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Luke 14:7-14

BY RICK JEWELL

In Jesus’ parable in Luke 14, he warns against desiring to be at the “head table” because if another guest comes who the host deems to be more important, you might have to give up your seat and you will be embarrassed to look for a new one.

I don’t know about you, but there are times that I enjoy sitting at the head table. For example, when I was serving in the Cumberland area, I was often invited to give the prayer at the annual “Dapper Dan Dinner” to honor all of the sports heroes in that sports crazy town.

The dinner always features a nationally known sports figure. It is held in the largest banquet hall in the city and people are jammed in like sardines. As I sat there at the spacious head table on the stage, being served first and visiting with the national figure, I would often think, “Wow, this is pretty nice.”

Contrast that with more than one wedding reception that my wife and I have been to. We are usually late as we had to stay at the church to lock up. When we finally arrive, we usually crowd into the last two seats available. No, I think that I much prefer the former situation to the latter.

Ah, but there’s that pesky teaching of Jesus.

On the other hand, as I look back on my pastoral career, I find that my most rewarding moments have not been at the head table, but have always been when I’ve assumed the role of humble servant. Maybe Jesus is on to something.

Take, for example, very early in my ministry, I was taking Clinical Pastoral Education at the then Regional Trauma Center in Cumberland and in one of my first nights as the on-call chaplain, I was called in to be with the family of a man who was dying in the ICU. As the night went on, more and more of his family arrived and as we formed a circle of love around his bed, he took one last gasp. The nurse nodded to me and simply turned the respirator off as the wife collapsed sobbing uncontrollably over his body. I had prayer and we all left the hospital very late. As I made my way to my car I felt terrible and helpless. I knew that I had done nothing to “fix it” or “make it all better.”

Later, I was asked to conduct the funeral. At the end of the Committal Service, I greeted the family, extending my hand to the widow who, instead of taking it, stood and embraced me and with tears rolling down her cheek whispered in my ear, “Thank you, I love you!”

The next day I came across an article written by a veteran hospital chaplain. In it, he said that the great learning one must have in doing such ministry is that, “You can’t fix it when people’s lives are forever changed, nor do they expect you to.” No, he said, “They just want someone to share the tears.”

I’ve shared the tears many times over the years and while painful, it has always been very rewarding to have that high honor of representing Christ to people during their times of greatest need. And, when my Lord calls me home, hopefully with the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” I’ll recall that it’s not the head tables that I’ve sat at that he will be referring to, but, rather, all those days of sharing the tears.”

Rev. Rick Jewell is senior pastor at John Wesley UMC in Hagerstown.