The Cruciform Life - Sermon for the 12th Sunday after Pentecost

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
August 31^st, A+D 2025
Our Savior’s and Our Redeemer Lutheran Churches
Hill City and Custer, SD
Luke 14:1-14 – The Cruciform Life

 Audio of the sermon is available HERE.

   Christian life is properly cruciform, that is, shaped like the Cross.  The Christian is, as we learn from the Ten Commandments and all of the Bible, to live life vertically, in love toward God, and horizontally, in service to our neighbor.  This makes the life of the Christian cruciform, in the form, or shape, of a cross.  The problem we have, of course, is not in understanding how we are to live, but rather in actually doing it.        

   Jesus today teaches us about the cruciform life, not only its shape, but also the only way that it can happen.  To do this Jesus uses one of His favorite metaphors, the familiar picture of a wedding banquet.  In the first part of our lesson, Jesus teaches us about our vertical relationship with God.  

   "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 man 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 your fellow guests.  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

   In this parable about a wedding feast thrown by a father for his son, Jesus is most importantly talking about the heavenly wedding feast in the age to come.  The father of the bridegroom is God the Father, the bridegroom is Jesus Christ, and the bride is the Church.  You may or may not enjoy wedding receptions, but you do not want to miss this wedding feast.  And so it is helpful that Jesus warns us that before sitting down at the feast, a man ought to examine himself.  Anyone who is caught up in his or her own worth, anyone who thinks he deserves a better seat than other guests, risks humiliation.  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.

   Have you ever demanded special treatment, only to be severely humbled?  I knew a boy who experienced such a humiliation.  This boy was in the fourth grade, and it was Christmas time.  On the last day of school before Christmas break, the whole school watched a special movie in the auditorium.  Then, just before school was dismissed, his fourth-grade teacher, Miss Steinberger, came in carrying a large paper bag.  She began passing out candy bars to her class.  Now these were not small “bite sized” or “fun sized” bars.  No, they were big, full-size candy bars.  This particular boy I knew became very excited at the prospect of this sweet feast.  So excited that he couldn't wait for his turn to get his candy bar.  When his teacher leaned over his row to pass them out to the kids behind him first, he grabbed a candy bar out of the bag. 

   Big mistake.  Miss Steinberger, very displeased with the boy’s attitude and actions, took back the candy bar, and gave this boy a humiliating public reprimand.  Because this boy I knew demanded to be served first, the happiness of the moment was totally lost; he lost his chance at a sweet feast.

   Humility is not popular, especially not today.  But, to quote Dirty Harry, “A man’s got to know his limitations.”  We need to be honest with ourselves about just how good-hearted, talented and important we really aren’t, and live our lives accordingly.  Which means to live with humility.  With honesty about our failures and faults.  Today, in this digital-online age more than ever, humility is not celebrated.  No matter, to be properly humble is to have integrity, to be whole, and this is the better way to live.  And remember this about those who are always scheming to get ahead, always exalting themselves, always taking every advantage, and seem to get away with it.  First, justice will be served, sooner or later.  God has promised. 

   Second, remember those people have to live with themselves, with the pressure and misery of always striving, always scheming, always worrying about losing their advantage, always worried about losing their honor.  A life of humble integrity is far better.   

   That boy I knew learned an important lesson about humility from Miss Steinberger.  Jesus’ point today is similar, but the stakes are much higher. 

   That boy I knew had just as much right to a candy bar as his classmates.  Actually, given what I remember of his excellent behavior, he probably deserved it more.  But, when it comes to the marriage feast of God, none of us can say we deserve a place at the table. 

   As guests at God's wedding feast, Jesus teaches us to remember that we are guests.  Our honor is not based in our own works and worth, but rather in the fact that we have been invited to the banquet.  Guests at God’s heavenly feast cannot stake anything on their own honor, for we owe everything to our Host.  We wouldn't even know that there was a wedding feast if we hadn’t received the invitation.  We don't contribute a single thing to the feast.  We can't even find our way to the banquet hall, the Host must bring us there. 

   If this idea offends you, if you want to argue for your worthiness to join the feast, beware.  To protest that you have something to offer the Host is to claim the seat of honor for yourself.  If you seek the seat of honor, the Host will show you how you look to him, on your own merits.  If you insist on your own goodness, God will show you your unworthiness.  He will show you how you have despised the neighbor you claim to love.  He will show you how you made your favorite possession or your favorite pastime your real god.  He will remind you that the thoughts of your heart do not match the words of your mouth.  And that the words that come out of your mouth are not all that righteous, either. 

   Being examined in this way is hard to endure, especially because the wedding feast of God is only for the righteous, for the saints of God whose lives are filled with good works, for the holy ones in whom no darkness is found.  If you claim honor, God will show you how far short you fall. 

   But, if, when you find yourself invited to the wedding feast, you humble yourself, then the host will treat you with honor.  That is, if you confess that you do not deserve the honor of being at the Lord’s feast, and so you go to the lowly place, then God will honor you.  If you do not claim your own righteousness, but instead confess your unrighteousness, God will look at you and say:  “Here I see a righteous guest, a saint, a holy one, in whom there is no darkness.”  “But how can this be?”, someone might ask. 

   God honors you when he sees you in the lowly place, because there he sees you through Jesus.  Your sins are many, that is true.  Your lack of sufficient good works, your unworthiness is plain, to God, and probably to everyone who knows you.  But when you put yourself in the lowly place, the place of no honor, then the Host, the Father, sees only righteousness, only honor, only holiness. 

   You see, the lowly place is holy because that is the place Jesus went.  Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of the Father, existed from eternity in the form of God,[and so] did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.  But [Jesus] made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phil 2:6-11

   To claim honor for ourselves, to claim that we are worthy of receiving God’s smile, is to say that the Cross was unnecessary.  It is to deny honor to Jesus, who died for the sins of the whole world.  If we demand our own honor, we are exalting ourselves and separating ourselves from Jesus.  This the Father will not accept, for He has truly and essentially exalted only one man, Jesus of Nazareth. 

   On the other hand, to recognize our sins, and believe that only Jesus could and has paid the price for them all, this is to go to the lowly place, to the cross where Jesus humbled himself.  And there we are covered with Jesus’ righteousness.  There we are exalted with Him.  Then we are honored by the Father at His wedding feast for the Son.  In this, Jesus teaches us that the vertical aspect of Christian life depends totally on God, and not at all on us.  We receive the Father’s gifts, despite our sin, for the sake of Jesus, who humbled Himself on the cross, for us. 

   After talking about the vertical aspect of Christian life, our relationship to God, Jesus moves to the horizontal aspect, service to our neighbor.  And we learn that we do not have to panic about fulfilling this aspect either.  For just as the vertical aspect of Christian life is all God's doing, we learn that the horizontal aspect of Christian life is likewise God's doing, the Spirit’s work, in and through us. 

   Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." 

   Give without thought of return.  Give to the lowest, not to your friends and neighbors.  Certainly don’t give to the wealthy, hoping to get something in return.  This sounds like our work, something we do, and we are certainly involved.  But, let's consider Jesus' instructions, closely.  You'll see that this hosting work, this service to the neighbor that Jesus describes has to be God's work, has to be empowered by Him, through us. 

   It has to be God's work, because you and I know that the world doesn't work like this.  None of us have the strength to give and give and give, and never even think about receiving.  Employers give raises when the productivity of their workers rises, and they do it with the expectation that it will rise even more.  Banks give loans with the understanding that they will be paid back with interest.  Otherwise, the business or the bank will fail.  Likewise, we teach our kids that if they want to have a friend, they need to be a friend.  And that is wise advice.

   Congregations especially find it hard to give without thinking about a return.  We are tempted to target certain types of people, certain neighborhoods, in the hope of landing some “good” members.  It is fine to plan outreach and use demographic studies to learn what areas or what groups are underserved by the Gospel.  But if our goal becomes attracting wealthier people who can help us with our budget, we are losing the essence of what the Church is and whom we are called to seek.  Jesus says, especially to His Church, give without expecting a return.  To the 12 Jesus said, freely you received, freely give.  Don’t invite with the hope that you’ll receive an gift in return.  Seek to serve those who can’t serve you in return.  Invite the poor, the lame, the crippled, who cannot pay you back.  How can Jesus expect us to live this way?  How can Jesus expect even the Church to survive with this approach? 

   Jesus gives these instructions, strange to our earthly minds, because he knows what the Church on earth truly is.  Jesus remembers the heavenly wedding feast, the one that is pure gift from the Father, and Jesus remembers that the Church on earth is those gathered around the foretaste of that feast to come.  Hidden beneath the exterior of budgets and bills, offerings and attendance numbers, Jesus remembers that the Church on earth is nothing more than dying sinners who have come at the Father’s invitation, to celebrate in advance the wedding feast of the Son. 

   The meal that truly matters to God is the gathering of all those who believe in Jesus Christ, the gathering of God’s people around the gifts of the Word made flesh, including the Word combined with Water, Wheat and Wine.  When we are gathered around His gifts, Jesus reminds us of the free gift to come, the undeserved heavenly reward that is ours, in and through Him.  We have no need to look for repayment from those we invite, for we have already been given everything in Christ.   

   Reminded of and humbled by the gift we have received, we are free to give extravagantly, without concern for a return, because the gift we are giving doesn’t come from us, it is from the Father.  We can invite those who cannot pay us back, because we have received everything we need from the Host.  Every human being is a candidate to be invited.  We are all equal in this sense: none of us has anything of our own worthy to pay back the Host.  But God is not demanding payment.  He is giving freely, in love.    

   All people, apart from Jesus, are the same: spiritually they are poor, crippled, lame and blind.  The extravagant invitation we have to offer them is to come and receive healing, free and full, from Jesus.  To come and be joined to the One who Humbled himself on the cross, so that your illness, your weakness, your sin, can be covered by Christ.  All who are in Christ, all who trust in Him and not themselves, will be honored by the Host, by God the Father, because He looks at you and considers you perfect and sinless, for Jesus’ sake. 

   This is the cruciform, the cross-shaped life.  The life of love toward God and unselfish service to our neighbor.  We don’t live such a life to earn honor in God’s eyes.  We can’t even begin to live this life apart from Christ.  Our life is formed in this way because Christ has joined Himself to us and works through us.  The Church gives without thought of receiving because in Christ we have received and continue to receive the reward of the righteous, the free gift of forgiveness.  And there is no limit on the free gift of forgiveness. 

   Extravagantly, without demanding a return, the Father blesses us, by the working of the Holy Spirit, through the Word of Christ.  Your sins are forgiven, for Jesus’ sake.  Your place at the wedding feast is sure, in your Savior.  Come, today, and tomorrow, and as often as you can, to receive His gifts for you.  Amen.