Invited to the Table
(ESV)Ps 23:5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
Luke 14:15-24 (ESV)
15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”
In the business world, when someone uses the phrase, come to the table, they are talking about negotiating a deal or a treaty. The invitation, or challenge, to come to the table is not about friendship—it is generally about who comes out on top.
In the kingdom world, the invitation to come to the table is issued by God Himself and it is about relationship, it is about putting God above all others. There is nothing to negotiate—Christ paid the price for our salvation, no strings attached. Either we accept his invitation or we miss the banquet.
When I think of coming to the table, the first thing that always comes to my mind is Psalm 23 where David tells us that God prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies. David uses the analogy of a shepherd caring for his flock, and the shepherd seeks out the best pasture for feeding by going up to the high places. While the grass there is the sweetest, it is also a place of danger where lions and other animals of prey look for an opportunity to attack. But if the good shepherd invites us to the table, we should have no fear.
In the scripture from Luke, Jesus relates the story of a man who gave a great banquet. In the Middle East, being invited to eat with someone is a big deal. And as anyone who has ever prepared a thanksgiving meal, you know the meal does not just come together. It takes weeks to prepare the menu, invite the guests—in Jesus’ story even though the invited guests had plenty of notice of the banquet, and they had responded they would attend, when the day of the banquet came no one showed up.
The first person who declined to come said he had business to attend to.
The second person said he had bought a herd of oxen, and he must be there.
The third person said he had married and could not come.
So, the man throwing the banquet sent his servants out to the highways and byways, inviting the poor, the crippled, the blind and lame to come to the table. And do you know what happened? They came.
You see, the originally invited guests were kept from the table not because they were hard working or they had a family, it was that they took their eyes off of the Savior and let their business, their possessions and their families keep them away from God.
Perhaps the second group invited to the table had none of these distractions to keep them from God. Or perhaps they were so grateful to be invited that they would not let anything distract them—so the poor came as they were, the crippled got someone to carry them, the blind got someone to lead them, and the lame limped all the way to table.
May we understand the importance of keeping our eyes on the Savior, and our hearts tuned in to the sound of His call.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
(NIV) John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Today is Memorial Day, a federal holiday designated as such to honor those men and women who died in military service to the United States. While many consider Memorial Day to be nothing more than the official start to summer, we would do well to remember the sacrifices made on our behalf.
I recall the first time I drove through the gates of Arlington Cemetery and seeing row after row of small white headstones. And I remember the story of Gen. Robert E Lee’s home being surrounded by the graves of Union soldiers as a punishment for his involvement in the Civil War.
Today’s scripture promises peace, and Jesus clearly says that His peace does not come from the world. Honoring our fallen dead is, to me, not inconsistent with our Christian values, but instead is an act of thankfulness.
May we remember that our true peace is not found on the battlefield but in Jesus Christ.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Abiding
(NIV) Ps 84:4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
9 Look on our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Psalm 84 reveals to us the intimacy of dwelling, or abiding, with God. When we abide with God, and our praise becomes constant, then our strength increases as we boldly declare that one day in God’s presence is better than a thousand days apart from Him.than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Sometimes we overlook the power behind staying in relationship with God. There is a constancy in God’s presence that permeates our being as we read and meditate upon His word. Because everything in this world feels so temporary, it is assuring to be reminded of the permanence of our God.
May we today lean not upon our own understanding but rely upon the one, true and living God.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Let The Redeemed Say So
(NIV) John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
(NIV)Rom 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
We met a young man this week who shared some of his story. Married with a small son, his wife no longer loves him. She took their son and left.
But the saddest part of his story for me was this: he had been attending a church with a female pastor. Spoiler alert: I am a female pastor. He said the pastor told him he was irredeemable and he was told to leave the church.
I don’t know the background of the conversation, but he was convinced the reasoning for the pastor’s behavior was solely because she was a woman. I assured him that every person is redeemable. How do I know? The Bible tells me so.
Does John 3:16 mean everyone will be redeemed? No, but it does mean everyone is redeemable. Paul says in Romans 10:9 that we access salvation by declaring with our mouths and believing in our hearts that Jesus is Lord. Faith plus repentance brings salvation.
As a pastor, I was called to proclaim God’s Word and provide comfort to God’s people. I was not called to declare people unfit—as I told a young gay man, I’m just here to share the gospel—anything else is above my pay grade.
Do I water down the Bible? No. Do I assure people God would not condemn anyone? No. But neither do I try to move God over so that I can do His job.
As part of your morning routine, I suggest that you ask God to send someone across your path that you can help. And then get ready.
May we today consider the impact of our words and actions upon all those we meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Do We Have Choices?
Have you considered how many choices we make on a daily basis? What to wear, breakfast or not, which route to take to go to work or school. But what about the way we react to situations around us? Choices.
So I thought I would share some scriptures celebrating choices.
Choose life
(NIV) Deut 30:19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Choose Hope
Isaiah 40:31 – But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Jeremiah 29:11 ~ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Romans 12:12 ~ Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer
Romans 8:24-25 ~ For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
1 Peter 1:3 ~ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Choose love
1 Corinthians 13:13 – And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Choose joy
Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(NIV) Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
(NIV) Psalm 16:
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Are we victims of our circumstances or can we make choices that will affect our outcomes? If we do not have power over anything else, we can choose the way we respond to those things that would cause us pain or fear. The answers are found in God’s Word.
And one final choice:
(NIV) Joshua 24:15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
May we, beginning today, cease being victims but instead become victorious through Jesus Christ.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 