Thought for the week: God's grace inspires us to be generous towards anyone in need

Sitting nearby was a young American couple obviously on a cycling holiday. When they went up to pay their bill, I overheard the person at the till tell them they didn’t take American Express cards, but informed them there was an ATM about 250 yards away.

Suddenly, a man at a nearby table approached the till and said, “I’ll take care of that.”

The American couple looked overwhelmed. This was a RAK moment, a RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS.

A story Jesus told, recorded in St Luke’s gospel, is an example of such an act by a Samaritan to a Jewish man who had been mugged, robbed, and left for dead. Samaritans and Jews despised one another for all sorts of reasons.

Two Jewish religious teachers had passed by, looked at the victim and moved on.

However, when a Samaritan saw the man he got down beside him, bandaged his wounds, took him to an inn, and paid for his accommodation, assuring the innkeeper that if he required more money, he would be back to settle the outstanding amount.

Jesus is reminding His hearers that our neighbour is not just a friend or a co-religionist - a message very relevant in our divided community.

For the followers of Jesus, showing acts of kindness, random or otherwise, should not be unusual, but a true reflection of God’s grace that inspires us to be generous and kind towards anyone in need.

Just think, what random act of kindness could you do today?