To the Angel of the church in Willmington

Our first video at The Anchor.

Luke 14.1-14

This Sunday I will be preaching at Goshen Baptist Church in Leland, NC.  I will be focusing on Luke 14.1-14.  In this passage we once again see Jesus mess up a perfectly good meal by noticing how guests at the meal were trying to take places of honor (v7). 

In this passage we learn that Jesus is going to battle with the culture of reciprocity.  A culture that tries to win favor with neighbors and influential people so that favors might be reciprocated.  Instead, Jesus says that we are to invite people into our homes and hearts that cannot reciprocate.  Jesus says: "But when you have a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind."

When we live outside of the culture of reciprocity — the culture of back scratching — Jesus calls us blessed. He says that we are blessed when people cannot repay us. That when we give of ourselves — and we give to those who cannot repay us — that we are blessed. We are blessed by who we sit with and we are blessed by the God who repays. 

And this is the kicker — the blessing is found in the God who repays. It says at the end of verse 14: “for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” God is the one who is on the repayment side of the equation. This is God's responsibility — and this is God's good work. That Jesus has called us blessed when we surrender our all to him — and allow Jesus to use us for his glory in the earth.