Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
….Be merciful and answer me!
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
….And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” Psalm 27:7-8 NLT
Luke 14:12-14 (<<click here to read the passage)
A few years back, Karen and I were able to pull off a nice gesture. We loved being able to do it and occasionally I will look for another opportunity, but to date, nothing has presented itself. I don’t recall sharing the incident with anyone and, honestly, I have been hesitant to do so. But it fits well with today’s passage and I want to make it clear that I am not patting myself on the back but want the act to inspire us all – myself included.
We stopped to grab a bite of lunch at a large Amish style restaurant in Berlin, Ohio. We were enjoying our meal when an older lady was seated near us. No one joined her for her meal. It was just her. We decided to foot the bill for her meal. No big deal. No big output of cash. No one knew but our server. We had no idea if she was in financial difficulties, but we felt lead to reach out and let her know that she was not alone but that someone cared.
It wasn’t anything flashy. In reality, it was very simple. But we hope that we had an impact on her.
In today’s passage, Jesus had been invited to eat at the home of a Pharisee. At one point His host and said
“When you put on a luncheon or a banquet, don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.” v12-14
I would think that many of us make donations to organizations that help people out in many ways. We may drop money in the Salvation Army kettle during Christmas season, we may support a needy child through Compassion International, we might even make a generous donation to bring God’s word to those without it in their native tongue through Wycliffe Associates. Those are all immensely worthwhile acts and thousands of people benefit from our gestures of kindness.
Many wonderful organizations provide daily meals for the homeless and down and out and they surely deserve our support. But have we ever acted upon Jesus’ suggestion? To my knowledge, I haven’t. And in today’s culture, we might find the task even more daunting. Long gone are the days of picking up hitchhikers and inviting total strangers into our homes to share a meal.
I’m not sure how we would go about it but it would sure be good to reach out and impact someone who could not repay us.
Lord Jesus, the whole idea is a little scary in our day – though in reality it probably wasn’t that much different when You set out the challenge. Help Your suggestion linger in our hearts and minds, in the midst of our lives may we act on it, loving others as we love ourselves. Not for our glory but for Yours alone. Amen.
Sept 7th, 2020, Mon, 6:55 pm
