An Invitation
Luke 14:23 The master said to the servant, ‘Go to the highways and back alleys and urge people to come in so that my house will be filled.’
They sat in the booth – the restaurant was crowded. People were laughing and talking, and several people as they left, stopped by the booth behind the couple and talked with an older man and his wife. Each time as the groups walked away from the booth, they had a smile on their face and acknowledged that they’d see each other in a couple of days.
The couple talked a bit about their plans for the evening, and for the weekend. They talked about the people who were stopping by the booth behind them and wondered what was going on in a couple of days. They were new in town and hadn’t seen or read about anything happening. They shrugged their shoulders and ate their meal in relative silence.
The next morning, he was up early and left to run a couple of errands. Again, he heard people talking about how they’d see each other tomorrow. He was really confused, and at one of the stores he asked the clerk what was going on tomorrow. She replied, “Christmas Eve”. The man said, “Well, where’s everyone going?” and she replied, “to church” and rushed him along to help the next person. While he was out, his wife ran into a neighbor and she asked about the interactions she’d witnessed last night. She got a similar response.
The sun came up on a brisk day the following morning. The wind wasn’t blowing, but the cold that had moved in from the North was still very evident. As the morning progressed, the couple talked briefly about Christmas and what they were going to do. Neither could come up with something to do. Family and friends were now a day’s drive away, so going home was out of the question. They watched a couple of movies, but began to get a bit stir-crazy. They decided to take a walk.
As they strolled, bundled against the cold air, the faint sound of a choir became more evident. Soon they could hear an organ playing from another direction, and yet from another direction they heard some bells. They came upon a brick building. They could hear some laughing and then singing coming from the building. As they got closer, they looked through one of the windows.
Fresh green garland decorated the pews. A tree lit up in white lights and gold and silver ribbon stood at one end. There was a warmth visible in the room. Now maybe it was the candles, but I suspect it was something much greater.
How can we keep secret the amazing gift given us by the Father? Who are we to hide it within and not share? I think back to some of the conversations I’ve had with folks I attend service with, and wonder if maybe I’ve missed this couple. Let’s all go to the highways and back alleys and invite people to come so that His holy house is full. “Father, I cast my fears away and ask for courage to step up and step out to spread the wonderful news of Your Son. Amen”