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REFLECTION

Family meals and dinner parties is the theme for our reflection. A family is a group of individuals related by blood, marriage, or adoption or a group of usually related individuals who may live together under a common household authority and especially who have reciprocal duties to each other. Ordinarily, family members would be counted as automatic invitees to family meals and dinner. Hardly would a family member be rejected or denied from partaking in a family meal or dinner of a relative. However, there is a category of people who necessarily must be invited because they are neither family nor friends. They have no acquaintance with you and do not share any social class with you. This category of people cannot reciprocate the act of kindness you are likely to show to them. It is for this reason Jesus admonishes us that, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbours; 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).

Jesus teaches us not to invite family or neighbours who are generically part of the invitees but to invite those who cannot come to the table to dine with us unless an invitation has been sent to them. Obviously, these are people we would hardly think about when we are putting the list of invitees together because we have no connection with them and they have nothing to offer us in return.  These people may be nonentities by societal standards but they are dear to God’s heart, therefore have a place in the fellowship and family of believers. For this reason, if we neglect them, we may be told on the judgement day, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Matthew 25:45). To show that we are true disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, we must not only associate ourselves with family, friends, the affluent and people with reputation and high positions in society but also demonstrate our humility to the Lord and our fellow human beings by associating ourselves with those at the bottom of society’s pyramid, class or echelon. The church must not build a wall around itself to the exclusion of the very people Jesus cares much about.  Some churches hold end-of-year parties and picnics only for the benefit and enjoyment of congregants but how many times are the less privileged invited or factored into the budget. In some churches, the ministry of kindness is only limited to members of the church, others outside the church are not part of the beneficiaries, hence the principle of “no contribution, no chop” applies. In other words, the church only caters for active and contributing members, a clear picture of a family meal and dinner approach to ministry.  The calling of the church is not to turn its ministry into family meals and dinner but to also extend its ministry and fellowship to the less privileged and nonentities in society. This is the demonstration of the love and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ in the world which is also the calling of the Church and all believers. Shalom.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, strengthen us to embrace and care for others whom we have hitherto neglected because of our limited understanding of family and Christian fellowship. May we be a blessing to others and also receive your blessings through our fellowship with the less privileged and neglected categories of people in our society. Amen.