Sixth Sunday of Easter
"Humility and Hospitality"
Today's Scripture lessons point us to the twin concepts of humility and hospitality, both of which are strongly rooted in holy Scripture, and both of which flow out of a right relationship with God in Christ Jesus. On this Labor Day weekend that signals a return to work and school after summer vacation, may the Lord's rich blessing rest upon the preaching, the hearing, and the living of his Word, for Jesus' sake.
Humility is a virtue, and today's first Scripture reading from Proverbs (Proverbs 25:6-7) gives some practical advise if we ever find ourselves in the presence of royalty, in the presence of a king: "Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence... it is better to be told ‘Come up here,' than to be put lower in the presence of a noble." In the Gospel lesson (Luke 7:1, 7-14), Jesus takes up this theme and moves it out of the circle of royalty and brings it down to our level: "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been 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 honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you." Okay, that makes sense. Unless we're in the bridal party, most of us probably won't run up and plop ourselves down at the head table of a wedding reception. The point is: If we presumptuously put ourselves forward, we may find ourselves put back down, as Jesus tells us: "For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" (Luke 7:11). Proverbs is a book of godly wisdom; of how to live in this world as children of God. Jesus takes that wisdom and expands upon it.
I find it fascinating to study word origins - where they come from, what they originally meant; this is called etymology. The word "humility" and the word "humble" both come from the Latin word humilius, meaning "low." This word is akin to another Latin word: humus, which means "earth." If you're into gardening, you know how important humus is - that rich, organic part of the soil. The word "human" is closely tied up with word origins of humus, earth. As humans, it's important to remember those haunting words spoken by God to Adam: "You are dust and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). We are no better than our first father, Adam. We, too, are from the earth and we shall return to the earth. We are no better than Adam who fell into sin, and we are no better than anyone else, either. We all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). There is no place for pride and arrogance in our life. The way of Christ is this: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3). Can we do this? Not by ourselves; we need help. We need what Christ Jesus alone offers, as Paul the apostle tells us: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:5-8). Jesus Christ came into the world to completely transform us - from the inside out; to pay the penalty for our sinful pride and all that separates us from God and each other. Having given his life for us, he now calls us to live in a new way as he did: humbly, counting others as better than ourselves, loving one another as he loved us. Christ himself promises to live not only with us, but in us, helping us to do this very thing day by day. Humility leads to hospitality - extending Christ's love to others not only through what we say, but what we do. Much of Jesus' teaching took place around the table at a meal, and that is the setting of today's Gospel lesson. Jesus tells us: "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, 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" (Luke 14:12-14). Can we do this? Will we do this? Having people in our home and sitting down together for a meal is a wonderful, enriching experience. My family had neighbors over for dinner recently, and they have already returned the favor, inviting us to their home. Jesus calls us to do things a little differently, and invite those who cannot return the favor. The opening verses in today's second lesson (Hebrews 13:1-2) encourage us to practice godly hospitality: "Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." Do we see the face of Jesus in the stranger, the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind - of those who cannot repay the favor and invite us to their home? The radical transformation which Jesus has accomplished for us calls us to radical living. Here's a challenge to put this into practice: It's Labor Day weekend, and we may be having backyard cookouts or gatherings. Invite someone to your home who cannot invite you in return. As Jesus tells us, "You will be blessed" (Luke 14:14).
As summer transitions into fall, and life resumes more of a structured routine, may our gracious God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - help us to practice humility and hospitality. May God make it so for Jesus' sake. Amen.