27th. April. 2022. Daily Devotion.
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 neighbours; 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.’ Luke 14:12-14
Almost everyone enjoys having their back scratched. There is also an expectation that if I scratch your back, then you’ll scratch mine. This describes any type of trade-off when someone does you a favour. You’re expected to do a favour in return.
Jesus points out that sharing meals with people who are already our friends or family is just a lot like swapping favours. We can anticipate that what we do for others will usually return to us. This can be a nice feature of enjoying food and spending time with family and friends in community.
But Jesus teaches that if we understand the nature of the resurrection, our hospitality will include something more. Instead of just a mutual exchange with relatives and friends, we will also show gracious generosity that does not expect anything in return. Following God’s example to us, we will freely offer food and other resources to people who are not able to repay.
This is a natural result of God’s gift of new life for us. We can gladly and freely mirror God’s way with us in all the ways we interact with others. We don’t need or expect to be repaid now, for we already know we are guaranteed life forever at “the resurrection of the righteous.” D. MacLeod.
Jesus, your resurrection gives me gladness to freely serve others with grace and goodness. Thank you. Amen.
Though we cannot love you as we ought, O Lord, let us love you as we are able, that guided by your light and kept by your power, we come at the last, into your glorious presence. Amen. Thomas Ken (1637-1711
A Gaelic Prayer
As the rain hides the stars, as the autumn mist hides the hills, as the clouds veil the blue of the sky, so the dark happenings of my lot hide the shining of your face from me. Yet, if I may hold your hand in the darkness, it is enough. Since I know that, though I may stumble in my going, you do not fall. Amen. Carmen Gadelica.
The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class, Father forgive.
The covetous desires of men and nations to possess what is not their own, Father, forgive.
The greed which exploits the labours of men, and lays waste the earth, Father, forgive.
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others, Father, forgive.
Our indifference to the plight of the homeless and the refugee, Father, forgive
The lust which uses for ignoble ends the bodies of men and women, Father, forgive.
The pride which leads to trust in ourselves and not in God, Father, forgive. Amen.
Prayer on a plaque on the altar of Coventry Cathedral written in 1964, used in the daily lunchtime service.