8/29/04

Doing What Comes Naturally

Jeremiah 2:4-13
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Luke 14:1, 7-14

"Folks are dumb where I come from, they ain't had any learning. Still they're as happy as can be, doin' what comes naturally." I'm sure you recognize that as the song Annie Oakley sang in the musical, Annie Get Your Gun. It's a humorous song that extols the virtues of simplicity and doing what comes naturally in life. It's like many of us learning to ride a bike. Once we learned, riding was like doing what came naturally. Or it's like singing. Carol Cybulska, our talented soprano soloist from the choir, gave me a voice lesson a couple of weeks ago before I sang here in church. One of the things she impressed on me was to relax and just be "natural." Of course one of the dangers is like what happened to "Sister Sal" in that same song: "Sister Sal who's musical has never had a lesson, still she's learned to sing off-key, doin' what comes naturally."

In the Gospel lesson we heard from Luke today, the guests and the host himself at the Pharisee's meal were also doing what came naturally. The guests were maneuvering to get the best seats possible, and the host had included on his guest list those who would return the favor sometime in the future. Each were calculating their behavior so they'd reap the benefits. Jesus notices this and begins by telling the guests a parable about a wedding banquet.

Wedding banquets were different in those days than they are today. I just attended two wedding receptions this weekend, and there was very strict assigned seating at each. You know why this is done? To assure harmony on the big day. The bride and groom don't want Aunt Tillie who doesn't get along with Cousin Clem sitting at the same table. You don't want them at each other's throats. If Joe hasn't talked to Mildred in years, they can't sit at the same table. The silence would be deafening. And of course, you have to have one family grouping on this side and the other on that. All very proper. But in the time of Jesus, seating at wedding banquets were free-for-alls. Those who got there first, got to sit up front in the best seats (kind of like what happens in reverse here on Sunday - those who get here first get the best seats near the back and those who come in late have to sit up front). Go figure.

Jesus is invited to the house of a leader of the Pharisees for a Sabbath meal. After healing a man who has "dropsy" - not in our lectionary for today - Jesus notices how the guests are jockeying for the places of honor, the best seats in the house. So he tells them a parable, which sounds more like an ethical exhortation than anything.

"Imagine," he says to them, "that you've been invited to a wedding banquet. Instead of immediately going to the head table and plunking yourself down there - which would be your natural inclination - go sit at the lowest place. If you sit up front, the host may have to come along and bump you for someone who has more status, and you'll feel embarrassed and ashamed. But, if you start off at the lowest place, in the back of the room, the host may promote you to a better spot - and everyone will see that you've been honored in this way. I tell you, if you try to puff yourself up, you're going to get knocked down; but if you act in a humble way, you'll be rewarded."

After Jesus plays "Gotcha" with the guests, he starts hammering the host. "Sir," he says to the Pharisee, "when you put on a meal like this one, don't invite all your cronies, your relatives, and your rich neighbors - hoping these folks will then invite you to their next party. Instead, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind - the outcasts of society - none of whom can possibly repay you. And you'll get your reward in heaven, and you'll feel blessed - because you will be blessed." I'll bet Jesus didn't get many more invitations to dinner in high society after that day!

We need to be careful that we don't misunderstand what Jesus is doing. He is not acting like a first century Ms. Manners, suggesting shrewd social etiquette. He is not coaching them on playing the game of public recognition, by telling the guests to take the lowest places or telling the host to invite the lowest castes to his soirees. Humility can be a form of pride. It would be too bad if his teaching generated a mad rush for the lowest seats, while everyone was glancing toward the host, waiting to be called up to the front. (i) It would be too bad if insincere hospitality was shown just so hosts could earn what they thought were points with God. Let's face it, self-interest is a big motivator in practically everything we do. But Jesus is not promoting bogus humility or phony hospitality. Jesus is teaching something very different here - a reversal of the normal ways that things are usually done.

On a flight from Johannesburg just when apartheid was starting to crumble, a white South African woman found herself sitting next to a black man. She complained loudly to the flight attendant and demanded another seat, far away from this person she obviously found objectionable. The flight attendant politely explained that all the seats in economy class were filled, but she would see what she could do. The other passengers nearby could not help but notice the smug look on the woman's face. Minutes later the attendant returned with the good news that she had found an available seat in first class. And with that she turned to the black man and said, "Sir, if you'll gather up your belongings, your first class seat is ready." The nearby passengers gave a standing ovation as the man walked to the front of the plane. (ii)

Another reversal of the normal happened up in Boston a few years ago. A well-to-do engaged couple had arranged for a posh wedding reception at one of the most opulent establishments in town - fabulous food, elegant china, big dance band, the works. But just days before the wedding the groom got cold feet and backed out. The bride-to-be, crushed by the disappointment and mad at her fiance, was all set to cancel the reception, even though the contract, signed and sealed, meant she would be out thousands of dollars. But, she decided to throw a big bash anyway, and she sent invitations to all the homeless shelters throughout the metropolitan area. An extravaganza was held the likes of which has never been seen in Boston before or since. (iii)

This is kind of like what Jesus is talking about in our lesson today. This is the kind of thing God is up to all the time, raising up those of low degree, welcoming the outcasts to the banquet. Throughout the Gospels Jesus associates with those whom society deems the lowest of the lows. And he wants for us to be aware of our connection with these folks as well.

There is a play called Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare, about the reality of the shrinking world we live in where any random two people can discover a link or a connection to one another through a chain of no more than six acquaintances. For example, you may have never met a particular person in London, say, but you know so and so, who knows so and so, etc., who knows the person in London. It's kind of spooky to think that only six links can connect you with any person on the planet. Our Christian faith presumes an even more intriguing notion - that every Christian is connected to everyone else on earth by no more than one person, that one person being Jesus of Nazareth. God in Christ is concerned about every person. You know Jesus, and Jesus knows the troubled teen, the grieving widow, the lonely soldier on the battlefield, the hungry child in Sudan, and so on. And because Jesus is our brother and our Savior, we are connected with each of them as well. (iv) All persons are our brothers and sisters.

When we in the church think of hospitality we often associate this with how we treat newcomers who come to worship with us on Sunday mornings. A survey was done in a Midwestern city a few years ago. A woman visited 18 different churches on successive Sundays to rate their friendliness. She sat near the front of the sanctuary each time and at the end of the service slowly walked to the rear, and then back down to the front using another aisle. She always smiled and was well-dressed. She used the following scale to rate her reception: 10 points for a smile from a fellow worshipper; 10 for a greeting from someone nearby; 100 for an exchange of names; 200 for an invitation to the fellowship time; 1,000 for an introduction to another worshipper; 2,000 for an introduction to the pastor (during the fellowship time). Every one of the 18 churches scored less than 100 points each!

The conclusion of the researcher: the preaching may be great, the music inspirational, the building gorgeous - but when visitors find that no one cares whether they are there or not, they are not likely to come back. (v) On the humility/hospitality scale, how would we fare? I think we would probably rate pretty well, but maybe not as good as we should. What could we be doing better than we're doing now?

God calls us to go beyond doing what comes naturally, to stretch ourselves to do the opposite of what might be our natural inclination. Behaving with genuine humility does not come naturally for most of us - it's hard work. Behaving with genuine hospitality does not come naturally for most of us - it also is hard work. Humility and hospitality are not strategies we engage in to please others or to improve our popularity. They are qualities of life that we are called to endeavor just because we are Christians, just because we are followers of Jesus. We are called to imitate Jesus, and he always identifies with the outcasts, with those on the fringes of society. Jesus accepts them as equals. These things don't come naturally or easily to us; but this is what we're called to do.

Our goal as Christians is not to strive for social position or for the esteem of others, but to obtain a right relationship with God. God doesn't look on the glitter of our guest lists, but rather looks to see if we've practiced generosity and inclusiveness - both as individuals and together as the church. Our goal is not to strive for social favor (the recognition of others) but for God's favor (in the assurance that God accepts us). (vi)

What can we do to achieve our goal? Perhaps we can start by thinking outside the box, by considering ways of living that don't come naturally. Perhaps some suggestions from the Letter to the Hebrews might be helpful. Practice mutual love. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers. Remember those worse off than yourself. Honor your commitments. Keep your lives free from the love of money. Be content with what you have. Do not neglect to do good. Genuine humility and hospitality do not come naturally for most of us. But they are what Spirit-filled Christians and Spirit-filled churches do. They may be the opposite of doing what comes naturally - but they're God's way. Let us go and do. Amen.

The Pilgrim Church of Duxbury
Rev. Kenneth C. Landall

i Fred Craddock, quoted in The Clergy Journal, May/June 2004, 8/29/04.
ii D. Jaye Koyle, Preaching Word & Witness, 8/29/04.
iii Ibid.
iv Ibid.
v The Autoillustrator, #6193.
vi The New Interpreter's Bible, Vol. IX, pp. 287-288.