Then Jesus Said to His Host, When You Give a Luncheon Or Dinner, Do Not Invite Your Friends

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 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 v 14-14

Autumn and the celebration of harvest are upon us. This is a time to reflect on how blessed we are with access to clean, fresh water, supermarkets that are stacked with an abundance of food, and connections to electricity, gas and so much more. God is truly good.

Yet, this is not so for everyone. We may moan about things – rising food & petrol prices, air & train fares increasing, but for many this is a luxury they can only dream about.

The situation in Syria, Iraq & Myanmar reminds us of those living in fear, fleeing war and mayhem. There are communities in the Caribbean and parts of the USA devastated by hurricanes, and then there is disease and famine still affecting many parts of Africa. And closer to home families affected by debt, loneliness and ill-health.

Jesus, in the passage above reminds his listeners then, as He still does today, that those of us who have plenty should remember those in need. Not just in prayer, but practically as well.

We have been supporting the Black Country Foodbank over the last few years to help those in a time of crisis, with regular donations of food. Our harvest collection will boost the stocks ready for Christmas.

At our Family Service we will also focus on the work of Embrace who work in the Middle East to support families and communities in need. This support comes in the form of food parcels, winter supplies, education, health and training in life-skills. At the end of October, we will host a Coffee Morning to raise awareness of the work of Embrace and raise funds to help them develop their work further.

So, this Harvest, let us rejoice and thank God for all that we have, and do all we can to help those who are worse off then ourselves.

In the name of Christ, Dave Bishop (Revd)