But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
We had a fascinating conversation at yesterday morning's staff meeting about seating and status. Gayle, Alex, and I were musing about what you learn about people and power just by observing where and why they sit where they do in certain social settings.
It is silently but provocatively clear upon first glance who is most important to a company based upon who sits where and next to whom in that business' boardroom. I remember when I was a staff officer at
Air Combat Command and had to brief Gen Loh or Lt. Gen Wolfe. The seating assignments around the ranking general who sat at the head of the table clearly identified which departments and officers had the most status within that military system. Social settings such as fancy weddings, receptions, graduations, also segregate attendees based upon the hostess' and host's priorities and preferences. There are unspoken rules of etiquette and protocol for all of these seating arrangements. Interesting enough, the seats are only seats when there aren't people or presumptions in place.
David Ewart points out that status and seating where closely linked in Jesus' day too. Ewart
writes:
"As a low-to-no status person, Jesus would have a well-trained eye for seeing how high status people jockey to maintain their place in the pecking order." Isn't that odd? God incarnate would find a seat at a table in the back of the room. What's equally odd - he invites his followers to join him there. The "chosen" are taught to practice humility rather than boastfulness.
One of the things that I like so much about singing our summertime
communion hymn is that we joyfully proclaim that there's plenty of space to be who we are at The Lord's Table. There's intentional room as a community of faith at Christ's banquet. No numbering system needed to receive the sacraments. Everyone possesses the "right to belong." God delights when we create justice, justice, and joy. How we receive Christ and one another isn't based upon some predetermined unspoken status system.
God's reign prioritizes humility over recognition. People who have no status receive invitations to "
come up to the front." The truth that Jesus calls us to live into is that God greatly values each and all of us. It consequently becomes our responsibility to practically re-order the rooms that we live in as well as reposition the chairs we choose to sit in. Rank has much reduced meaning inside of The Church. "Leaders" such as myself are commanded to serve not be served. We as a Christian community are invited to honor guests as we turn ourselves inside out to the world rather that remaining settled in usual patterns of worship and relationships with one another. Re-imagining the rooms and where we see ourselves within them is disorderly yet the nature of God's household.
Blessings Along The Way, Jim+
