WEBVTT 00:00:09.710 --> 00:00:11.970 Hey, welcome back here to the Semi -Seminary, 00:00:12.009 --> 00:00:14.330 and I'm your old brother, your old buddy, Pastor 00:00:14.330 --> 00:00:17.890 Jim. Now, no, I'm not just a famous podcaster. 00:00:17.929 --> 00:00:20.030 I'm also the pastor of a small -town church, 00:00:20.170 --> 00:00:23.390 kind with hymnals still in the pews and potlucks 00:00:23.390 --> 00:00:26.269 that taste like forgiveness. And you, my friend, 00:00:26.429 --> 00:00:28.949 stumbled into our Wednesday night Bible study 00:00:28.949 --> 00:00:31.129 series where we're walking through the parables 00:00:31.129 --> 00:00:34.189 of Jesus, not as puzzles to be solved, but as 00:00:34.189 --> 00:00:37.049 invitations to be lived. Tonight, Pulling up 00:00:37.049 --> 00:00:39.390 a chair at one of his most uncomfortable tables. 00:00:39.469 --> 00:00:43.049 The parable of the guests. When grace makes the 00:00:43.049 --> 00:00:46.570 guest list. Because when Jesus starts talking 00:00:46.570 --> 00:00:48.810 about where to sit, he's not giving etiquette 00:00:48.810 --> 00:00:52.109 lessons. He's revealing the posture of heaven. 00:00:52.450 --> 00:00:55.509 The way grace rearranges the seating chart of 00:00:55.509 --> 00:00:59.310 the whole world. So grab your Bible, pour a little 00:00:59.310 --> 00:01:01.649 coffee, and settle in. Let's sit low enough that 00:01:01.649 --> 00:01:05.450 maybe, just maybe, we hear him whisper, friend. 00:01:05.980 --> 00:01:09.859 move up higher. If this journey blesses you, 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:13.159 share it. If it convicts you, like it. And if 00:01:13.159 --> 00:01:15.140 you're still listening when the lamps burn low, 00:01:15.180 --> 00:01:18.060 subscribe so you don't miss the next word of 00:01:18.060 --> 00:01:20.500 grace that might just pull up a chair right beside 00:01:20.500 --> 00:01:28.400 you. I'll see you on the other side. So I am 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:32.040 going to go ahead and begin. And again, we're 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:37.290 talking parables. And usually parables start, 00:01:37.609 --> 00:01:43.269 Jesus' story will start with him asking the crowd 00:01:43.269 --> 00:01:49.010 to imagine a scenario. Now, in this passage, 00:01:49.049 --> 00:01:53.390 the parable is actually being told in the midst 00:01:53.390 --> 00:01:58.129 of the parable playing out around them. This 00:01:58.129 --> 00:02:03.450 parable is being told to people the parable is 00:02:03.450 --> 00:02:07.280 describing. In the moment. It's fantastic. I 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:09.580 hope you guys will enjoy this one. This one is 00:02:09.580 --> 00:02:13.020 a banger. But for us to really get to where we're 00:02:13.020 --> 00:02:15.280 going, let's set the scene, okay? Let's kind 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:19.500 of imagine what it's going to look like and sound 00:02:19.500 --> 00:02:24.020 like in our heads. The house smells like wealth. 00:02:25.300 --> 00:02:29.080 Oil lamps glow against the plastered walls. Laughter 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:33.090 ripples like polished silver. You could taste 00:02:33.090 --> 00:02:36.310 that roasted lamb before you see it, the fat 00:02:36.310 --> 00:02:40.710 hissing as it drips, the tang of vinegar rising 00:02:40.710 --> 00:02:44.650 from those clay bowls. Cushions ring the table, 00:02:44.710 --> 00:02:48.710 soft and embroidered, status you can sit on. 00:02:49.750 --> 00:02:52.830 Servants slip through shadows, refilling cups, 00:02:53.129 --> 00:02:57.509 never speaking. You didn't plan to be here. Maybe 00:02:57.509 --> 00:03:00.810 you followed a friend. Maybe curiosity pulled 00:03:00.810 --> 00:03:03.909 you in off the street. Either way, sandals are 00:03:03.909 --> 00:03:07.629 still dusty from the road and you feel it. You 00:03:07.629 --> 00:03:12.550 do not belong here. The air is thick with pride 00:03:12.550 --> 00:03:18.090 disguised as politeness. Every guest leans forward, 00:03:18.189 --> 00:03:22.310 elbows on cushions, quietly jockeying for position. 00:03:23.979 --> 00:03:27.539 You notice the tension under the laughter as 00:03:27.539 --> 00:03:32.060 well, that quiet game of hierarchy, every smile 00:03:32.060 --> 00:03:37.620 measured, every greeting a little too loud. And 00:03:37.620 --> 00:03:42.560 Jesus is here too. He's not at the head of the 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:46.479 table. He, in fact, rarely is. But his presence 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:50.599 pulls at the edges of the room. He's watching, 00:03:50.659 --> 00:03:53.419 not like a judge, but like a storyteller about 00:03:53.419 --> 00:03:57.500 to begin. And he notices the choreography, the 00:03:57.500 --> 00:04:01.039 coughs, the half smiles, the subtle slide towards 00:04:01.039 --> 00:04:05.439 honor. His eyes move, not to shame, but to see. 00:04:06.719 --> 00:04:09.659 And when the moment ripens like fruit ready to 00:04:09.659 --> 00:04:14.520 fall, he speaks. And a hush falls so completely. 00:04:16.040 --> 00:04:20.680 that even the oil lamps seem to lean in. The 00:04:20.680 --> 00:04:25.120 air changes, suddenly heavier, holy, like everyone 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:28.019 knows something sacred is about to break open. 00:04:29.220 --> 00:04:31.699 Before the word is spoken, friends, let your 00:04:31.699 --> 00:04:35.300 heart settle. The dust of the day still clings 00:04:35.300 --> 00:04:39.060 to your skin, let it fall. The noise of the street 00:04:39.060 --> 00:04:43.439 still echoes in your mind, let it fade. Tune 00:04:43.439 --> 00:04:47.579 your ears, steady your breath, and listen. Not 00:04:47.579 --> 00:04:49.939 for thunder, but for the small voice that still 00:04:49.939 --> 00:04:54.779 can shake mountains. Table is set, the lamps 00:04:54.779 --> 00:04:58.939 are burning, the host is about to speak. This 00:04:58.939 --> 00:05:02.180 is not just an old story, friends, it is an open 00:05:02.180 --> 00:05:06.060 invitation, so breathe deep. The same spirit 00:05:06.060 --> 00:05:08.259 that hovered over waters now hovers over this 00:05:08.259 --> 00:05:12.610 very room, waiting to move. when you decide to 00:05:12.610 --> 00:05:16.430 listen. Gospel account according to the physician 00:05:16.430 --> 00:05:21.850 Luke, chapter 14, 8 and following. When you are 00:05:21.850 --> 00:05:24.350 invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not 00:05:24.350 --> 00:05:29.889 sit down at a place of honor, lest someone more 00:05:29.889 --> 00:05:34.089 distinguished than you be invited by him. And 00:05:34.089 --> 00:05:38.410 he who invited you both, they will both come 00:05:38.410 --> 00:05:42.569 and say to you, Give your place to this person. 00:05:43.829 --> 00:05:46.750 And then you will begin with shame to take the 00:05:46.750 --> 00:05:50.730 lowest place. But when you're invited, go and 00:05:50.730 --> 00:05:55.389 sit in the lowest place, so that when the host 00:05:55.389 --> 00:05:59.389 comes, he may say to you, Friend, move up higher. 00:06:00.769 --> 00:06:03.790 Then you will be honored in the presence of all 00:06:03.790 --> 00:06:07.980 of those who sit at the table with you. For everyone 00:06:07.980 --> 00:06:11.879 exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles 00:06:11.879 --> 00:06:16.199 himself will, in fact, be exalted. Thus, friends, 00:06:16.339 --> 00:06:19.019 Eden ends the reading, but not the invitation. 00:06:20.040 --> 00:06:23.759 Words have gone out like seed on the wind, falling 00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:26.839 where hearts are soft enough to catch them. The 00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:29.339 room holds its breath somewhere between silence 00:06:29.339 --> 00:06:34.100 and understanding. Grace takes a seat. For those 00:06:34.100 --> 00:06:37.720 with ears, let them hear. The feast has already 00:06:37.720 --> 00:06:42.000 begun. And maybe that's the quiet miracle. A 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:45.060 scripture once spoken doesn't stop speaking. 00:06:45.740 --> 00:06:51.180 It echoes through time. Looking for a room just 00:06:51.180 --> 00:06:59.240 like this one. Hearts just like ours. This, like 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:01.300 I mentioned, isn't a parable that you actually 00:07:01.300 --> 00:07:05.600 listen to from a distance. It happens right around 00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:09.529 you. You're sitting there, adjusting your seat, 00:07:09.589 --> 00:07:12.889 pretending not to notice how everyone else is 00:07:12.889 --> 00:07:17.529 inching closer to the honored spots. You reach 00:07:17.529 --> 00:07:20.850 for your cup just as Jesus' eyes lift, and suddenly 00:07:20.850 --> 00:07:28.069 you feel seen. Really seen. Luke says he noticed 00:07:28.069 --> 00:07:32.149 how you and the others chose the best seats. 00:07:32.649 --> 00:07:37.939 That word noticed feels heavy now. Like the slow, 00:07:37.939 --> 00:07:41.160 careful gaze of a physician who knows exactly 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:44.019 what's wrong with you before you even say a word. 00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:48.199 Every cough, every shuffle of your robe, every 00:07:48.199 --> 00:07:53.720 quiet move towards honor becomes a symptom. He 00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:58.100 starts talking and you realize he's telling a 00:07:58.100 --> 00:08:02.800 story about this very table. The words slide 00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:06.319 out like parables always do, gentle at first, 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:09.399 then cutting through the air like a blade of 00:08:09.399 --> 00:08:16.300 mercy. You hear yourself in the story. You see 00:08:16.300 --> 00:08:21.579 your own hands on the cushion. It's holy mischief, 00:08:21.639 --> 00:08:26.459 truth wrapped in casual conversation. He isn't 00:08:26.459 --> 00:08:31.480 lecturing you. He's holding up a mirror. And 00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:38.059 somehow, that mirror feels like grace. Humiliation 00:08:38.059 --> 00:08:44.860 is when you're exposed and then left alone. Conviction 00:08:44.860 --> 00:08:49.000 is when you're exposed and you're invited to 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:53.779 change. And you feel the invitation before you 00:08:53.779 --> 00:08:57.080 fully understand the story. He's catching us 00:08:57.080 --> 00:09:02.889 mid -motion. Before pride turns to shame, it 00:09:02.889 --> 00:09:07.389 isn't cruelty, it's care. It's the kind of grace 00:09:07.389 --> 00:09:11.389 that stings first and heals later like an aseptic 00:09:11.389 --> 00:09:15.570 poured on an open wound. You wince, but you know 00:09:15.570 --> 00:09:20.409 it's working. You realize he's not just protecting 00:09:20.409 --> 00:09:23.129 you from public embarrassment. He's trying to 00:09:23.129 --> 00:09:27.940 actually free you. Pride builds a cage and calls 00:09:27.940 --> 00:09:31.960 it a throne. And every time you climb higher, 00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:36.879 the walls close in. And his words pry those hinges 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:41.679 loose. You feel like maybe you can almost breathe 00:09:41.679 --> 00:09:48.580 again. And the room stills. You listen the way 00:09:48.580 --> 00:09:51.779 a child listens to thunder on a safe porch, half 00:09:51.779 --> 00:09:57.039 afraid, half in awe. You glance at the rich man 00:09:57.039 --> 00:09:59.860 beside you whose hands won't stop fidgeting. 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:04.960 The teacher pretending not to listen. The servant 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:08.139 by the door who whispers a prayer that maybe 00:10:08.139 --> 00:10:12.519 this table will make a space for him too. Then 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:16.100 you feel it. The realization that Jesus isn't 00:10:16.100 --> 00:10:20.980 just talking to them, he's talking to you. Pride 00:10:20.980 --> 00:10:27.159 isn't out there. It's in here. Fight for the 00:10:27.159 --> 00:10:29.559 head of the table happens inside your chest. 00:10:30.539 --> 00:10:34.600 The only way to win is to stop fighting. You 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:38.039 lower your eyes. The oil lamps, they flicker. 00:10:39.559 --> 00:10:42.019 Somewhere behind the silence, you hear his voice 00:10:42.019 --> 00:10:45.460 again, steady, kind, and near. Friend, pick the 00:10:45.460 --> 00:10:54.850 lower place. The story lingers in the air. No 00:10:54.850 --> 00:11:00.049 one wants to be the first to move. One man clears 00:11:00.049 --> 00:11:03.169 his throat, trying to sound casual, but his eyes 00:11:03.169 --> 00:11:07.409 betray him. Another shifts his seat, creaking 00:11:07.409 --> 00:11:11.669 like a confession. The laughter from earlier 00:11:11.669 --> 00:11:14.610 has now died, replaced by a silence heavy enough 00:11:14.610 --> 00:11:19.590 to feel. And Jesus doesn't have to point his 00:11:19.590 --> 00:11:23.330 finger at us. Truth is already doing its work. 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:27.639 Pride has a way of blushing when it's caught 00:11:27.639 --> 00:11:31.259 in the light. The men who came to be honored 00:11:31.259 --> 00:11:34.399 now find themselves weighted by their own hunger 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:38.879 for attention. They realize how much of their 00:11:38.879 --> 00:11:42.559 religion has become performance. The long prayers, 00:11:42.860 --> 00:11:45.259 the polished manners, the elbowing for approval, 00:11:45.360 --> 00:11:50.200 all dressed up as devotion. And yet Jesus doesn't 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:55.029 mock them. Doesn't roll his eyes at them or humiliate 00:11:55.029 --> 00:11:58.990 them in front of their friends. Instead, he does 00:11:58.990 --> 00:12:04.169 what shame often is able and meant to do. Lead 00:12:04.169 --> 00:12:09.450 us back to humility. Because the only thing worse 00:12:09.450 --> 00:12:16.129 than being humble is staying proud. In that lamplight 00:12:16.129 --> 00:12:20.429 quiet, the word becomes a mirror. Each person 00:12:20.429 --> 00:12:23.950 sees what he didn't want to see, and for just 00:12:23.950 --> 00:12:27.590 a moment, he's free to do something about it. 00:12:29.129 --> 00:12:32.509 Grace has a strange way of uncovering you so 00:12:32.509 --> 00:12:37.110 it can clothe you again. What feels like exposure 00:12:37.110 --> 00:12:42.850 is often mercy in disguise. Sometimes the spirit 00:12:42.850 --> 00:12:46.029 doesn't whisper comfort. Sometimes the spirit 00:12:46.029 --> 00:12:53.490 whispers, look. The silence deepens, and in it, 00:12:53.490 --> 00:12:57.409 Jesus' words begin to stretch beyond the walls 00:12:57.409 --> 00:13:01.590 of that room. You can almost see it, the table 00:13:01.590 --> 00:13:04.990 fading away, the Pharisee's house dissolving 00:13:04.990 --> 00:13:11.429 into something older, holier. Suddenly, the scene 00:13:11.429 --> 00:13:17.759 shimmers into Isaiah's mouth. Smell of lamb and 00:13:17.759 --> 00:13:21.399 vinegar gives way to the scent of rich wine and 00:13:21.399 --> 00:13:26.120 roasted grain. A feast for all people spread 00:13:26.120 --> 00:13:29.720 before the eyes of the poor, the forgotten, the 00:13:29.720 --> 00:13:32.840 ones who never thought they'd be invited. Isaiah 00:13:32.840 --> 00:13:37.759 25 and 6. On this mountain, Isaiah had said, 00:13:38.360 --> 00:13:41.399 Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food 00:13:41.399 --> 00:13:46.029 for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine. Best 00:13:46.029 --> 00:13:50.970 of meats, the finest of wines. Jesus doesn't 00:13:50.970 --> 00:13:56.750 quote it because he doesn't have to. Every scholar, 00:13:56.870 --> 00:14:00.049 every person at that table, perhaps save the 00:14:00.049 --> 00:14:03.169 servants and maybe them too, would have known 00:14:03.169 --> 00:14:07.029 those words by heart. They could taste them. 00:14:08.509 --> 00:14:11.549 They just never thought they'd be the ones needing 00:14:11.549 --> 00:14:16.120 the mercy to enter the feast. And then, as quickly 00:14:16.120 --> 00:14:18.559 as that mountain appeared, it becomes another 00:14:18.559 --> 00:14:22.539 vision, this time from the future. The oil lamps 00:14:22.539 --> 00:14:27.100 dim, and the light becomes wedding white. Great 00:14:27.100 --> 00:14:29.840 table stretches beyond sight, and a voice from 00:14:29.840 --> 00:14:33.700 somewhere beyond the stars calls out, Prophecy 00:14:33.700 --> 00:14:36.480 of the Revelation 19 and 9. Blessed are those 00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:39.399 who are invited to the wedding supper of the 00:14:39.399 --> 00:14:46.299 Lamb. Same table. Same host, only the guest list 00:14:46.299 --> 00:14:50.200 has changed. The first have made way for the 00:14:50.200 --> 00:14:53.940 last, and the last have come running home. Between 00:14:53.940 --> 00:14:57.320 the mountain and the marriage sits this simple 00:14:57.320 --> 00:15:01.559 meal in Galilee, where God whispers eternity 00:15:01.559 --> 00:15:06.440 over dinner. And here's the secret that slips 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:11.059 by every generation. Not just a table from the 00:15:11.059 --> 00:15:15.000 past or a table yet to come. It's this table 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:20.320 too. Every communion, every potluck, every meal 00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:24.379 shared with humility becomes a rehearsal for 00:15:24.379 --> 00:15:28.379 the wedding feast. When we bow our heads, when 00:15:28.379 --> 00:15:32.320 we share bread without pretense, heaven draws 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:37.840 near. When the vision fades, room's quiet again. 00:15:40.139 --> 00:15:43.500 Jesus looks around, not in triumph, but in invitation. 00:15:45.019 --> 00:15:49.440 Kingdom isn't far away after death. It's here, 00:15:49.580 --> 00:15:53.440 breaking in through humility and hospitality. 00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:58.840 Heaven begins whenever someone makes room for 00:15:58.840 --> 00:16:04.240 another soul. Jesus doesn't stand to preach his 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:07.200 parable. He stays seated near the middle where 00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:10.480 anyone can reach him. He leans forward just enough 00:16:10.480 --> 00:16:13.899 that everyone can hear, and his voice softens 00:16:13.899 --> 00:16:17.360 like bread breaking. You've all been chasing 00:16:17.360 --> 00:16:22.000 the head of the table, he seems to say. But I've 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:26.840 been sitting here right among you. His words 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:29.860 ripple through the room. The crowd feels smaller, 00:16:30.019 --> 00:16:33.100 but in a good way. Like they're finally standing 00:16:33.100 --> 00:16:36.919 where the ground is level. The poor feel seen. 00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:42.279 the servants start to breathe a little easier. 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:46.039 A man near the door, the one who never took off 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:48.220 his cloak, suddenly stands. He doesn't make a 00:16:48.220 --> 00:16:51.659 speech. He just moves towards the lowest seat 00:16:51.659 --> 00:16:55.879 at the table. The room watches him, startled. 00:16:56.159 --> 00:17:00.519 And then, one by one, they begin to follow suit. 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:05.579 No one commands them. The spirit does the seating 00:17:05.579 --> 00:17:11.890 now. You can almost hear Isaiah's echo in the 00:17:11.890 --> 00:17:14.450 shuffle of feet. He has brought down rulers from 00:17:14.450 --> 00:17:18.869 the thrones and lifted up the humble. Humility 00:17:18.869 --> 00:17:24.950 spreads like fire sparking in dry straw. The 00:17:24.950 --> 00:17:30.089 meal isn't over. Something holy has begun. The 00:17:30.089 --> 00:17:32.369 host is rearranging hearts, and somewhere in 00:17:32.369 --> 00:17:36.789 the middle of that humble movement, Joy appears. 00:17:38.109 --> 00:17:44.509 Quiet, contagious, undeniable. Maybe that's why 00:17:44.509 --> 00:17:47.990 Jesus smiled when he said, for everyone who exalts 00:17:47.990 --> 00:17:50.970 himself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles 00:17:50.970 --> 00:17:55.369 himself will be exalted. It wasn't a threat. 00:17:56.269 --> 00:18:01.589 It was a promise. He is describing how gravity 00:18:01.589 --> 00:18:06.980 works in the kingdom. you climb, the farther 00:18:06.980 --> 00:18:12.640 you fall. But when you kneel, you find yourself 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:18.420 lifted by unseen hands. The lamps burn lower 00:18:18.420 --> 00:18:22.900 now. The food's gone cold. Guests sit quieter, 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:28.599 softer, changed. Jesus rises not with fanfare 00:18:28.599 --> 00:18:30.619 but with the gentleness of someone who's already 00:18:30.619 --> 00:18:34.599 said everything that needs to be said. He looks 00:18:34.599 --> 00:18:37.279 around the table one last time. No one dares 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:40.099 meet his eyes for too long, but no one dares 00:18:40.099 --> 00:18:43.819 to look away either. The silence feels different 00:18:43.819 --> 00:18:47.759 now, less like guilt, more like grace finding 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:52.440 its way in. He steps towards the door, and before 00:18:52.440 --> 00:18:55.299 he leaves, he turns just enough for his voice 00:18:55.299 --> 00:18:58.480 to reach them. And stay at this table if you 00:18:58.480 --> 00:19:02.710 are willing to move lower. It's the gospel in 00:19:02.710 --> 00:19:07.789 one motion, God stooping so the rest of us could 00:19:07.789 --> 00:19:12.670 rise. The host of heaven took the lowest seat 00:19:12.670 --> 00:19:16.390 so that the whole world could hear the same invitation 00:19:16.390 --> 00:19:22.309 print, move up higher. And when the door closes 00:19:22.309 --> 00:19:26.809 behind him, the guests sit in the flicker of 00:19:26.809 --> 00:19:29.970 fading light, not sure whether to cry or to sing. 00:19:31.400 --> 00:19:35.019 Outside the night air is cool and quiet, stars 00:19:35.019 --> 00:19:38.980 scattered like promises. Inside the bread still 00:19:38.980 --> 00:19:43.440 smells like hope. The echo of that room still 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:47.319 hums through time. Every act of humility still 00:19:47.319 --> 00:19:52.440 sounds like a hymn. Every table where someone 00:19:52.440 --> 00:19:56.960 makes space for the forgotten becomes a foretaste 00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:03.069 of glory. Glory that is ours. We will just pick 00:20:03.069 --> 00:20:13.690 a seat. Amen? Amen. Thank you, guys. Maybe you've 00:20:13.690 --> 00:20:16.309 been fighting for a better seat at work, in church, 00:20:16.470 --> 00:20:20.250 even in your own heart. Maybe you've spent years 00:20:20.250 --> 00:20:22.569 trying to prove you belong at the table. But 00:20:22.569 --> 00:20:26.329 friend, in the kingdom of God, the only way up 00:20:26.329 --> 00:20:29.970 is down. The only ladder worth climbing is the 00:20:29.970 --> 00:20:33.809 one Jesus descended. Good news of the parable 00:20:33.809 --> 00:20:36.430 is that the host himself took the lowest seat, 00:20:36.509 --> 00:20:40.670 so there'd be room for you. He didn't come to 00:20:40.670 --> 00:20:43.190 impress the guests. He came to make us family. 00:20:44.250 --> 00:20:47.049 So if you've been living like an uninvited soul, 00:20:47.150 --> 00:20:49.730 hear this. Grace already wrote your name on the 00:20:49.730 --> 00:20:52.430 guest list. You don't have to earn it. You just 00:20:52.430 --> 00:20:55.589 have to show up and sit where mercy tells you 00:20:55.589 --> 00:20:59.839 to sit. The banquet's not in some far -off heaven. 00:21:00.700 --> 00:21:03.259 It's wherever humility and love make room for 00:21:03.259 --> 00:21:06.279 another soul. That's the feast we're tasting 00:21:06.279 --> 00:21:10.559 tonight. This word found you somewhere between 00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:12.700 pride and hunger. Share it with someone who else 00:21:12.700 --> 00:21:15.779 is standing at the door. If it stirred something 00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:18.099 tender in you, go ahead and hit the like button. 00:21:18.279 --> 00:21:20.700 Tells the algorithm what your soul already knows. 00:21:21.559 --> 00:21:25.690 Grace is trending. And subscribe. so you don't 00:21:25.690 --> 00:21:28.789 miss the next table where Jesus might just sit 00:21:28.789 --> 00:21:32.210 down right beside you. I'll see you then.