Humility and Hospitality
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 17C)
Luke 14.1, 7-14
St. Gregory’s, Long Beach
I’m sure Emily Post is rolling in her grave. “What do you mean people are just sitting wherever they want at a wedding reception? That’s madness! Utter chaos! That’s why you use place cards. Tastefully done with hand calligraphy, of course.” And by the way, it should come as no surprise that Emily Post was an Episcopalian. Everything in proper order, just as God intended.
Yes, Emily Post, Miss Manners, and all the self-proclaimed experts on proper social etiquette would have a field day with the scene we witness in today’s Gospel. Jesus is attending a wedding banquet hosted by a leader of the local Pharisees. While everything is ready for the banquet, there are no place cards nor publicly displayed seating charts to indicate where guests are to sit. That is not to say there is not a seating plan at such events. The problem was, that schema was pretty subjective. This was an “honor and shame” culture—in which identity and social standing are tied to the family and community; where one’s actions are perceived as bringing honor or shame not only upon themselves but also upon their entire group, be it family or community. In such cultures, one’s social standing was incredibly important. And in many situations, including social situations, one’s standing dictated such things as where one sat at banquets. There was enough subjectivity involved in the identification of standing and honor that, at times, there could be conflicting perceptions among attendees. And certainly, in a situation such as a banquet, it was understood that the host had the ultimate say in who he viewed as having greater honor in his own home. Or at least, in that particular situation. Those of higher honor were seated closer to the host and the head table. Really, not unlike in many of our own banquet situations. But at least we generally have place cards to guide us.
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