Scripture: Luke 13:29-30
People will come from east and west, north and south, and sit down to eat in God’s kingdom. Look! Those who are last will be first and those who are first will be last.
Thought for the Day: I referenced in yesterday’s devotional this second sentence, but alongside the previous sentence, it is even more powerful. When scripture speaks of people coming from the east and west, north and south, it is the poetic way of saying, “Everyone!” Of course, when some are coming from the north and others from the east, the meeting might be initially uncomfortable. I don’t know “those people” or “their customs.” We may think to ourselves, “They are strange!” Of course, we in fact might be the strange folks if we were to be honest. But even more important, we need to recognize how Jesus invited everyone, and if the person from a different setting has been invited by Jesus, then it is not my place to question his or her value at the meal. And if Jesus invited everyone, which it appears he did, then I guess the only way of reading it is to say that judgement has no place in God’s kingdom.
Prayer: Strangeness and Otherness can be disconcerting, yet you love the stranger and the other. Holy God, the more people I see coming to the table through your invitation the more I grow in my appreciation of your immeasurable love. Amen.
