by Pastor Peter Bean
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Read Genesis 23:1–20
If you have been reading the story of Abraham carefully this week, you’ll have noticed that among all the horrible bits is a story of hospitality. In fact, hospitality and inhospitality are woven throughout this narrative. The Greek word for hospitality literally means ‘love of strangers'. So, Abraham welcomes the three strangers in Genesis 18, feeds them and gives them a drink. This is taken up in Hebrews 13, where we are told: ‘Remember to welcome strangers, because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it.’ Think back through this week’s readings. Where are examples of hospitality and inhospitality?
So, we come to Genesis 23. Sarah dies. Abraham seeks to bury her. He goes to the Hittites, the adversaries of the Israelites and their (our) God. And as you read the chapter, you will see hospitality played out, back and forth, until there is an agreement all are happy with.
No bickering over whose land this is, no slandering of each other, no questioning each other’s motives. Rather, acceptance of who they are and their place in the world. Peace in their time!
Can we follow their example? Can we accept God’s statement to us through Paul in Ephesians 2:19? ‘So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household.’ And then apply it to our lives?
God accepts all. You, me, your neighbours, the first inhabitants of Australia, those who come from different lands. In our world of social disharmony that we seem to live in, we do well to remember God’s words: ‘You belong to God’s household.’ Then, living in grace and forgiveness, extend that hospitality to all we encounter, all humanity, remembering each person is made in God’s image and is also extended grace.
God of hospitality, who loves humanity in all its various expressions, let me live in your love. Help me to reflect that grace and forgiveness to everyone I meet. Amen.
In early October, Peter enjoyed a family camp with his children and grandchildren at Lake Bonney, South Australia. Then, he returned to weeding, planting, riding, reading and relaxing!
Are you hungry?
by Mark Gierus
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They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over (Matthew 14:20).
Read Matthew 14:13–21
Have you ever been really hungry? Then, when you finally eat, you still look for a bit more? You know the sort of meal that doesn’t really fill you up. You get that sometimes with junk food – you eat and think it should fill you, but you are still hungry afterwards and not satisfied.
Do you ever hunger for spiritual things? For a deep peace in who you are and what you have been created to be? Are you searching for something more than you currently have? You might look for advice or answers from others, but you are not filled or satisfied with what you hear.
Jesus fed five thousand men, not counting the women and children, with five loaves and two fish. We are told all ate and were satisfied, and there were still 12 baskets of food left over.
In your own life, do you long to be fed and filled by Jesus? Jesus is the bread of life, the bread from heaven, who will feed you until you are full, totally satisfied and at peace.
It is Jesus who died on the cross for your sins so that you might be forgiven. It is Jesus who gives you all you need for this life and the next, not just providing you with daily things, like food and water, clothing, shelter, employment and family and friends, but also with his precious word that will satisfy your soul. Your spiritual hunger will be satisfied in Jesus as you spend time with him in his word.
Jesus satisfies your whole being, filling you with his love, peace, hope and joy so that you may live in the abundance of God’s blessing. If you are not satisfied or feel you are lacking something in this life, ask Jesus, who is with you always and wants to provide all you need today, tomorrow and forever.
Dear Jesus, I am hungry for all that you offer. Feed me, O bread of life, and satisfy all my needs. Amen.
Pastor Mark Gierus currently serves as a Lutheran pastor in the Alberton Lutheran Parish, including the LORDS school at Ormeau in Queensland. He is married to Kerstin, and they have three beautiful girls aged 9, 13 and 23. They enjoy family things like hiking, going to the beach, singing and jamming, looking after their pets and going on road trips. Mark and Kerstin pray that God will continue to bless you as you grow in him and come to know him more and more through his life-giving eternal word.
Praise be to God
by Sue Smith
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The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made (Psalm 145:8,9).
Read Psalm 145:8,9,14–21
What a wonderful psalm to rest in today. Why not speak through it like a prayer?
David praises God for his excellent qualities. Psalm 145:8 harks back to when Moses encountered God on the mountain top in Exodus 34:6:
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed,
‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness …’
Love is the most powerful force in the world. Much can be overcome through love, and God is the source of this all-encompassing, rich and compassionate love. It is God’s love that overcomes evil. What a wondrous thing is this love that we are shown, which is so unchanging and steadfast. This is the absolute measure for all of us. For those downcast, we see that the Lord upholds all who are falling and raises all who are bowed down (verse 14). This love is for everyone – it is also there in the lowest times.
Let us turn to love for every situation we encounter.
Lord God, we praise you for your all-encompassing love for us and that you would lavish us with so much love. Help us to know and show your saving love in every aspect of our lives, so that through the Holy Spirit we might experience and pass on the joy that comes with being in union with you. Amen.
Sue Smith recently retired from the oil industry and lives with her husband, Peter, in Port Macquarie NSW. She enjoys knitting, the gym and ocean swimming. She serves in her local St Peters congregation and on the LCANZ’s Commission on Social and Bioethical Questions (CSBQ).
Where is the treasure?
by Sue Smith
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..that is, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:2b,3).
Read Colossians 2:1–7
Here, Paul is writing to a church that he has not yet visited. They are being bombarded by all sorts of teachings and ways of being spiritual. He wants to encourage them to continue walking in the way they were taught and to know that they are in his prayers and are not alone, even when he can’t be with them.
Riches and treasures are mentioned here – riches of assured understanding in God and the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, but they are found only in Christ. Don’t be tempted to search anywhere else! Knowledge requires wisdom in application; seek the Holy Spirit in this. This comes by being deeply grounded in Christ and built up in him. Continue to take in God’s word every day.
Seek to support and encourage others you may not see physically, just as Paul did with this body of believers.
‘O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God’ (Romans 11:33a)!
Lord God, we praise you for sharing the mystery of Christ with us, in whom we have all the treasures we need. Help us to live in Christ in every aspect of our lives, share with others, build up the body of your church, and through this, come to overflow with thanksgiving for being in union with you. Amen.
Sue Smith recently retired from the oil industry and lives with her husband, Peter, in Port Macquarie NSW. She enjoys knitting, the gym and ocean swimming. She serves in her local St Peters congregation and on the LCANZ’s Commission on Social and Bioethical Questions (CSBQ).