September 1, 2019
Scripture Reading: Luke 14:1, 7-14
He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’ –Luke 14:12-14
One of the hardest lessons to learn as a Christ follower is that there is no quid pro quo in God’s Kingdom (you scratch my back; I will scratch yours). I think that is so hard to grasp because it is such a prevalent value in most societies. Being popular does not make anything right. God’s love is given 100% with no strings attached. Jesus died on the cross in our name with no strings attached. God’s grace is given with no strings attached. We can turn our backs on God, but God never turns God’s back on us. The hope and faith of love is that such generosity will be mirrored in our lives. Our loving one another is the greatest gift we can give God.
We get caught in traps of trying to define by rules the depth and breadth of our love and thus God’s love. We cannot set limits on something that has no boundaries. God provided us with basic guidance’s in how to live our lives resulting in our working hard drilling down to the least we must do to meet the expected behavior. This stretches all the way back to Cain asking, Am I my brother’s keeper? (Genesis 4:9) and appears again in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).
Unlike the world’s banquet table, Christ’s banquet table is open to all. We are called to not only desire having our basic needs met but also the basic needs of families fleeing terror in their homelands, the families of our economic competitors in China, and the child labors in Sri Lanka. And not just meeting basic needs but also introducing the whole world to God’s abundant life that is being stolen from so many in our world.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. –John 10:10
Prayer: Thank you, Lord for your great love. Help me mirror your love in my life. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.