Organizers for the dinner party that opened the celebration of the 50th birthday of the United Nations faced an almost impossible task: preparing a meal for sixty-five heads of state and their entourages that was fitting for a dignitary, and non-offensive to all cultures represented. This meant no shellfish, no pork, no beef and no sauces that involved alcohol. It also meant no white flowers on the tables, because some Asian cultures associate white flowers with mourning. They could not afford for a dignitary to take religious or cultural offense at an ingredient in an hors d'oeuvre. They couldn't take the chance that one dignitary might be served his wild-rice-and-wheatberry pilaf before another and perceive it as an insult.

The caterer had to make sure there were as many as three waiters for each of the 61 tables, so that every head of state could be served at exactly the same time. So, what did the caterer end up serving? What do you serve when you don't want to offend anyone? Chicken. 

This banquet pales by comparison to the one Jesus proposes in Luke 14. The United Nations exist for the establishment of justice and peace in our world. It is - as law governing bodies ought to be - there to protect the weak and disenfranchised. One has to wonder just how far its leaders allow it to drift from time to time from its main objectives.