The reading from Luke this morning is a lesson in both inclusiveness and humility. So many of us in our congregation live in the sunny glow of material prosperity and white privilege that those benefits have become invisible to us. We can forget that there are those among us among us among the pews even this morning who suffer, mostly in silence.

We may sit at the head of the table without thinking about it, assuming we deserve it, not aware that we deny it to others. Jesus reminds us again and again that grace cannot be earned, it is God’s gift to all.

We are called to humbly offer ourselves in service, not from a lofty sense of “nobless oblige”, but as one as one human being in compassion to another.

God of hope, help us to remember this in a time when fear drives the rise of “might is right”, when assistance to others has become a commodity to be bought and sold, and there is talk of making our cohorts great again.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Based on Readings for the week: Hebrews 13:1-8;15-16; Luke 14:1,7-14.

Standing in for Jim this week is Ron Shaw.