[Propertalk] Sermon tidbits for Luke 14 for Aug. 29 - I

[Joe Parrish]

"Places in the Heart" is also one of the most theological Hollywood films ever made.  It has the most amazing final scene, set in church, during Holy Communion.  As Communion is being distributed, the camera pans the congregation.  There pictured all around Sally Field's character are all the people who are and have been important in her life, those both living and dead.  It is a portrait of the heavenly banquet, the communion of saints, if ever there was one.

http://day1.org/2138-how_open_is_our_table

Eric C. Shafer 
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Eating - that most human and most necessary of activities - and all that we associate with it are entwined with our spiritual lives, so it's no surprise that meals and food are significant themes in the Bible. 
Indeed, scholars observe that meals are very important to the Gospel writer, Luke: N. T. Wright observes that "Luke's gospel has more meal-time scenes than all the others. If his vision of the Christian life, from one point of view, is a journey, from another point of view it's a party" (Luke for Everyone).

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John J. Pilch explains: "The centrality of honor in this culture teaches natives to stay always a step behind their rightful status," for it's important that "one is not at all trying to appear or to be better than another person." However, Pilch describes the behavior of these guests, specifically the Pharisees as "true to type" when they push their way to the best and highest places at the dinner (The Cultural World of Jesus Year C). 

http://www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/august-29-2010-l.html

Kate Huey,  2010
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"Keep humble." About a year ago I got a note with those words on it. It was 10 minutes after I'd preached a sermon. And it came from the resident minister. "Great sermon," he scribbled. "Keep humble."
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And think of the people you've known who have had the most impact on your faith: very likely they're the type who could look you in the eye and treat you as if no one else were in the room. People like that have what William Blake called "single vision." They see things the way they really are because they're not always trying to suck everything into the vortex of their own agendas. 

http://www.faithandleadership.com/sermons/'keep-humble'

Jeremy Begbie, 2009
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So I escorted my wife Jan across our front lawn and she elegantly climbed up into the yellow church school bus, wearing her lovely evening gown. I then drove us down to the Eugene Hotel. As I told you, it was a classy hotel for classy occasions and there were several classy cars in line, waiting for the valet. Mercedes. Cadillacs. Porches. Women were in furs. The valet was helping each of the ladies out of their cars. I was watching what happened and thought I knew how to do this. I then pulled up our church yellow school bus to the valet station. The sign on the side of the bus said, CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH in bold letters. I hit the brake. I opened the door. I looked the valet in the eye and nodded for him to escort my wife out down the steps of the school bus. My wife looked elegant as she was stepping down from the bus, pretending that she was not at all embarrassed by all of this. 
I said to the valet, "I hope you wouldn't mind parking my bus, along with the other Mercedes." He thought that was inappropriate so I drove the bus two blocks away and I parked it near the city jail. 
Things did get worse. 
That is, we walked into the area where there was an hors d'oeuvre table. It was a lovely table. I had on a nice suit, shirt and tie. I probably was not watching carefully and the tip of my tie got into the mayonnaise bowl and I didn't see it. A short time later, I had to get up in front of everybody and say my prayer. I said to the lovely crowd seated before me, "Let us bow our heads in prayer." I then bowed my head and looked down and saw the mayonnaise on the bottom of my tie for the first time. So I prayed with my hands over the spot of mayonnaise. What do you do in a situation like that?  
Well, a short time later, we were sitting at the head table. The table prayer had gone OK and I had covered up the mayonnaise quite well. Not everyone could sit at the head table with this guest violinist and the conductor of the Pittsburg Symphony, but Jan was elated that she was sitting next to this handsome violinist. 
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According to our ancient church fathers, pride is the first of the seven deadly sins. Pride/ conceit is the source of all other evil. It is the source of greed, envy and covetousness. It is very closely related to selfishness. A conceited person, a prideful person is often a very selfish person. Such a person thinks, "I want the world to center around me." 
What is the result? What is always the result of conceit or pride? It is division. Division and conflict. 

http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_c_you_may_not_want_to_invite_jesus_to_dinner.htm

Edward F. Markquart
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