its ego. Of course, I’m speaking of traditional idols, but the modern idols we have in America fit this description as well. If I make the economy, my health, my job, or even the U.S. military my source of peace and safety then those things will always need fed. All of my decisions will be to maximize any of those things. I will start to idolize my physical health above all else. I will make decisions or support decisions that will make the economy work better for myself regardless of what harm that change might cause for my neighbor. I will say, “Take my money and build the best military you can to keep me safe, but don’t use any money to serve others who are suffering.” And those idols, as inanimate as any little statue, will take my money or attention and feed on it. They will just keep taking and taking and taking. And one day they will fail me. They have to. The economy will hit a recession or downturn. Something will happen to my body and it will get sick and die. And the Chinese, Russians, or, more likely, some terrorist (foreign or domestic) will still threaten me.

Father, only you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. And only you just loves me and wants relationship with me. Yes, you want me love, but it’s only because you love me so much. And you want me to love others because you know it’s what’s healthiest for me. So help me to be mindful of my selfishness. Help me to know when and where to sacrifice so that you might be glorified. And while I’m here, let me pray for my wife. She’s about to do a beautiful act of service this morning, but it might also expose her to some pain. Protect her from that pain. Protect her heart, mind, body, and soul. Please, Holy Spirit, walk with her. She will be loving on some people in pain. Give her your words to speak to them. Give her your insights into what they are saying and help her simply enjoy being your presence for them. And if there is anything you need to teach her or me through this, give us ears to hear. Give us eyes to see. Give us knowledge to know. And give us courage to change.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen