Day 5: For Generous Love
Then [Jesus] also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:12-14 - NKJV).
O Lord, You have given us a gift of generous and extravagant love. Open our eyes and our hearts to the needs of others around us.
Did you give him a lift? He's a brother of man,
And bearing about all the burden he can,
Did you give him a smile? He was downcast and blue,
And a smile would have helped him battle it through.
Did you give him your hand? He was slipping downhill,
And the world, so I fancied, was using him ill.
Did you give him a word? Did you show him the road,
Or did you just tell him, go on with his load?
Did you help him along? He's a sinner like you,
But the grasp of your hand might have carried him through.
Did you bid him good cheer? just a word and a smile
Were what he most needed that last weary mile.
Did you know what he bore in the burden of cares,
That is every man's load and that sympathy shares?
Did you try to find out what he needs from you,
Or did you just leave him to battle it through?
Do you know what it means to be losing the fight,
When a lift just in time might set everything right?
Do you know what it means-just the clasp of a hand,
When a man's borne about all a man ought to stand?
Did you ask what it was-why the quivering lip,
And the glistening tears down the pale cheek that slip
Were you brother of his when the tune came to be?
Did you offer to help him or didn't you see?
Don't you know it's the part of a brother of man
To find what the grief is and help when you can?
Did you stop when he asked you to give him a lift,
Or were you so busy you left him to shift?
Oh, I know what you meant-what you say may be true-
But the best of your manhood is - What Did You Do?
Did you reach out a hand? Did you show him the road,
Or did you just let him go on with his load?
Anonymous/Unknown
The Feast of Saint Stephen, or Saint Stephen's Day, is the setting for the familiar Christmas Carol Good King Wenceslas.
In many countries, particularly in Europe, St. Stephen's Day is celebrated in honor of Stephen, one of the first Christian martyrs. Western Christian traditions observe St. Stephen's Day on December 26, and the Eastern Orthodox Church on December 27.
The United Kingdom, its Commonwealth territories, and some countries with previous ties to Britain celebrate Boxing Day on December 26, the same day on which the Feast of Stephen is observed. Both the Feast of Stephen and Boxing Day traditionally included an emphasis on giving gifts to the poor.
A few theories exist about the details of the gift-giving traditions, but many have identified a clear link with the teachings of the Lord Jesus, including His instruction in Luke 14:12-14 (see today's verse above).
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