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Levi’s Feast

16/10/2022 | Luke Davydaitis

Luke begins our new preaching series, Meal With Jesus, by looking at what meals meant in Jewish culture, and how Jesus used them to connect with unexpected people,  by studying Levi’s feast from Luke 5:27-32.

Here are the quotes Luke mentions during his preach:

Definition of hospitality: “using your Christian home in a daily way that seeks to make strangers neighbours, and neighbours family of God” (p.31, Rosaria Butterfield, The Gospel Comes With A House Key).

God spoke prophetically to us through two members of our church. He spoke about expanding our tents, preparing us for growth, and that we would even see Him work in people who have absolutely no interest in God. This was followed with: “I just felt like as a church that if we’re going to get ready to enlarge our tents that pretty much means being ready to disrupt a little bit of the daily routine and let people in, just have an ‘Open door, don’t worry if the dishes are in the sink’ policy. God wants to extend his family and that means having people over… [We should ask God to give us] a prophetic gift that we know who to invite when, and when to open the door. Lord would you make us to be openhearted, open-door people. Would you enlarge your family through those normal relationships, of who lives next door and who’s down the road, and who’s in my gym class…”

“Even more so than in the Old Testament … Judaism viewed mealtimes as important occasions for drawing boundaries. … Fundamental among those principles was the notion that unclean people and objects constantly threatened to corrupt God’s holy, elect nation and individuals within it. Like literal physical disease, we may think of ritual impurity as contagious.” (p.93, Craig L. Blomberg, Contagious Holiness)

“On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’” (Isaiah 25:6-9)

“In post-Christian communities, your words can be only as strong as your relationships. Your best weapon is an open door, a set table, a fresh pot of coffee, and a box of Kleenex for the tears that spill.” (p. 40, Rosaria Butterfield, The Gospel Comes With A House Key)

“If you routinely share meals and you have a passion for Jesus, then you’ll be doing mission. It’s not that meals save people. People are saved through the gospel message. But meals will create natural opportunities to share that message in a context that resonates powerfully with what you’re saying.” (p.94, Tim Chester, A Meal With Jesus)

Butterfield again: “Christians are not fearful hoarders; we are fearless givers.” (p. 210, Rosaria Butterfield, The Gospel Comes With A House Key)

“The goal is always to showcase God’s generous, big-hearted welcome and to offer his invitation to eternal life. As those who have received grace, we want to share it with others. So when you invite a neighbour or colleague to spend time with you and they don’t accept, don’t shrug it off with an ‘Oh well, I tried!’ attitude. Remember that there is something important at stake. That will help you want to pursue further opportunities to show friendship.” (p.73, Carolyn Lacey, Extraordinary Hospitality (For Ordinary People))