This sermon reflects on how modern wealth, convenience, and independence have shaped us to expect comfort and repayment, leaving little room for humility or mercy. Jesus’ teaching in Luke 14 exposes our “Pharisee problem”: we grasp for the best seats and avoid the poor, crippled, lame, and blind because they cannot repay us—and because they remind us of our own dependence. Pride blinds us to God’s generosity, but the truth is that we are the broken ones who cannot repay. The good news is that...