I was raised to answer invitations, to RSVP and send thank you notes, because you might be mean as a snake but if you sent a thank you note, all might be forgiven. Doing the visible right thing was a lesson I learned early.
There is a difference between doing what you are supposed to do and doing what God calls us to do. Maybe it is the same or maybe it is not. This parable of Jesús about where to sit at the banquet table is another way Jesus attempts to get between how
we do life and how the
kingdom of heaven does life.
Position and power and the place at the table is the structure of how most of life works, and maybe this is why I like circles – it’s harder to tell who is at the top of the chart and who is at the bottom. Much harder to know who is in and who is out. Circles might even dismantle the pecking order of privilege.
Draw the circle wide … as the song goes – this is our call to leave no one behind or out. We practice at church this kind of inclusive behavior. I promise we do. We host a dinner party every week and we open our doors and we say come in – no invitation needed except the warmth of our smiles and the generosity of our hearts.
ALSO – news flash-- it’s supposed to be a dinner party for the neighbors least like us. These words will take a minute to settle in. It always does with Jesus. If we aren’t challenged, then well, we probably aren’t listening.
Consider this parable beloved, who do we invite in, how do we do it? These are the questions Jesus encourages us to ask all day – every day.
Alison Schultz+
Priest in Charge
