“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.” Luke 14.12-14
It’s remarkable how we insulate ourselves from those less fortunate than us—the poor, the hurting, the homeless, and those who are down and out. We tend to gravitate toward people who are happy, healthy, well-fed, and stable. But those who are struggling we often hand off to others who are “called to such service.”
My friend Jimmy Dorrell started Mission Waco many decades ago—I’m guessing about thirty years ago. He and his wife, Janet, have a heart for the hurting. They moved to Waco and bought a house not in the suburbs but in the slums, and began to love the people in their neighborhood. Many years later, they have built a thriving ministry that reaches the poor and has taught many of us to do the same. I admire them for leaning into the teaching of Jesus in Luke 14.
Jesus said, “Don’t invite only your friends, family, or rich neighbors to a feast, banquet, or celebration. Invite all of God’s people—the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed.” Your reward—literally—will be in heaven. Jesus cared for the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. He did not address physical needs apart from salvation. The Gospel is not merely a social agenda, feeding program, or clothing closet. It is both a food pantry and the redemption of your sins through grace by faith in Jesus Christ. Those who do only one or the other miss the fullness of God’s intention to save humanity.
This week I am in Costa Rica, and today we will visit two very different schools. One is the Colegio Metodista, one of the finest schools in the country—children of the nation’s presidents have attended. The other is the Hogar Metodista, the Methodist Children’s Home for orphans. Needless to say, they serve very different communities. Yet we are called to both: to love rich kids and abandoned kids. Because sometimes the rich kids feel abandoned, and sometimes the abandoned feel rich. We are to love all people with the gospel of grace revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ.
So on this day, love everyone God has placed in your path. Don’t simply seek the lovable—love the last, the least, and the lost. Allow the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to fill you to overflowing so that you might obey the Lord and reap your righteous reward in heaven.
“O Lord, thank you for calling me to service. This life is so special. You have a wonderful plan and purpose for us. Come now, Holy Spirit, guide us with your light. Direct us in your steps. Show us the way to walk so that we might be people of your promise. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen.