This is essentially the advice Jesus gives to us in today’s reading. However, our Lord uses this occasion and this advice in order to go on to discuss something far more important. What He tells us is in fact at the very center of our Christian life.

We should bear in mind that a Middle Eastern dinner party in Biblical times was regarded as an important social engagement. Losing face during such an event by being told to take a lower seat would have been much more than merely a personal embarrassment. It would have been thought of as both a personal and public disaster which most people would rather drink hemlock than face. And so, with the scenario our Lord puts forth to his listeners, He very much has their attention. He tells them that whoever exalts himself shall be abased, but whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

What does our Lord Jesus mean by this? What do we mean when we speak of being unselfish and of offering our selves, our souls and bodies, putting others first? Is the Christian Faith teaching us to hide our gifts and talents so as not to be seen as showing off? Doesn’t the Bible in fact tell us not to hide our gifts? Are we suggesting that you make yourself a doormat so people can just walk all over you? Not at all! We have to understand all this in context.

First of all, humility does not require that you hide your talents and gifts or leave them undeveloped. What humility requires is that you develop and use your gifts, talents, and abilities in a way which blesses others; not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. In fact, the more you develop and use your talents, abilities, and gifts, the more successful you will be and the more you’ll have to offer. So, don’t bury your treasure, but put it to work. However, put it to work in a way which brings the greatest blessing to as many as possible. And, I am happy to say that many of you already do precisely this. I am humbled in fact by the time, money, and talents many of you give for charitable purposes, helping to make the world a better place.

What we must remember as Christians is that our religion teaches the absolute exaltation of our humanity. We believe that our human nature is created by God in His very image and likeness. Moreover, we believe that God took our human nature upon Him and that through resurrection and ascension our human nature is at the right hand of God in Heaven forever. You can’t get more exalted than that. We believe that each one of us is the beloved child of God, destined to inherit God’s eternal kingdom. It doesn’t get more exalted than that. What we have to learn and/or remember is the real source of such great exaltation. And, this brings us to our second point.

What our Lord Jesus is referring to is the battle we all face with our selves. Think about it. Who is the one person most responsible for most of the trouble you’ve managed to get yourself into? The answer is yourself. Who tells you the most lies about yourself, insisting that you cannot or should not even try to improve your life? Yourself. Who is your worst and most ruthless critic? Yourself. Who is the one who keeps you in a state of bitterness over long held grudges and old resentments? Yourself. Who causes you to overreact to situations and fly off the handle for no good reason? Yourself. Who keeps coming up with excuses for not making changes and even trying some new thing that might be good for you? Yourself. Who always makes things far more complicated than they need to be? Yourself. And who is so often your own worst enemy? Yourself. We battle against self not to put ourselves down but so that we may be lifted up by the faith, hope, and charity of God.

We should also be mindful of the fact that many people – religious people, agnostics, and atheists alike – have found that thinking of themselves less, getting their ego under control, and caring for others actually works in helping them become less angry, less fearful, less resentful, and more joyful, calm, sober, and fulfilled. It works. As Christians, we believe this works because in living this way we are becoming more and more the man or woman we were created to be, in the image of the loving, living God.

Our Lord Jesus goes on to tell His listeners that when they host a dinner party, rather than inviting their friends and neighbors in an effort at self-aggrandizement, we should instead invite the poor, the halt, and the lame. In other words, we should do things for others without any hope or expectation of reward. We should learn to do things just because they are good things to do.

There is an old story which many of you have heard but which bears repeating. A man once prayed and asked God to give him a vision of Heaven and Hell so as to inspire him in his Christian walk. That night he had a dream in which he was in a room occupied by a large round table where men and women were seated. There was a large bowl of soup in the middle of the table. Each man and woman had a spoon taped to each hand. The handle of each spoon was three feet long. The spoons were long enough to reach the soup but were too long for them to put the spoonfuls of soup in their mouths. They all sat around that table, messy, grouchy, and malnourished. The man then saw another room in which a group of people sat around a similar table in exactly the same circumstances, only these people were all plump and happy. The difference was that rather than simply trying and failing to feed themselves, they each used their spoons to feed one another. God spoke to the man in his dream and said, “There! That is the difference between Heaven and Hell. Go, and do thou likewise.”

As is always the case, Jesus practices what he preaches. Holy Week reminds us of this. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are shining examples of this. The cross above the altar. Any cross, reminds us of this. Our Lord’s manner; His loving kindness and compassion illustrate His words and make them incarnate. Humbling your self in order to become more loving is the way we become more Christ-like. It is the path to real and true exaltation, even to the very throne of God in Heaven. For whoever exalts himself shall be abased, but whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Amen.