These days, there is a certain tyranny that accompanies utmost efficiency and accountability. When every single seat on every single flight is booked, those on standby are always left stranded. I was very fortunate back in the 60’s traveling from Greensboro to California and back, there was always that one seat in all those airports. When every slice of bread is sold to those who can buy it, those who can’t afford it are left wanting. When every minute of the day is planned and prescribed, there is no time for unexpected interventions of the Holy Spirit.
Have you ever decided to attend an event at the very last minute, but it was so well-planned and executed that when you arrived there was not an empty seat to be found? Then, suddenly, you spot just one. You rush over and timidly ask the person seated next to it, “Is anyone sitting here?” The person smiles and says: “Yes, someone is sitting there. You are.” And if the person is extra kind, she might add, “We reserved this seat just for you.”
In our busy lives, how well are we planning to accommodate those who just arrived in our midst; those, who for countless reasons didn’t feel welcomed until very recently; or those whose names were for so long either omitted or deleted from the invitation list; or those who got lost and just got in.
In the book of Leviticus, God’s call for holiness among God’s people was a call for compassion to strangers and generosity to the poor. So important was this principle of holiness that God did not leave it up to individuals to come up with their own notions of what compassion and generosity in society meant. God’s instructions were clear: generosity and compassion were to be built into the system of reaping and harvesting. Grapes and grain were to be intentionally left behind, and that which was left behind was not considered waste or entitlement. It was really a divine reservation for the poor and the unexpected stranger.
How prepared are we today to accommodate the strangers, the poor, and those in desperate need whom God sends along our paths? Someone is standing and looking for a seat. Is there room near you? I hope we find real holiness, real compassion for the people of the Bahamas.
Dear God, we thank you for not leaving generosity and compassion up to chance. Thank you for reserving a place for all of us who missed the first invitation by circumstance or neglect, for those of us who have just arrived. In and through Jesus you have made a seat for us all. Help us to do the same. Amen.
Grace and Peace
Steve
Filed under: Faith |
The Journey 
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