The Luncheon
Luke 14:12-14
I have not invited anyone to a luncheon for a long time, but when I did long ago, I invited my friends. I did not go out and ask strangers to my dinner table. We all had a wonderful time. And at the time we could all afford to repay the invitation to one another. That was no kind of sacrifice for anyone. But we are not the people who need to be invited to a luncheon.
Those who need to be invited are those who do not have food…the people who are unable to return the invitation. Jesus is speaking in two ways again as He so frequently did.
He was not saying that we should never meet with our friends. No, that doesn’t make any sense. He met with His friends all the time. But what Jesus did that most of us do not do is to gather with people who are new to us…people we do not know; people who may be different from us; and especially people who don’t know about the Word of God.
All who know the Word of God need to share that Word…the Gospel, the Good News…with everyone. I am afraid that many of us do not do that. We talk about how terrible it is that people don’t attend church like they used to; we talk about the ways that movies, music, and television are teaching the young people the wrong set of values. We talk, talk, talk among ourselves.
It would seem to me that our small corner of the world would be much better off if we would stop talking about what can be done to make it better…and actually get off our duffs, get out into the community, and spread the Word of God…each of us using his/her own gifts to do so.
Let us give a huge luncheon and invite all of those people who do not know about God and Jesus. We can introduce them to the wonders that we know. We are not to keep this blessing to ourselves; we are meant to spread the information about Jesus, grace, and mercy as far and wide as we are able to. Let the people eat of this food of salvation.
Carol
Bible Breath: Feeding the flock / Word of God
