
Storyteller: Giving up the Seat of Honor
Pastor Brian Schafer
July 7, 2024
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“We take ourselves too seriously, and don’t take God seriously enough. If you can learn to laugh at yourself, you’ll always have plenty of material.” - Rick Warren
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Luke 14:7-11
When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
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The first part of this parable is straight-forward. Jesus is saying, don’t
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In Politics, there are two ways to rally the troops: (1) Common Enemy. (2) Common Humanity.
Common Enemy = “ME” at the seat of honor. It’s US vs. THEM.
Common Humanity = “ME” is taken out of the seat of honor and takes the lowest seat. It’s all about treating people as if they are made in the image of God (because everyone is).
Take your own notes here…
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SWABONA: “I
YOU”
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2 RULES FOR LIFE:
(1) Everyone is my superior in some way, in that I can
(2) Everyone is fighting a battle that I know nothing about, in that I
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Take your own notes here…
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“If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life, sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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How do we humble ourselves? –> By the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Take your own notes here…
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Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s just thinking about yourself less.
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Jesus = Humility.
Jesus = Empathy.
Jesus = “I am WITH you.”
Take your own notes here…