Through A Different Window—Sermon from September 28. 2008

Through A Different Window

Imagine this. A president has just been elected. And the inauguration has just happened. And it comes time for the inaugural ball. About 4 to 5 hours before, a secretary of the president begins to call and confirm the attendance of the many dignitaries that are to attend. The House Majority Leader's daughter has a film premiere of her daughter's newest documentary. She will not be coming. The Secretary of Defense has decided to go on a ski trip. The Senate majority leader does not want to come out because it is a little snowy outside. The Secretary goes down the list. Slowly he discovers very few people are planning on coming. This ball is going to be covered on national television. Tens of thousands of dollars have been spent on the food alone. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent on decorations, renting the venue etc. etc. What is this new president going to do? What would you do?

The Bible says that Jesus was at a dinner. But not just any dinner. This dinner was a dinner at the home of the ruler of the Pharisees. The ruler of the Pharisees invites Jesus with all of these other people, we can only assume, to check him out. To get a closer look. In the middle of the dinner, Jesus tells a parable. Now the Bible does not tell us the parable, but it does tell us the punch line. It tells us that Jesus says that when you come to a banquet you should not sit at a place of honor, but you should sit at the most humble place at the table. When you sit and the more humble place at the table, you may be called forward in honor. And if you try and move forward to a place of honor, you may be asked to move to another seat because it rightfully belonged to a person closer to the host or more prestigious than you. Jesus says the lesson of the story in the most general sense is that the humble will be exalted and the proud will be humbled. Jesus isn't looking for showboats or grandstanders in his kingdom. He is looking for humble servants who don't assume that they are better than everyone else, and that are not wanting to use religion as a club to beat others down.

Jesus went on to say to the host that he should not invite people to eat at his place who made him look good and gained him political stature. Jesus told the head of the good old boys network that his network was corrupt. Instead, Jesus said, when you have a banquet you should invite those that are rejected by everyone else. Those who cannot pay back your generosity. Because that is what God would want you to do. And God will pay you back for your generosity at the end.

I am assuming that after this story there was an awkward silence. The kind of silence you hear when someone is really blunt in a group of people, and they say something that everyone else thinks should not be said. All of the people Jesus was eating with were religious ladder climbers, and they type of people who were eager to find fault in others. The kind of people who believed that everyone else lives would be just great if they just were as righteous as they were. Your poverty is because of your sin. You handicaps are because of your sin. That is the way the Pharisees approached the world. And Jesus told them a story that told them that they need to be humble.

All of the sudden, one of the men decides to defuse the conversation by saying something everyone will agree with that will most likely shut down conversation. One of the guests said, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God." Or something like that depending on the version you are reading. Or in other words, won't it be great when we are all in heaven, but that will just be really cool. Quite swell.

This Sunday, we starting off a monthly book club on family night. Our first book is about a man who dies and goes to heaven for 90 minutes. Miraculously, even thought he was declared dead almost an hour before, his friend prayed him back to life. In the book he shares what he experienced in heaven. What he shares is primarily imagery from Revelation, mostly the last two chapters of the book of Revelation. It is an overwhelming picture of what heaven will be like.

This morning, as we look at this passage, Jesus gives us another picture of what eternity will be like. It is not like on part of the Bible is right, and another is wrong. No. All Scripture is inspired, or better said in Timothy, all Scripture comes by the breath of God. But it is like in the Bible when we are talking about heaven we are seeing a collage of fractal images, a slideshow. It is like in the Bible we get to see what eternity is like, but it is like we get to look into different windows of a large place and see different things through those windows. This passage in Luke 14 allows us to see heaven through a different window than Revelation 21-22. Both are true, and there is still more to eternity that we will discover after our lives are done.

Anyway…Jesus tells us a story to show us what heaven will be like.

Jesus says that there was a man that was throwing a party. And he sent out invitations. And he received the RSVPs. And on the day of the big banquet, as was the custom of the time, the servants of the great and powerful host sent his servants out to let people know exactly what time all of the arrangements would be ready. One after another this great feast was rejected by a person who had one excuse after another. He had to check out the land he bought. They were newlyweds and needed some alone time. He had to inspect the cattle he had bought and see how they looked. One by one everybody that was supposed to come did not come to the big party. The great banquet. What would the master do?

I will tell you what the master did. He told his servants to run around and knock at every door in town and invite them to come to the party. The servant did precisely this. And they found that there was still room at the party. The master extended the invitation even further. He went out into every country house, every family farm, every group home and long term care facility. Every tent and shack he could find in travel distance for the party. Every person that was left behind by society. Every homeless man and woman, wheel every person in a wheelchair to the party.

Let me return to our modernized version of the parable. What would that president do when he was getting stood up at that innaugriation gala? When all of those people who said they would come did not?

Well, he would invite all sorts of people that were on his rolodex that were not invited. People he had met once. People who he had business cards from. All of his volunteers that helped him get elected.

And then there would still be room.

And so this president would say…go out into all the streets. I want you to go to every group home for the mentally ill and the mentally handicapped. I want you to go to the homeless shelter and the welfare lines. I want you to find every homebound elderly person, every housing project, and to Walter Reed for all those soldiers that have lost limbs in the war.

And his servants would do just as they were instructed to do. And many of those people would come to the president's banquet.

Imagine our surprise as we turned on our televisions and expected to see all these stuffy people in black ties celebrating how good and wonderful and right they were. And instead the news reporter had the camera pan to the party and there were all these people milling around. There are homeless men scarfing down the food in front of them with their hands. There are these downs' syndrome kids waving at the camera. There is a drug addict with a cup of coffee in his hand, track lines from shooting up clearly visible. There is a fat black woman and her three little girls with beads in their hair going on and on about how this is the best food they ever ate. There are immigrants and ex-cons. And slowly the servants of the president are trading the people's old garments for beautiful new ones. And all the reporters, on the outside looking in, are talking about what a tragedy this is. But all the guests are talking about what a wonderful time they are having. And then the President enters. The Downs' kids run up and hug him, followed quickly by the children. And after all the introductions happen the president is supposed to dance. But he wants to dance with everyone so he takes one of the vets in a wheelchair and a few of the homeless folks, and they lead everybody in dancing to the Village People singing YMCA. And the rest of the world thinks it is a scandal but we know different. Because we are all guests at that party. And we know that this is the most beautiful thing we have ever seen.

This parable that Jesus told, which I told my modern version of, is another view of what eternity is going to be like. Another picture of God's heavenly kingdom.

My friends. There is this idea going around. I expect it has been around for a while, but I hear it more and more lately. It is that the church is for people who have it all together. And that church is a place for people who have all the right answers, all the right clothes, all the right things on their resume, and do not struggle with anything significant at all. And the thought goes on that God's heavenly kingdom is for those really good people, and we need to try really hard to make it.

But that is not what my Bible says. My Bible says that Jesus came to earth for us when we didn't have everything all together. When our pride is shattered. When our body is broken. When were broke. When we feel like we have made too many mistakes and we are not sure if God can ever forgive us. This Jesus came to invite those of us who don't measure up, who fall flat on our faces, who feel pathetic and hopeless and inadequate and times, to follow him on earth and to spend eternity with him in heaven.

I know that is true of me. When Jesus became real to me I was a lonely pre-teen boy who was picked on by just about everyone because I ran to slow and talked to loud. We were broke. My mom was going to school full-time and working, and my dad rarely if ever wanted to see my sister and I. I was lonely and alone. And in my estimation I wondered if I was worth anything to anyone and if my life was even worth living. I just felt like a burden to everyone. I was angry.

And then I started to get to know Jesus better. And though I still have struggles and heartaches, I know that I was made new by Jesus. When I felt unloved by anyone, I experienced the love of Christ. When I saw no hope, Christ gave me a hope and a future. And I know that everything that I am that is good is not of me. It is from him. And the fact that I stand here, getting to preach and teach his word, I don't know how he uses me but I know he does. In Christ I can do all things as he gives me strength, but without Jesus I am hopeless and incompetent.

So when I take my last breathe, and when I enter into eternity, I am sure I will see pearly gates, and golden streets, and friends and relatives that I long to see again. But those pearly gates and golden streets may be a blur. And my friends and relatives may wonder why it takes me a year or two to get to visit with them. I may see the most vivid colors I have ever seen and I may hear angels wings playing beautiful music. In fact I am sure I will. But I have to be honest with you. When my heart stops beating and my lungs start breathing and I enter eternity the interior decorating and architecture of heaven will not be my top priority.

No I hope that when I reach eternity I will enter eternity running. Running past and through the pearly gates and the welcoming committee. I hope that when I enter the eternal kingdom those golden streets will just be a blur under my feet. And I will be running toward where all the noise is. And I will hope to just get a glimpse of Jesus. I will just want to see him. I will just want to hear his voice. I will just want to tell him thank you for all he has done. I will just want to be in his presence. And as I round the corner, and before I can see him I will here Jesus call across the way…calling my name. And I will hold my reservation in my hand with FORGIVEN on one side and REDEEMED on the other. And Jesus will shake his head…and reach out his arms…and he will point to the banner above my head. And it will say WELCOME HOME. And I will give him a big hug..and I will try and say a million things…and he will just keep saying my name…and saying WELCOME HOME. WELCOME HOME. And I will realize that though this party and this banquet was for everyone..all of us misfits and rejects of the world that were invited to God's party…but that it was at the same time…for me. And you…if you accept the invitation he sends.

INVITATION—TURN YOUR EYES ON JESUS.