12 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
Luke 14: 12-14 (New International Version)
The above is a wonderful verse I came across the other day while reading some of Jesus' parables to my children. I'm definitely one who loves to host get-togethers and this hit my heart like a knife. As my family plans to gather together with good friends and family this Christmas season I am challenged by these words to remember that there are those who are hurting, poor in spirit, blind to the Christmas spirit, and crippled physically and spiritually. It's these people we need to remember as we are sending out our holiday party invites, sending our yearly Christmas cards, making up those plates of holiday cookies, heading to advent and Christmas services.
Jesus is the reason for the season and He commands that we love our enemies and love our neighbors as ourselves. So I challenge you to invite that unlikely person to your holiday party, send out some extra Christmas chards, make up an extra batch of cookies, and ask someone to head to church with you this wonderful Christmas season.
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