Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Agnes' and 11.00 at St Thomas'.
If you are unable to be with us in person, you can find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "In Christ Alone"
Today's Gospel
Luke 14:1,7-14 Humility and Hospitality
On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.
When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honour, he told them a parable. "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, `Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. 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 honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
Reflection
We pick up this week, where we left off last week.
This time, Jesus is not teaching in the synagogue but has been invited to a Sabbath meal with the leader of the Pharisees and other important guests. We are told that they were closely watching Him.
The setting of the scene reminded me of a movie where a well to do young man falls in love with a beautiful young lady who is quite poor and, for want of a better phrase, is unsophisticated. Inevitably the time comes when he invites her to dinner with his parents. The situation that unfolds is extremely uncomfortable as every action she takes, how she eats and everything she says is deeply scrutinised.
Have you ever found yourself in a position where you have felt, ‘under the microscope’? Maybe at a job interview or a new member of a club?
I mentioned last week how important Sabbath meals were in the Jewish community and so tensions would have been quite high. The religious parties were no doubt keen to delve into Jesus’ views quite deeply and see if they could trip Him up especially with regards to observance of their laws. In verses 2-6, (not included above), Jesus confounds them when He again cures a person on the Sabbath. He again challenges their views about where Scripture says you cannot heal on the Sabbath and is met with silence. They are still struggling with His compassionate approach of following the heart and spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law.
By observing the way people were behaving, Jesus is able to interpret their behaviour in terms of the societal norms. Amongst those invited to the meal there are clearly differing levels of status and seniority. This is not a situation where all are treated equally – it is a power driven situation where people are competing for favour or recognition. In modern society, one might compare it to the clamour for political or celebrity status.
In His first example, Jesus reminds us that people will think more of us when we are humble and do not assume privilege or prestige. In fact we do well to consider that many may have a totally contradictory view of us depending how we behave. To quote an Oldam colloquialism, we might be seen as ‘having a shilling on ourselves’. In other words, other people may have a much lower opinion of us than we have of ourselves.
In the second example Jesus exposes the motivation that dictate our actions. It is good to show hospitality but we need to be welcoming to everyone – not just those who are capable of and willing to reciprocate. It’s a bit like the ‘Scrooge’ approach of giving Christmas presents, where the value of what he gives is proportional to what he thinks he will get back in return.
What does mean for us our community and our churches in Lees?
How much do we think about how we are serving others? I have no doubt we will consider this in more detail next week when we look at generosity but there are some things that do not require money.
Do we think about how we treat others and are more concerned about how they see us? Who are the ‘others’? Non-Christians, newcomers, those we don’t normally associate with, the poor and vulnerable living rough only a mile away?
Are we creating a welcoming space for everyone and anyone, or do we instinctively still tend to lean towards people of a similar social standing? As Christians, are we emulating Jesus by creating a welcoming space where healing and authentic connection can thrive? – If not, what more can we do to genuinely be a church where everyone can be welcomed to a place at the table. Paul
Our Prayers
Gracious Father, Your Son Jesus Christ,
Showed by His teaching and examples
how to be compassionate and caring to everyone.
Let us demonstrate a willingness to embrace
those we feel challenged by or don’t understand.
Help us to reflect on how we can embody Jesus’ love
