Old Testament
Leviticus 19:14
14 “‘You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind; but you shall fear your God. I am the LORD.
Common Good
A Voice at the Table
Scripture References
Read FirstNew Testament
Luke 14:21-23
21 “That servant came, and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.’
22 “The servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.’
23 “The lord said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
Thought for the Day
Leviticus gives a command that is almost painfully concrete: do not curse the deaf, and do not put a stumbling block before the blind. God’s holiness is not only about worship; it is about what we do when someone cannot easily protect themselves, correct us, or even hear the insult.
Lord, teach us to make space that is real. Where our habits have become stumbling blocks, expose them gently and change us. And where we have been invited to your table by sheer mercy, teach us to invite others with the same glad seriousness.
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Jesus tells a story in which a feast is prepared, excuses are made, and the invitation widens. “Go out quickly,” the master says, “and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.” The point is not pity. The point is the Kingdom’s refusal to treat people as afterthoughts. At the Lord’s Table we learn to recognise one another as brethren, not as cases.
Public life often has its own banquets: committees, consultations, schools, churches, waiting rooms, decisions. The question is not only who is welcome in theory, but who can actually get in, who is heard once they arrive, and who is left standing outside the door because the room was built for someone else.
Prayer Points
Respond- Protect those who are vulnerable to mockery, neglect, or quiet exclusion; be their defender.
- Give courage to speak truthfully when someone is being ignored, interrupted, or sidelined.
- Grant wisdom to those who convene meetings and make decisions, that voices most affected are genuinely heard.
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- Make our churches places where access is normal and belonging is unforced.
- Teach us gratitude for your welcome, and make that gratitude generous towards others.