Creating Room

Sermon August 31, 2025 Luke 14:1, 7-14

Creating Room

Reverend Fred Okello

Funerals are events for the whole community in Africa. Everyone comes, not just relatives and close friends. The fact that you are there, whether you knew the person who died or not, is what matters. Because churches are sometimes too small for such huge crowds, the services are usually held outside in fields. There are always more people than seats, and many people stand for hours, often the whole four-hour ceremony. The master of ceremonies will always ask neighbors to give up their chairs so that guests can sit.

This scenario with not enough seats and the dilemma of “who gets the seat of honor” makes me think of the banquet in Luke 14. Jesus saw people at a banquet trying to get the best seats because they wanted to be viewed as important. Instead of agreeing with their desire for prestige, He used the situation to teach them about humility and hospitality, reminding us what it really means to be at God’s table.

Jesus is invited to dinner at the house of a prominent Pharisee in Luke 14. But the purpose of this meal wasn’t hospitality; it was a test. They were intently observing Jesus, not to honor Him, but to find a mistake.

At that time of Jesus, people believed that meals were more than just food. Meals were about respect, reputation, and status. The seat you chose, the person next to you, and the person who invited you all showed how important you were in society. The meal table was a stage, and each visitor was an actor putting on a show for the others.

But Jesus never fell for anything that looked good on the outside. He saw through the fake religiousness and showed the pride that was hidden behind it. The Pharisees wanted the best seats to show how important they were, but Jesus reminded them that God doesn’t care about how things look. It’s not where you sit at the table that matters; it’s how humble your heart is.

• How often do we consider meetings, especially church, as a chance to show off instead than a place to worship?

• Do we come to be seen, or do we really want to serve God and one other?

Jesus has a message for both the guests and the hosts. First, to the guests: He tells them to be humble and not rush to get the finest seats. Back then, the closer you sat to the host, the more important you were. People fought to be viewed as significant, but Jesus says, “Don’t take the place of honor when someone invites you to a wedding feast.” Why? You might be asked to move down, and that would be really embarrassing. Pick the lowest spot instead, so that you can be asked to go higher.

It’s apparent what Jesus means: those who lift themselves up will be brought down, but people who bring themselves down will be lifted up. God sees humility, and He raises the humble when the time is right.

Then to the hosts: Jesus tells them not to make the celebration a party for their closest friends, family, or wealthy neighbors. That’s easy since those folks can pay you back. Instead, ask the blind, the handicapped, the destitute, and the lame to come. Send out invitations to people who can’t pay you back. That is what God’s heart really looks like.

The Kingdom of God is about being humble and welcoming. It’s about lowering ourselves and lifting others up, and giving without expecting anything in return.

• The Lord tells us not to look for attention. People don’t give you true honor; God does.

• The Lord also makes us think about who we invite at our tables. Do we just let in people who make us feel at ease? Or do we let people into our life who can’t pay us back?

Jesus’ lessons about being humble and welcoming at meals on Earth guide us to something even better: the heavenly banquet.

The Lord’s table isn’t about prestige, pride, or paying back. It is about grace. “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). There are no reserved seats for the rich or powerful at that banquet. No one is fighting for the best seat. There is no merit in every seat; only grace.

Think of it: Jesus gave up His place of honor in heaven so that you and I could have a seat at God’s eternal table. The cross was the lowest location for the person who should have asked for the highest seat. God raised Him up by humbling Himself, giving Him the name beyond all names (Philippians 2:8–9).

So church, when Jesus orders the guests to sit low and the hosts to invite the needy, He is showing us what the Kingdom is really like. The meek are raised up and the forgotten are remembered at God’s feast. This is where and when God’s banquet starts. We give the world a taste of the Kingdom to come every time we humble ourselves and let people who are often ignored into our lives. We will all sit at the Lord’s table one day, with no rankings, no divides, and no shame.