This scripture in Luke is well known. It is the one where Jesus says you should not choose the seat at the head of the table at a banquet. That you should sit elsewhere. If others intend for you to sit there, they will make it known, but don't be haughty and expect it. It is the one where he says "For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
It also suggests that we not invite the 'Joneses' to our banquet and ignore the rest of the world It suggests we invite the poor, the forgotten, the sick, the downtrodden. And give those folks the highest seat at the table.
In other words, don't be haughty or think you deserve the highest honor. Be a person who does good unto others as a part of who you are. Don't only give to those whom you know and take care of your own, either, but give graciously and sacrificially to those you don't know. And when someone is in trouble, or needy, or lacking in some way, help them out, even if they are strangers.
This STORY about a woman who almost died, basically DID die, during childbirth at St. Joseph's Hospital in Denver a few years ago. She had a relentless medical team that saved her life and received an enormous amount of blood through transfusions, over 270 units in all. And she and her daughter survived. And she had a chance to tell her story and thank some of the people who voluntarily give blood all the time.. either a lot or just a few times or maybe even once. At an event sponsored by Bonfils Blood Center to give tribute to voluntary blood donation, Cassidy Smith became a living miracle, a testimony to the power of blood donation.
When we give the gift of life through blood donation, we offer people we don't even know and will probably never know a chance at life. It is a simple, yet profound, way we can allow someone else in need a seat at the head of the banquet table. It is a way we can serve their needs and not hold on to all we have ourselves. It is a way to be selfless.
There are many other ways to be selfless givers, of course. What are some you can think of? Email me at peverhart@niwotumc.org or comment by clicking the comments link below.
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