When Higher is Lower…and Vice Versa | Luke 14:1–14

Pride isn’t only arrogance. It can be the quiet voice of comparison, frustration, or resentment when others don’t notice us. It whispers while we scroll through social media, envious of someone else’s vacations or successes. Pride resists “messes,” but life is messy—like coffee spilled on clean carpet or a child getting sick before guests arrive. Yet Jesus enters our messes, just as He healed the man with dropsy at the Pharisee’s house.

Jesus warns us against seeking the places of honor. The world says moving up means status, salary, or likes, but in His kingdom, moving up often looks like moving down—caring for aging parents, changing diapers at night, or sitting quietly with a suffering friend. These humble acts, done in love, reflect His own humility.

The Gospel is clear: Jesus humbled Himself to death on a cross to raise us up. Like a wedding guest expecting to sit near the kitchen but finding their name at the head table, we are welcomed to Christ’s feast—not as outsiders, but as honored guests. Here at His Table, He feeds us with forgiveness and eternal life.

The Church is not a showroom for the successful but a hospital for sinners. Like an ER that never turns away the sick, Jesus welcomes the broken. And He promises that when He returns, He will seat us at the eternal wedding banquet—a family reunion that never ends, never fractures, never fades. That is the joy set before us: where higher is lower, and lower is lifted forever in Christ.

Worship Times:

Trinity Lutheran Church, Sheboygan

Sunday: 8:00 & 10:45 a.m.

Monday: 6:30 p.m.

Website: trinitysheboygan.org

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We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. ---- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person!

Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​

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