A Twilight Musing

At most gatherings of human beings, there is a pecking order. We are seated at concerts, games, and stage shows according to what price we have paid for the ticket. At social gatherings people tend to gravitate toward those who are more influential because of their wealth or reputation or social standing. Jesus refers to this human tendency when he speaks of those who go to a dinner and seek out the best and most honorable seat. James cautions against giving undue deference to people merely because of their apparent prosperity.

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor. (James 2:1-6a)

God rejects this kind of competitive discrimination and calls all sorts of people together into His house, with equal status before Him, to enjoy the feast He has prepared. As we partake of this table together, we testify to the oneness of the Body of Christ: to the need each part has for all of the others, as well as the need of the whole Body for each part. We remember that Jesus humbled Himself and took on the role of a servant (Phil. 2:5-8), in order that we might be here sharing in His servanthood, to one another and to the world.

Dr. Elton Higgs was a faculty member in the English department of the University of Michigan-Dearborn from 1965-2001. Having retired from UM-D as Prof. of English in 2001, he now lives with his wife in Jackson, MI. He has published scholarly articles on Chaucer, Langland, the Pearl Poet, Shakespeare, and Milton. Recently, Dr. Higgs has self-published a collection of his poetry called Probing Eyes: Poems of a Lifetime, 1959-2019, as well as a book inspired by The Screwtape Letters, called The Ichabod Letters, available as an e-book from Moral Apologetics. (Ed.: Dr. Higgs was the most important mentor during undergrad for the creator of this website, and his influence was inestimable.

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