I believe there is a little piece in all of us that desperately wants to be honored, valued, and appreciated. We work hard. We do good things. We genuinly go out of our way to be the very best people we can be. Sure we make mistakes, but we are human, and humans well… for to many reasons to name here, we sometimes struggle to get along, because deep inside our values, beliefes, expectations, opinions, just don’t match up with what others value, believe, expect, and the conversation gets out of control fast. Peoples feeling get hurt. Familiy members stop talking to each other. Divisions grow, chasism develop, AND that was the easy part: Mending that brokiness is the hard part.

So what if we all had at least one general rule that would allow us to work together to prevent the conflict that becomes battle?

Without regulating Jesus words to a mear “seven prinicles for easy living” I am taking time to point to his words today as the place for us all to begin; In Luke 14:7-11 where Jesus suggests someting unnormal for the human ego. Humble thy self. Be intentional about where you sit and how you engage the crowd.

Now Jesus is using the scene of a banquet to illistrate the point, but can you imagine this banquet to be the dinner table at your home? Can you imagine this banquet to be the conversation with your best friend at a resturant? Can you imagine this banquet as street conversation with a stranger? Banquet settings are all around us. They present themselves various ways all day long. In our coworkers office. On the phone with our parents or children. But we might not see them as such and forget what we are being taught. Sit not at the head of the table, unless invited by the host. Forcing your head to the front, your ideas, expectations, beliefes, values, to the front of the table.. it teaches the other your only their to speak and be of the self. But to be patient, to hear the invitation to speak and move your position at the conversation table, offers grace to the others that sit at the table with you. It shows them you value you them as much as you wish to be valued, and isn’t that what you really wanted all along? Just to be valued and appreciated, to know you have worth? This is the gift of the banquet table. Don’t rush for the best seat. Just sit down and enjoy the meal. The trusting relationships you build will sustain you, with out you needing to be at the head of the table.

Prayer of the day: Dear Lord teach us to not rush our ideas to the head of the table assuming what we value and believe is this most important reason to be there. Help us instead find our place in the relationships of fellowship that are nutured around the table with friends and strangers young and old. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.