“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. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.””
Luke 14:12-14 NIV
Years ago, we, the elders in my church, decided to do what Jesus said. We planned a banquet in our town for the homeless and the down-and-out people. When we put our plan to our church family, they threw their weight behind our decision with wholehearted dedication.
Offers of food and help flowed in. The whole enterprise became a joyful celebration. On the day, the church family gathered to serve the poor. Some cooked nourishing stew in huge pots over open fires. Others decorated the hall with streamers and balloons, turning a facility into a festivity. Still others packed parcels for these marginalised people to take with them for another day, another need.
The invitations went out and the moment came for our guests to arrive. They streamed in with excitement and eager anticipation.
I will never forget that scene.
My pastor sat in a corner of the hall, tears streaming down his face as he watched the spectacle of som ragged, some dirty, some barefoot people arriving for a party…something they had never experienced in their lives.
Other servers sat or stood around, overawed and transfixed by the overwhelming sense of the presence of Jesus. He was there, the unseen Host at His own banquet.
The honoured guests were first served the “bread of life” by a man who had been where many of them were at that moment, ragged, dirty, and forgotten. He told his story…redeemed and washed clean by the blood of the Lamb, a witness to the grace which Jesus offers to all.
Then came the feast! What a privilege to serve the poor, the hungry, the neglected people of our town. I think the Lord Jesus must have been bursting with joy as He watched His people bring to life His own word.
Every last morsel of the feast was devoured… two, three generous helpings until there was nothing left. People ate for their tomorrow, their next day, because they had no idea when their next meal would come.
Bursting with food and happiness, the homeless ones finally filed out, back to a bleak future but delighted that, for a moment, they were remembered.
What if God’s people took Jesus at His word? What if we, from time to time, gave of our bounty to those who have nothing?
I carry in my mind’s eye, a memory of that day…and a vision of another day. Every year, on Christmas Day, my son labours all morning over pots and a hot stove, to prepare a special meal for hungry people. He serves the food in takeaway containers and then sets out to look for the ones who sit on the pavement, dejected and alone.
He comes home empty-handed but full of joy because he has been Jesus to the forgotten ones for one day.
There are no accolades or applause from the world on that day…but heaven notices and heaven is glad…
and Jesus says…“Go, and do likewise!”
To be continued…