Mealtime Lessons

(The following is a brief excerpt for Sunday's sermon at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, English Speaking Congregation.  Click Download "Mealtime Lessons." to eat the whole thing!)

"And you see the lesson, right?  The blemished may not be welcome in the inner courts of the Temple, but they ought to be welcome at your table.  In fact, they should be your honored guests.   And why should they be honored guests?  They can’t pay you back.  You gain nothing from them because they have nothing to give.  They are not worthy to come to your table.  And they will probably embarrass you as well.  Their table manners will leave a lot left to be desired.  And they will eat every morsel you put before them, and they will want more.  Let’s not romanticize what Jesus is asking of us – yes, us.  The needy are just that, needy, needy, needy.  There is nothing glamorous about working with the needy.  You may not even receive thanks from the needy. But the needy might teach you a thing or two about humility, if you are humble enough to learn from the needy.  The needy know they are needy, and you (we) don’t.  That’s an important lesson to learn, right?  And, as we soon approach this, the Lord’s Table, we ought to remember that we come by gracious invitation.  We are standing in the back, and Jesus invites us to come forward.

What a lesson, huh?  And what good news as well."