"What Jesus Notices"

Luke 14:1,7-14 Many years ago I got talked into taking my nephew Erik to see a sporting event at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester. Let me tell you, I already knew with absolute certainty that I did not want to go. In fact, it would be one of the last places in the whole universe that I would want to go to. You may have heard me tell this story before, but it’s one of my favorites, and led to my most famous moment. So what was the sporting event? It was “world wrestling”. This kind of wrestling glorifies brutal violence, demeans women and gays, features ugly guys boosted on steroids, and, to top it all, the whole thing is completely fake. But with Erik in the house, world wrestling was on our TV, and all kinds of wrestling action figures were scattered on the floor of the living room, and against my will I somehow learned the names of all those wrestlers – I wish I could forget. But the tickets had been bought, and I was leaned on, lobbied heavily, and bribed generously to take Erik to the Blue Cross Arena for a night of wrestling. As the closest thing he had to a father figure I finally gave in and agreed to go! There are lots of things I have done wrong in my life, and I usually hope that God is too busy with worse people to notice me, but as I was standing in line to enter the wrestling arena I knew that Jesus noticed exactly what I was doing. He saw me getting in line to go directly to hell. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, some additional information was presented to me: because Erik’s aunt, my former wife, was so wonderful to him, she bought us front row seats. So not only would I have to tolerate the evening, I would be in the front row. In the front row, you become part of the show, and sure enough as these big sweating monsters were in the ring wresting, hitting each other with chairs, and jabbing and poking each other in the eye, you could feel drops of their sweat raining into the front row. One guy, who appeared to be dressed as a Viking, his body covered with hair and sweat, and apparently only able to speak in grunts, got thrown out of the ring by his opponent right onto my lap. Yuck! It was like a nightmare, only it was as real as the hairy Viking who looked me right in the eye and snarled before he climbed back into the ring to try to throw the other guy into my lap. Meanwhile, Erik couldn’t get enough of this spectacle, and it proved to be one of the great highlights of his life that his Uncle Jim had taken him to World Wresting, and even bought front row seats. So there you have it, two different seating preferences: Erik loved the front row because he could see all the action up close and personal, while I would have preferred one of the nosebleed seats way up in the back row if I had to be there at all. Yes, Erik and I had strong opinions about the best places to sit at the wrestling arena. I hope you’re wondering what in the world my sad story has to do with the scripture reading this morning. Stay with me, I’m getting there! Let’s leave the wrestling arena now, and look at the seating preferences here in our church. Where are the best places in this room to sit during worship? Up in the front row? All the way in the back? Under the fan or by the open windows on a hot day? By the heating vent on a cold day? Close to the choir, or far away from it? Over the years I’ve noticed that the front rows stay fairly empty. Maybe we could make the front row a little more attractive each Sunday. We could prmote these first two rows as “first class” and over free snacks and beverages. Or I could take a hint from professional wrestling and make a practice of throwing some of my props into the front row, from time to time I could toss a chair there, or even a sweaty teenager during the children’s message? Anyone want to move up to the front row now? Our ushers are ready to help you! Let’s get to the Bible story! If you think professional wrestling is another world, Jesus came from a time and place even more mysterious to us. In Jesus’ world choosing a seat was a big deal, a huge deal. There were clearly established rules. In his day you didn’t just come into a public gathering and pick your own seat. There were strict seating rules in effect. The most important people were given seats in the front, and the least important all the way in the back. (like here today?) Back then everyone knew those rules. Let’s explain: Thinking that you know your station in life, you take a seat in the fifth row, not too close to the front, but a little ahead of the middle section. But then the usher comes up to you, taps you on the shoulder, and with a cold, withering stare, moves you back several rows, because everyone knows that you are not as important as you think you are. So as you walk back to the 10th row all eyes are on you, and your face is red with humiliation. Now Jesus’ instructions begin to make more sense, always sit further back, so that if the usher comes to change your seat, it’s further to the front, not the rear. And then all eyes are on you as you are bestowed the greater privilege of sitting closer to the front with all of the other honored folk. The simple lesson here is plainly presented: “If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face”. In our contemporary culture celebrities are accorded attention that is absolutely mind-boggling. I get a daily news digest on my computer, and more of the stories have to do with the lives of celebrities than with the important news stories of the day. It drives me crazy! I want to read about events in Iraq or Afghanistan and instead I hear the latest news about which movie star is dating, marrying or leaving another movie star. I want to read about strategies for improving access to health care, and instead I hear about Donald Trump latest ego trip. So I really enjoy coming to a church where people are humble, gracious, generous and loving, who would give their seat to anyone who needed one. So be humble, put others before yourself. Think about what others need, not what you can grab for yourself. The final point that Jesus makes pushes us even further. And I’m hanging on every word of his at this point – because he’s leading me to a different kind of living in a different kind of world, and I want to live in THAT world. He’s not only teaching us to be humble, but he’s teaching us to go out of our way to fill the place with those who are usually never even invited, those who haven’t qualified for even the back row. And this is finally what makes Jesus such a radical, such a revolutionary, and what I like most about him: he challenges you to think of the worst misfits, the worst sinners, and to make room for them in our gathering. It’s almost frightening when we think through the implications of that kind of teaching. What, sinners in here? And we learn that our church, our community of faith, is not a sanctuary for the best people, but a refuge for sinners. And, yes, I’m a sinner glad to be here. Yes, I am a sinner, and it’s been caught on videotape for the whole world to see. It’s my most famous moment. It’s a matter of public record. I’ve been caught on videotape, associating with some of the worst people in the world. And you could go down to the store and buy that videotape. It’s the videotape of world wrestling highlights from the year that I went with Erik to the Blue Cross Arena. The videotape is filled with all the dramatic body-slamming, chair tossing moments of the previous year, with fans with painted faces screaming for blood, and then the camera shifts for a momentary close-up on this quiet, nicely-dressed man in the front row of the arena, as if to say “world wrestling is OK for kids, just look at this intelligent, mild-mannered guy who is enjoying the spectacle, too”. Caught! There I am, a sinner at the front of the line leading right to hell! Thank you, Jesus, for noticing me … and thank you for pulling me back!