Untitled Sermon (3)

ME (Intro)

Welcome Home - Explain what that means

A place where you can be yourself, that you don’t need to have it all togther to come in, that this is a commnity of people, that even though we are all on differnt stages, or journeying through this thing we call life.

So you will hear ‘welcome Home” quite a bit and I hope you know that myslef, and the lead team want you to know that whether this is your first time or 867th (if it is, please let me know, that’s pretty impressive), thjat where ever you are in your jounrey of life that you’re wlecomed here. That we want to jounrey with you.

You know as as we talk about Home, I was thinking to myslef what is one thing to really emphasize this idea of home, and it brought me to a table.

Now you might thinking, why are we talking a out tables, but the reality is a table is one of the most foundational and important elements of a home atmosphere.

You see, a table isn’t just a peice of funteirn, it actually respents so much more.

When I was a kid, so much happened around a table.

Holiday dinners, celebrations, big, heavy talks, homework, chatting wiht frineds, it all ahppend around a table.

Becaue here’s thr reality. Furniture contains numerous traces of what we are and who we are and who we think we are.

Take Cupboards, for example. They contain our past - as well as our regrets and secrets. Keys which fit no locks, pieces of paper with obsolete phone numbers and pin numbers written on them, stray playing cards, But And tables invite company.

There are perhaps more kinds of tables than there are of any other type of furniture -There are innumerable uses for all these tables, but just one thing that unites them, apart from the obvious fact that they all have flat, horizontal surfaces - they are all gathering places, for both people and things. The table is the place where we interact with others - with family, friends, colleagues, rivals - and enemies.

I remember one birthday party I had when I was younger, and I was looking forward to it. I was goig to invite only my firneds, it’ sbe great, it’ll be aweoms. But then i founf out I had to invite my whole class.

Now don’t get me wrong, It’s not like I hated some people in my class, it’s just that I didn’t really want them at my table. You know what I mean?

But have you ever been there, where you invite your frineds for l8nch, or to get together and then briung aling somebody that you Go “why woould you bring them”, and then when you se them yo go ‘heyyy, so grat to see you”

No just me? Cool.

But if we’re homest with more than once in our live we’ve been ]selective with invites.

That’s how we’re wired as humans We believe that our opinions on others determine their invitations, right?

And I wonder if people do that with God too? That in the table we call life does preference rule over priority.

Does personal preference take precedent over priority of invitation.

And that’s where we are going to sit today, in this idea of who has seat at your table. Who has an invitation to do life with you?

WE

In the table of life who has an invitation?

The thing I love about a table is that it’s a falt surface, one where everyone is on the same level. It’s a pl;ace of commonality and community, a place where differnt people from different backgrounds, different life experinces can come together.

You see, we find Jesus Doing this all the time. This isn’t a new principle but actually a philosophy of life.

As we see, Jesus constantly sat at tables with people. He consistently invited people into commnuity and would sit with them, et wiht them, and talk with them. One of my favourite stories is this guy named Zacchesu and he was a a pretty short man. As Jesus was lking through town, Zacheus wanted to see Jesus but was too short to seehim, so Zaccheus di what any of us wouldndo, he climbed a tree. AS Jesus was walking, He looked up, saw this little man perched in a tree and said When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home.” Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him. Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped, “What business does he have getting cozy with this crook?”

You see Jesus constnaly went agasint the grain of teh arrogrant, the selfish, teh prideful. Jesus saught out those who were outcasts, those who were hirting, those who dind’t have it all together, Jesus invited them to the table.

GOD

And there was one day where Jesus had had enough of the people’s arrogance and told them a sory.

You see Jesus was at dinner with some of the highest reliogious leaders of the day and they are all watching Him like a hawk. Seeing what He would do.

Jesus, being Jesus, saw the pride withing these people. They thought they were the top, the pristine, the best, yet JEus saw right through them.

In Luke Chapter 14 we read this, statring in verse 12, “

Then he turned to the host. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people.”

15  And of course, That triggered a response from one of the guests: “How fortunate the one who gets to eat dinner in God’s kingdom!”

Like what a suck up eh?

Anyways, this is how Jesus responds to arrogance, He tells a story.

16–17  Jesus got theit atteniton and says. “Yes. For there was once a man who threw a great dinner party and invited many. When it was time for dinner, he sent out his servant to the invited guests, saying, ‘Come on in; the food’s on the table.’

18  “Then they all began to beg off, one after another making excuses.

The first said, ‘I bought a piece of property and need to look it over. Send my regrets.’

19  “Another said, ‘I just bought five teams of oxen, and I really need to check them out. Send my regrets.’

20  “And yet another said, ‘I just got married and need to get home to my wife.’

21  “The servant went back and told the master what had happened. He was outraged and told the servant, ‘Quickly, get out into the city streets and alleys. Collect all who look like they need a square meal, all the misfits and homeless and wretched you can lay your hands on, and bring them here.’

And so he went.

22  “The servant reported back, ‘Master, I did what you commanded—and there’s still room.’

23–24  “The master said, ‘Then go to the country roads. Whoever you find, drag them in. I want my house full! Let me tell you, not one of those originally invited is going to get so much as a bite at my dinner party.’

YOU

Now Jesus is a pretty intense strory teller, becaue imagine how awkward that room must have gotten aftet that story.

You see, Jesus told this story to revel the chacter of God to the people and exmaplify what we are called to do.

The religious leaders of thatv day were so caughjt up in pride and thier own stataus that they never invted thos who were hurting, those who were suffering, those who were broken.

But Jesus comes along and swithced the narrative. This parable was directed against the Pharisees, and it shattered the self-confident Pharisaic complacency.

You see in ancient Palestine, when anyone made a feast, the day was announced long beforehand and the invitations were sent out and accepted; but the exact time was not announced; and when the day came and all things were ready, servants were sent out to summon the already invited guests. To accept the invitation beforehand and then to refuse it when the day came was a grave insult. The poor people from the streets and lanes stand for the tax-gatherers and sinners who welcomed Jesus in a way in which the prideful never did. Those gathered in from the roads and the hedges stand for the people for whom there was still ample room.

These folks will not know the host, even secondhand, so they will need encouragement to come. The master intends to have a fully attended party.

In this enitre passage where the story takes place, there are two themes that come alive humility and generosity. That in both thse things, we learn to think outwardly.

Now, The benefit of thinking outwardly is that it helps to build community. Jesus exhorts against pride because it makes community impossible to build.

Just coimg off of easter, I thought that this is timely becaue the reality is, Jeus invtes us to His table. That Jesus has an open invaiation for all people to come to the table. THat you don’t need to have it all together to take a seat.

Often times we think , and maybe you’ve been there too, where we think that God is jsut some dsitant being that is just done wiht us, that I screewed up way to much and there’s no hope. Or maybe, as I have been here too, you might feel like the secondary invtes we talked about it he story. The ones who are hurting, scafed, dealing wiht things, hiding. Maybe that’s you, and if it is, I just want to say this, that you ahve a seat at the tbale. That here in this family of people, you havae a seat.

That at my table there is a seat for you. That regardless of your past, sexual ideinity, your hsitory, or your belifs. You have a place at my table. BEcaue here’s the thing, those things aren’t the guest of homour. Jesus is.

And the only quealifcation you need to be human. No perfection, no

So freinds, is there room at your table?

WE

Will you be like the servant in the story ? He coudl ahve dug his heels in the ground and saif “not a chance, I don;t like those people”

but instead we went out and invited people in.

IN your life today, would you invte people to your table. Would you join with people in jounreying in life, no quaifactions, no biases.

Becaue tt the end of the day, if this is going to be a home for people, we better invite them to the table.

As teh worship team comes back up to lead in a clsing song, just want to say that maybe for you today, you came in with lots o your mind,

Adn so this is our heart here, that at the tbale of life you have an open invitation. You don’t ahve to earn it, strive for it, or put on some fake personality just og et it.

Wherever you are, however, you come, there a seat at our table waiting for you.

THis is wat Jesus does and so we just want to show it.