hap hazard

tonight when i came back into my room, i opened up my jerusalem bible (a large interfaith version) more or less at random.  i first read a psalm, then a passage from ezekiel...instructions concerning the restoration of the temple, and then what i more or less knew would be a new testament reading.  it opened to luke 14 which just happened to be what i was reading this afternoon in a different bible as a part of my daily assigned readings.  i follow the acna (anglican church in north america) lectionary, but i was running a little ahead today because i had seemed to stall somewhere around luke 13 recently.   almost before i knew what was occurring, i was reading the story of a man who attended a feast, and taking place of honor was asked to take a lower place by the host when a more honored guest arrived.  this is a parable of the Lord.  the text reads "take the 'lowest' place lest you be asked to move down."  it would seem sufficient to me to take the "lower" place, but that is largely irrelevant. it reminded me of a joke i made about superman being late for supper because he wanted to take the "lowest" (lois) lane.  it also reminded me of an incident that occurred some years ago.  i was attending a men's bible  class at a different church than the one i attend now.  the men were standing around drinking coffee and the priest (teacher), one with whom i have relatively little in common except for the fact that we know each other, was present.   i started to take a seat at the lower end of the kitchen counter where we would have a light breakfast.  the priest immediately told me, "no, gerry, not that seat.  that's my seat." i responded that i was merely trying to take the "lower" seat, to which he rejoined, somewhat campy, "you would!"  i thought that was a little unnecessary.  and then, now it occurs to me that maybe the bishop was present.  he sometimes attended those meetings. it was a different diocese than where i worship now, and essentially a different denomination.  i remember the bishop telling me when i first arrived at that group, a fairly liberal one, that "what goes on in bible class, remains in bible class".  i wonder why he said that.  perhaps he already knew that i was very conservative.   i remember the times well, because it was shortly after that that we studied a passage in luke 16 about the dishonest steward which seemed to conclude strangely with a moral conclusion that one should make friends with the friends of mammon (this world), lest when one is cast out of the kingdom one may not find a place in the habitations of men.  we all had some difficulty dealing with that.  i asked the bishop if he had ever had to preach on that text.  he said yes, but i think indicated...with some difficulty.