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Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” - Luke 5:29-30(NIV)
It's amazing how we so easily relinquish the love ethic of the gospel of Jesus Christ in exchange for the legalism and elitism inherent in institutional religion. Luke reminds us that Jesus was God's best expression of unmerited love toward humankind. The Gospel of Luke could be called "The Gospel of Inclusion". It provides a narrative of Jesus' life that includes those who marginalized and largely forgotten.
In our commitment to Lent and personal renewal, let us not forget what being Christian is really about. In the words of Micah the prophet , It is "to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)
The Good news is overlooked in the text by the religious onlookers, Levi is converted and he becomes a witness to his friends! How unfortunate that many who occupy the pews of our sanctuaries have no excitement and zeal to share their faith with others.
So continue to fast, pray and serve, but do tell others that there is a Savior, Christ the Lord!