A Thanksgiving Blessing 感恩节祝福
Dexu Xia
When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Luke 14:13–14
In 2016, Wanda Dench sent a text inviting her grandson to Thanksgiving dinner, not knowing he’d recently changed his phone number. The text instead went to a stranger, Jamal. Jamal didn’t have plans, and so, after clarifying who he was, asked if he could still come to dinner. Wanda said, “Of course you can.” Jamal joined the family dinner in what has since become a yearly tradition for him. A mistaken invitation became an annual blessing.
Wanda’s kindness in inviting a stranger to dinner reminds me of Jesus’ encouragement in Luke’s gospel. During a dinner party at a “prominent” Pharisee’s house (Luke 14:1), Jesus noticed who was invited and how the guests jostled for the best seats (v. 7). Jesus told His host that inviting people based on what they could do for him in return (v. 12) meant the blessing would be limited. Instead, Jesus told the host that extending hospitality to people without the resources to repay him would bring even greater blessing (v. 14).
For Wanda, inviting Jamal to join her family for Thanksgiving dinner resulted in the unexpected blessing of a lasting friendship that was a great encouragement to her after her husband’s death. When we reach out to others, not because of what we might receive, but because of God’s love flowing through us, we receive far greater blessing and encouragement.
By: Lisa M. Samra
When has an unexpected invitation encouraged you? What blessings did you experience?
Heavenly Father, may my invitations reflect a heart that wants to bless others as You lead me.
你摆设筵席，倒要请那贫穷的、残废的、瘸腿的、瞎眼的，你就有福了！—路加福音14章13节
在2016年，有位祖母邓契发送短信给她的孙子，邀他来吃感恩节晚餐，但却不知道他已经换了手机号码，而一个陌生的年轻人辛顿（Jamal Hinton）收到这条短信。由于辛顿没什么过节的计划，于是在向邓契表明自己的身分后，便随口询问是否还能过去吃晚餐，没想到邓契竟爽快地答应了。自从辛顿加入这个家庭的感恩节晚餐后，接下来的每一年他都没有缺席。没想到一次“错误”的邀请却成了每一年的祝福。
邓契邀请陌生人共进晚餐的善举，让我想起在路加福音中耶稣的教导。耶稣到一个法利赛人的领袖家里作客（路加福音14章1节），耶稣留意到获邀出席的有哪些人，以及宾客们如何争坐首位（7节）。耶稣便规劝那个法利赛人，不要根据对方能给予什么回报而邀请他来作客（12节），因为这样只会得到有限的祝福。相反地，若款待那些无法回报的人，却会带来更大的祝福（14节）。
对邓契来说，邀请辛顿一起吃感恩节晚餐，结果却意外地收获一份持久的友谊，而在她丈夫去世后，这份友情带给她莫大的鼓励。当我们帮助别人不是想要得到回报，而是要将上帝的爱传达给对方时，将会得到更大的祝福和鼓励。
作者： 夏莉珊
你何时曾因获得意想不到的邀请
而深受鼓舞？你从中经历了什么祝福？
天父，帮助我款待人是出于爱心，
是要使人得祝福，而非想要得到回报。