When you are invited by someone to a feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place.

But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

-Jesus, Luke 14:8-13

When I am invited

Do not

Take the place of honor

That will result in disgrace

Rather

Go

Recline

At the last place

Keep a low profile.

Presume nothing.

Don’t take even what is believed to be mine, unless and until invited.

Take less than what is mine.

Humble myself.

“Humble” =

Ground level

To make low, bring low

                             To level, reduce to a plain, as to level a mountain, a building

To raze

To bring into a humble condition, reduce to meaner circumstances

To assign a lower rank or place

To abase

To humble or abase myself by humble living

To lower, to depress

Of one’s soul; to bring down one’s pride

To have a modest opinion of one’s self

To behave in an unassuming manner

Devoid of all haughtiness

“Whoever humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven … .”

“Whoever humbles himself shall be exalted … .”

“Every mountain and hill shall be brought low … .”

“And being found in the form of a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient to the point of death on a cross … .”

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the LORD/under the mighty hand of God, and He shall lift you up, in due time … .”

This is not only the instruction of Jesus, it is the model of Jesus.

This is Christmas.

A baby.

Born in to poverty. Into absolute obscurity. Arriving in insignificance in every way.

Parents utterly unknown. They had to show up and report in to be counted. No one is looking for them. No one knows about them.  The are not even from around the area.

Not that the area matters.  It is just an inconsequential rural backwater.

No family; hence they are seeking an inn, and ending up in a barn.

No education.

No priesthood (except that of Melchizedek).

No affiliation with any political party, no group.

No status.

From the working class.

No entry in Wikipedia. No meme. Nothing going viral. No one posting anything.

Not in PEOPLE or US or the New York Times. Not on TMZ. Not in any Who’s Who. Not any list of 40 under 40. No reporters. No investigators. No academics studying this inconsequential life. Just another baby. One in millions. No interest by any paparazzi. No cameras. No lights.

Well, one light. Seen only by a few guys in the East, but missed by the entire rest of the world, including those who had long been waiting for it.

And a purpose.

A purpose to which He was obedient.

Humility.

Obscurity. Contentment with that. No plan or agenda to change it.

Only obedience.

And when popularity came, rather than ride that wave, He sought – wait for it – even more obscurity.

Prominence came in notoriety, maligned, accused and condemned.

What started in obscurity in a barn continued to ignominy, numbered among convicts, shamed, disgraced, and left for dead.

The “glory” of Christmas was just the opposite. It was the first giant step of the ultimate humility.

Good news? Oh yes. For us. Not for Him.

He did not arrive stepping out of a limousine onto a red carpet. More like donkeys, straw and manure. His step was one giant downward one. The biggest ever.

Have this same attitude in yourselves that was also in Christ Jesus … .

Of course, this is not the end of His story. But nothing about His story was Him seizing the day, or exalting Himself. Don’t read ahead. Not yet.

Humble myself.

Take the last place. Recline – not to rest, but to be low.

Serve. Obey.

This is Christmas. This is the model. This is my model.

~~~