Welcome All

 

 Luke 14:  12-14 

A Difficult Challenge

 ¹² Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

These three verses present us with a nearly impossible challenge: to welcome strangers. the poor, the crippled, the blind to our table.  We have enough trouble inviting some of our own relatives! At God's banquet table, all are welcome, including us!  We come with our dirty rags and harsh behaviors, so we cannot look askance at the other guests who might seem to us even more unworthy than we. No, they are the beloved of the Master, just as much as we assume we are. Let us pray over our attitude towards others and try to see ALL as Jesus does, as guests worthy of a place at his table.

Bro. Rene 

Dear God, open my heart to welcome all to my table, even the most unseemly. Amen.