Our church hosted a "Dinner and Devotion" service last night. Basically, instead of a traditional service on a specific Wednesday of each month, we get together as a church for dinner and then have a discussion on a specific scripture.
I LOVE IT! It gives us a chance, as a larger church, to get to know other people within the congregation. It gives kids a chance to have dinner with their parents. It also gives people a chance to decompress and catch up with each other.
After a certain point, the little ones are dismissed for their own service and the adults hang out around the tables. Our Pastor leads us in discussion over scripture. The discussion last night was about the Good Samaritan.
Luke 10:25-37 - I won't write the whole section here, but to summarize, a man had been beaten and was ignored by 2 Holy Men. The beaten man was helped by a Samaritan (which was looked at as an enemy at that time) and promised payment to an Inn Keeper to continue to care for the man.
The discussion started out by everyone thinking about the 1 person who reached out to them and led them to church. I have 2, but the most important one is someone I regard as a second mother - for privacy sake, I will not name her here. She has been like a second mother to me since 7th grade. Her door was always open, fridge was always full, and she loved unconditionally! Let me just say that I truly hope to be to Diana's friends how this Momma was to me. You never know the kind of impact you can have on children.
The discussion then turned to everything thinking about how THEY could be that 1 person to someone else outside of the church. The one I heard mentioned most was "Be an Example" How you live your life is extremely important. People see you, even when you think they can't or don't.
Finally, the discussion turned to the scripture - Which of the characters in the Good Samaritan parable do you relate to? The beaten man? The Holy Men who overlooked the man in need? The Inn Keeper who had to trust the Samaritan with future payment? Most people said that at one time or another, they could relate to each of them!
Unfortunately, Diana got fussy, so I missed the last bit of the discussion, but I took a great lesson away from what I did hear.
It doesn't take much to be kind to someone - even to a stranger. It doesn't take much to give something of yourself to someone - yes, even to a stranger. And it certainly does NOT take much to be a good example to someone - you guessed it, even to a stranger!
I admit, I am far from perfect. Not even close. But I do know that with plenty of room for improvement, I can be kind. I can give of myself. And I can certainly set a good example!
Who do you identify with? How can you improve?
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