Consider Me Excused?

~~~ Philippians 2:5-11 ~~~ Psalm 22 ~~~ Luke 14: 15-24 ~~~

 

 

"...though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself..."

 

What does it mean to 'empty oneself'?

I am sure we could have a lively discussion around those two words.

Just the word empty by itself has vast implications.

We use the word empty in so many contexts.

We empty the trash, the dishwasher, the bathtub etc.

We empty things in the kitchen, the bathroom, the garage...

we even empty bladder and intestines.

But Jesus in order to become human had to empty himself of his

'Godness' perhaps even his Divinity.

He had to become one of us.

 

Would you be willing to become an ant to save all of the ants in the world?

I doubt you would.

That may be an outlandish example,

but humans are certainly no comparison to being God.

 

Jesus emptied himself, while retaining the qualities of

who he actually was; God the Son.

 

He knew why the Father sent him to be among us.

He knew he was sent to do the will of the Father.

Doing the will of the Father required his giving us parables in hopes

we would grasp the essence of the message.

The banquet story is one he chose to implement.

 

Is your social calendar so full of engagements that you have

no time left for God?

 

Luke writes today about the many excuses we can find

to keep ourselves from the presence of God.

Perhaps it is more comfortable to busy ourselves with other things.

Perhaps it is easier to give our attention to those things

which appear to be more pressing.

 

Taking care of property, and your animals seems to be valid concerns.

But perhaps the most worthy of your attention would be your spouse.

Each person invited had the same request...

'consider me excused'

 

In all my years of teaching I certainly received many excuses

for why a student should miss class or be given extra time.

And also excuses for why an assignment was not completed by the due date.

 

Some parents were quick to provide an excuse,

but some allowed their child to suffer the consequences

for their lack of action.

 

I think Jesus is making it pretty clear how he feels about excuses...

about how he will react when you refuse his invitation.

 

 

God is not looking to grant you excuses.

While he is certainly merciful, kind, caring, and compassionate

 he is serious when it comes to your salvation.

He is serious about the path you must take to get to eternal life.

 

We would be horrified if God responded to our prayers with excuses...

 

Everyone is invited to the banquet of the Lord.

There will always be room for one more person.

I pray my actions will never imply for God...

to consider myself excused.

 

Empty yourself of those things which in the end do not

positively contribute to your relationship with God.

 

Remember,

God will never consider you excused from his desire to love you.

Lame and Blind

~~~ Philippians 2: 1-4 ~~~ Psalm 131 ~~~ Luke 14:12-14 ~~~

 

Paul is imploring his listeners to be united in heart with him.

The emphasis of loving our neighbor is carried forward

from yesterday through Paul's letter.

He is writes about love, compassion, and mercy being extended to others.

He writes about putting yourself in a place of less importance.

 

"...humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also everyone for those of others."

 

The way to achieve true peace is to place all in the Lord.

It is only in God can our heart be content.

It is only in God that our soul can be a rest.

 

In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.

 

Jesus, while dining in the home of one of the Pharisees,

 speaks of the banquet that he ultimately prepares.

The banquet that Jesus prepares for us can never be returned in kind

and certainly not matched.

 

"...when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

 

Jesus is talking about us here.

We are the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.

We only have ourselves to give back to God for all that he has done for us.

The banquet of the Lord is for the soul, not the body as are earthly banquets.

 

 

 

The only motivation God has for inviting us to his banquet is love.

Others may have hidden agendas behind their invitations,

but not the Lord.

Even though we cannot see clearly, God never has hidden agendas.

He always wants what is best for us.

He wants us seated with him at the banquet table.

He wants us to come, lame and blind as we are.

He wants us to experience his love so that we can pass it on to others.

 

To give freely with no expectation of return

is good for the heart and soul.

 

"...Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory..."

 

We must make the intention to act out of love and not selfishly.

A true gift is one that cannot be repaid.

A true giver expects nothing in return.

The day of Resurrection awaits each of us.