Matthew 10:40-42 

The Gospel Lesson for Sunday June 28 2020

40 "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; 42 and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple -- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."

 “Whoever Welcomes You”

    Many say that it is better to give than to receive. But here in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is reminding his disciples of how important it is to be gracious receivers of the hospitality of others. Sometimes we do more for someone by graciously receiving a cup of cold water from someone, than we do by constantly casting our role as a Christian to be the giver.
    My father, John Hoeger, was not a needy person. He gave of himself generously to me, to my family and even to strangers. But I also remember when people would give a token of their appreciation to him. He would cradle their hospitality in his hands, as if they had given him a priceless treasure.
    Towards the end of his life, my dad had to become more dependent on others. As his body got weaker, so did his memory and his ability to make good decisions. My brother, sister and I received this reversal of roles.
    We cared for our father as best we could. There were challenging times. There were moments where we had to use all our creativity to give him as much independence as possible, within the constraints of his diminishing abilities.
    Now when I think back on that time, I am mostly struck by how much our father graciously received his children’s best efforts to care for him. His generosity was not in what he gave us, but in how graciously he received our efforts to care for him during his last years.
    I am wondering now if I too can be a better disciple of Christ. What would it mean for me to have more trust in the power of being a gracious receiver of others?
    When I am willing to receive their welcome; when I am willing to receive their cup of cold water, I am letting them get closer to Christ. Not because of the gifts I have to give, but rather in the trust that Christ is blessing them as they show love to me.
    We all want to do something for Christ. We all want to give something of ourselves that will bring healing to our hurting world. But maybe what the world needs of us the most is to be gracious in receiving the acts of kindness from others.
    I know it sounds a bit backwards. But I also know how much I have been blessed by those who graciously cradled my hospitality in their hands and received my kindness as if it were a priceless treasure.

e-Devotion author: Pastor Dan Hoeger.
If you are interested in becoming an e-Devotion author, please contact Pastor Dan at dhoeger@allsaintsphoenix.org or 602.866.9191.
The e-Devotion can also be viewed on the All Saints website.

Heavenly Father, help us to be gracious receivers of the love people choose to give us and, as we receive, let that bring them closer to you. Amen.

Our pastors and other program directors are here to help nurture your faith journey anyway possible. Our staff can be reached by calling the church office at 602.866.9191.

All Saints Lutheran Church
 www.AllSaintsPhoenix.org
15649 North 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85022
602.866.9191

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June 28
4th Sunday after Pentecost
Click HERE to read
Psalm 13
Jeremiah 28:5-9
Romans 6:12-23
Matthew 10:40-42 *

July 5
5th Sunday after Pentecost
Click HERE to read
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Zechariah 9:9-12
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

* eDevotion Bible text(s)

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