Trinity Church in the City of Boston
Proper 17 Year C
August 31, 2025
Jeremiah 2:4-13
Psalm 81:1, 10-16
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Luke 14:1, 7-14
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
In late July, the Trinity Choir had the privilege of being the choir in residence at Canterbury Cathedral. Each day they walked up the lane from the hotel to the cathedral for both rehearsal and also for leading the music of Choral Evensong.
For those who have not been to Canterbury Cathedral, this cathedral is the oldest in the Church of England, established in 597. A mammoth building, it incorporates several styles of architecture, endured monarchs and controversy, and has been a place of worship for nearly 1500 years. Majestically the building is encircled by the town. Internally, there is the lower nave (the space for the congregation), then stairs down to the crypt and up to the chancel (fancy words for the lower level with tombs and the upper level for the choir and the original monastic community), more stairs take you up to the altar and then even more stairs take you up to a chair.
The chair, cathedra, the throne of the Archbishop of Canterbury (ABC) sits at the very top of all of the stairs in the cathedral… A chair for the Archbishop of Canterbury, the position that presides over the entire Anglican Communion. This chair has been around since St Augustine of Canterbury held that first position. Unremarkably, this chair is not gold and large with ornamentation, rather this cathedra is short, made of stone, and only sat in by the ABC.
To be honest, other than having the best view of the rest of the church, the chair is not very spectacular in architecture when it comes to chairs—it’s positioning though, signals that this position is most supreme, respected and the highest.
Never fear, none of us mistakenly sat in the chair. In fact, no one sat in the chair while we were there (The cathedra is used rarely and The ABC position is currently vacant.) and yet we could see that cathedra each day during Choral Evensong.
Who will be the next person in that seat, could it be a- gasp- woman? As a choir “chaperone,” I watched people come and go that week, sitting in the chairs put out, sitting in their favorite seat to see the choir, the priests, the piece of art….. watching processions and people…. come and going.
What is your favorite chair, where do you watch the world and goings on?
There is a big yellow overstuffed chair at a lake house that holds my heart… one that you can sit in all day, sleep in all night and if needed work from home…it’s delightful. From that chair you can watch the serene lake and those paddling about for fun.
We own a couple of chairs in our house that we call the “tiny butt chairs” because they are uncomfortable unless you are tiny and the size of the 18th century Dutch person, for whom they were made.
I have a sermon chair in my house and a favorite chair in the coffee shop.
Are they fancy?
Are they expensive?
Is that why the chairs are our favorites?
Nah, these chairs are what they are because of the experiences that were had in them.
Made of stone, of wood, of cozy materials….. the material is just part of the story but not the actual focal point.
Growing up, sitting around the dinner table in my assigned chair, I was taught which fork to use when, who should sit at the head of the table and who should be sat by whom.
There were protocols…..
And yet, at the end of long long school days complete with after school activities, our dinner would sit at the dining room table ready to be reheated and mom would sit at the table with us for company no matter how grumpy and surly we were as teenagers.
What mattered most was being beside the person.
These days, we encounter tables and chairs in different ways.
Our tables may have stayed the same (or changed- expanded or shrunk due to life circumstances.)
Our dining room tables now may include empty chairs as children are leaving the nest, because a loved one has died, because relationships have changed, or perhaps because we are always hoping one more person will arrive.
In our gospel reading this week, Jesus is invited to dinner and after he arrives, he people watches. Just as the pharisees watched Jesus and his actions and movements, Jesus watches the mannerisms of the Pharisees. He watches how they choose the seating protocol, dictating the conversations, perpetuating the status and the contractual obligations of each person sitting by the next. Either expecting something in return or demanding respect, merely because of position.
Jesus, has thoughts and feeling about these dinner party protocols. (And he shares them outloud!) I can see him smirking, “ya’ll just don’t get it! It’s not about the chair! Friends, you have it all wrong. I am going to tell you a story to make you scratch your head about all this protocol.”
“Gather around the table to build relationship,” says Jesus.
Gather to eat with one another, not due to honor and obligation, rather to listen to each other.
Gather together due to care and compassion, the desire to break bread and be with each other.
We all eat.
We all desire companionship.
A meal is made with love for those you love.
Graciously accepting an invitation without worry or concern about obligation should be our immediate response.
The invitation that Jesus gives to us is to make space to be present in the chair we find ourselves,
Jesus invites us into more deeply discovering the person beside us.
To learning more about who God is in their life and where blessings can be seen, broadening our own horizons and community.
The ultimate expression of this banquet table, of course, is the Eucharist.
Today we will celebrate baptisms, welcoming the newest members into the household of God and then we will move to the table and share this holy meal together. Each person shoulder to shoulder at the rail, unexpected neighbors and family together- equally receiving this gift of love. A meal that is specifically for each of us and all of us corporately.
The banquet table welcoming all, and the only protocol is your receiving the invitation and saying Yes. Yes, to experiencing the love of a God who has called you, yes even you, into community. A God who loves you enough to want to make you whole and restore you to the fullness of your potential,
restore you in the midst of the brokenness of this world and the individual hardship within your life. A God who fills each chair, empty or full, around the table with the opportunity for love to guide the next chapter.
This week I was sitting in my coffee seat in a cafe and I looked up to overhear a small child crying directly opposite me. With my airpods in, I did what I do— SMILED HUGELY and waved at the child who had just been placed in the most restrictive of all seats, the indestructible restaurant high chair. Crushed by his unexpected incarceration, his world was shattered. Wailing was his sole means of consolation. Upon seeing my face, forgetting his newfound prison, he laughed. And then he began a game of hide and seek with his moving the table number in front of his face (and mouth)- he was an expert hide and seek player, btw. His father caught on and started laughing and took a breath when he realized his child was actually interacting with someone else he, too, could see. IT was a fleeting moment, and I found myself in an unexpected seat of joy because we looked up and met each other where we were.
Jesus loved the people around him, immediately and intensely. He loved those Pharisees, disciples, and crowds. His clever word play this week invited the Pharisees to take themselves less seriously, to think less of the direct results and easily seen tactics, instead he wanted the Pharisees to lean into grace, love, and the “why” beneath the protocol.
Similarly, we, too are to look up and be surprised by who might be across the table from us.
Tables are made for all to gather
Seats should be plentiful
Positions are for governance not gloating, enhancing the beloved community not exploiting.
While seats might sometimes be uncomfortable, we are always gathering around the table.
We have work to do
And sometimes the seat doesn’t always fit (perhaps it was made for someone else and needs updating)
Sometimes the chair is just perfect (is that a good thing to encourage moving forward or perhaps a bad thing that evokes complacency?)
If we start from the seat we are in, I wonder where God will lead us from table to table in chairs and chapters of Love.
As we head into this new academic year, with the newest members of the church included, what new tables and chairs might your find yourself in?
Where might your heart be expanded in a new space?
May our hearts and lives swell with God’s presence gratefully and graciously!
Amen.