“Who’s at your Picnic?” – Luke 14:7-14 – September 2, 2007

My daughter has two tickets for the opening football game of The Ohio State Buckeyes. As you know tickets are hard to come by. Ohio State plays Youngstown State. Her tickets were originally for the Ohio State – Michigan State game but she got bumped. Apparently an alumnus with more money got her seats. But, she is happy to have the opportunity to see the opening game. In the past she has invited me to go with her, kind of a Father-daughter tradition in our family. But this year she is taking my granddaughter, who is only 4. I asked her if she really thought my granddaughter cared anything about football. But what I was really saying was, “What, you’re not taking your Dad?” She informed me that my granddaughter loves the band and she was excited about going to her first OSU game. I guess I got bumped. I swallowed my pride and told her to have a great time.

When it comes to culture we all have expectations as to where people fit in. At weddings for example, the mothers of the bride and groom have the two best seats in the house. But, if there are step-mothers, they sit in the second row. The rest of the relatives sit in the next row. Everyone seems to know their place.

At the dinner party at the house of a leader of the Pharisees, Jesus made it a point to be aware of where individuals sat at the dinner table. He told his followers to choose the lowest seat. There was a protocol in that culture that required the most distinguished people to sit closest to the host. Like so many times before Jesus turns our cultural expectations upside down. The proud choose the best seats, while the humble choose the lowest ones.

When it comes to our faith, there is no protocol. Everyone is equal. On another occasion Jesus admonished two of his disciples for arguing about who was the greatest. He settled the argument by taking a little child and sitting him by his side. “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.” (Luke 9:46-48)

Labor Day weekend is a time for family picnics. I remember going to family reunions in Barberton, Ohio when I was a child. There were hundreds of people and every one of them was related. I didn’t know I had so many cousins and second cousins. The food was wonderful and there were massive quantities of it. Later in life I learned that my family was the “black sheep” of the clan. My father had moved from Barberton to Dayton in southwest Ohio. He was the only one in his family to move away from home. Since we weren’t used to living close to our relatives we didn’t know that much about them and we were outside all the family gossip.

There was however one exception, my grandmother. She knew every single person there. She knew which family each child belonged to and she knew our individual birthdays. She treated each one of us equally. Not once did she lay a guilt trip on my father because he had moved our family far away. Perhaps it was because my grandmother came from a large family and she had moved away from her home in Maryland. Or perhaps it was because her mother was a native American Indian. My grandmother saw everyone as equal. No one received better treatment than the others. She was full of love, kindness and compassion. She made each one of us feel special. No one was a stranger at my grandmother’s family picnic.

My grandmother wasn’t very religious and I have no idea if she was aware of this story in Luke. Like Jesus, she treated everyone the same. No person at her picnic was better than anyone else. She made everyone feel included, even the “black sheep” of the family.

Jesus continued to make his point by giving specific instructions to the host about inviting future guests. He told him not to invite his friends and relatives and rich neighbors but to invite “the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind.” Those he wanted him to include were the outcasts of society.

In today’s society we still have outcasts. They are basically those who don’t fit the norm. They are those, that for some reason, don’t deserve to take our seats. Our nation is debating the whole subject of immigration at the moment. Some believe that people who don’t speak English or do not have citizenship shouldn’t be eligible for benefits. Others are discriminated against because they are “gay.” And yet, the outcasts were the folks that Jesus wanted the host to invite to the dinner. Why? Jesus said it was because the outcasts of society are not able to return the favor.

In other words, our welcoming of strangers and outsiders into our lives is to be a gift. It’s all about grace, not what others can do for us.

Alfred Adler was a psychotherapist who lived in the early part of the 20th century. He was known for his social gatherings. One time he had a large number of guests who had been invited to a dinner party in a famous New York hotel. During the meal he noticed a blind lady entering the dining hall. He immediately got up and pushed aside several chairs to make room for her. Adler was compassionate and sensitive to those who had limitations. As a counselor he was known for his empathy and warmth. Perhaps that had something to do with his early childhood when he was plagued with constant illnesses and tragedies. Although he had risen to a position of prominence in the world of Psychology, he never lost site of the fact that everyone needs to feel included.

This story in Luke reversals our values. Those who are blessed are those who are willing to humble themselves and choose the lesser seats. It is a story that reminds us that as a church we are to be inclusive and welcome those who are different into our midst. It is directed toward our pride since Jesus is telling us to forget cultural expectations and cease vying for position and privilege. Being part of the kingdom is not about knowing the right people or following some protocol. Being in the kingdom of God is about being humble and gracious.

Perhaps you don’t see yourself as the Pharisee in the story. Perhaps you see yourself as one who is on the outside, wishing you could be a guest at a fabulous banquet. We all have dreams of being like Cinderella, who was not a person of privilege until the prince discovered her. For most of us places of honor are rare. We haven’t walked the red carpet to the Academy Awards. We don’t worry about reporters and photographers chasing after us. We’re just plain folks, satisfied with family reunion picnics, occasional dinners at Appleby’s or church potluck dinners. I believe most of you are more like Elner in the book, Can’t wait to Get to Heaven.

In the book, written by Fannie Flagg, Elner is an elderly woman who died and went to heaven. Elner was a gracious individual. She often helped folks who were in trouble or destitute. She was generous, humble and grateful. One of her heroes in life was Thomas Edison. Elner celebrated Edison’s birthday by turning on every appliance in her house. She wanted to celebrate how thankful she was for light. When she arrived in heaven Thomas Edison was there. He appeared as a regular person and Elner was totally accepted by Edison as an equal. He even thanked her for celebrating his birthday. Elner celebrated Edison’s birthday long after he was gone and there was no way he could give anything back to her, until she arrived in heaven.

The story is fiction but perhaps it isn’t. Elner was blessed for living a life of humility just as Jesus promised we will be blessed when we are willing to give to others expecting nothing in return. Like Jesus said, the best seats at a fancy dinner are overrated because in Heaven, everyone is equal.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio