Sunday, August 31, 2025

Meditation

If you could have dinner with any three people, dead or alive, who would they be, and why? Many of us have asked this question over dinner or when gathering with others. The answers of those there provide an insight into who and what is important to that person. Some would choose relatives who have passed away, others historical figures, and still others contemporary celebrities like movie stars or singers. If we could host a dream dinner party most of us would choose those close to us like family members or friends, and if we could get them, celebrities or other important public figures.

But as Jesus attends a dinner party at the home of a Pharisee, we hear who would be on His list. They include the disabled, the humble, and the poor. In sharing this list, Jesus shows us what life with Him looks like, where the humble are given the greatest places of honor, where the poor are lifted up, and where the sick and disabled are healed and given new life. In other words, Jesus comes to the humble and elevates them through His love. The ultimate example of this is what Jesus did on the cross for us, where He, King of King and Lord of Lords humbled Himself unto death so that we, who are poor and broken in our sins may be lifted up to new life. And through His work, we are given places of honor in the presence of God forever.

As we prepare to gather on Sunday morning for worship, we see the hundreds of gathered guests all around us. People who are called and gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit to come and worship and celebrate life with Jesus. And as we look at how we have been chosen, blessed, and given a place in the Kingdom, we ask how can this be for others, how can our list look more like that of Jesus who looks with love and transformation at those so easily overlooked by those around us.