Tuesday, November 17, 2009

You Can’t Decide to be Invited, But You Can Decide to Accept


This past weekend I spent at the Great Banquet, a movement of the Christian community, was an amazing and overwhelming experience.  I will skip on passing the details along in such a public forum, as I would not want to ruin the beautiful surprises for those who may receive an invitation in the future.  What I will share are one of the most prominent thoughts  in my mind as the experience is still being sorted out.
So, journey with me for a few minutes as I recount how my path was taken away from the daily movement and noise of the world.  First of all, you will need to turn off the TV, the cell phone, and put away your watch.  Those times of quiet seclusion, tucked away from the business and noise of the world, were actually quite refreshing, and a bit disconcerting.  I found myself ready to grow quiet, and now I am still clinging to it, hesitant to turn on the radio in the car, the TV in the house. 
I think one of the things that comes most clearly to me are words from one of the women speakers,  in a quiet, clear, and gentle voice – the women sitting in this room were told that “We can not choose to be invited, but we did choose to come.”  Those words washed into my mind and my thoughts, like a wave that crashes in slow motion onto a beach.   Along with the choice of being invited and the choice to come, there were hours and hours of choices made by others to provide this weekend.   There were choices of others to serve, to pray, to cook, to clean, to give of themselves so sweetly.  Sweetly, with a purity of Christian community, moving with a purpose, joy, hope, and strength.  In gentle hands, I was held and hugged through tears and laughter as truth was celebrated, grace was resounding, and God was truly the head of the community. 
I met women whom I have shared a unique experience with, who I will forever be bound with in some way.  We have shared moments of insight, prayer, hope, peace, humbleness, laughter, tears, joy, and oh – the food!   But mostly, as God has joined our paths to walk together, we have worshipped together, held each other in prayer and joined hands and hearts together against the lies, fears, failures, sins, and defeats of ourselves and the world, refocusing our sight on God and His grace.
The parable of the Great Banquet is where a man has a great feast prepared (did I mention that we ate really well this weekend).  But, those who had originally told the host that they would come started to make excuses of why they could not come.  So, the host of the feast sent out his servant to fetch the blind, the dumb, the lame, and the maimed; with strict instructions to bring them back to fill his table.  The first group was gathered, but still did not fill the table.  So, the servant was sent out again – this time to the country roads to fetch those there and bring them back. 
As I think of those who were at the Great Banquet this weekend, it moves me again as to how strong this parable is.  Each of those invited to that feast were brought by a servant of the Master.  We were brought in, blind, dumb, lame, maimed, lost, seeking, wandering, and hopeful.  Through the human condition of our frailties and our failures, we are incredible messy creations – and just like that we were welcomed to the Master’s Banquet table.  And there are others working in the background to prepare the Masters banquet.  If you have ever felt invisible, lost, or just missing God’s presence, I urge you to quiet your life and seek God.  Wait for the invitation that the true Master will extend, and then it is up to you to decide.  If you have ever felt useless or not capable, I urge you to quiet yourself again and seek the Master to find out where you are needed.  There will be some that turn down the invitation, too busy, too imperfect, too this and too that.  You can’t decide to be invited – but when you are invited, choose your response well.

No comments:

Post a Comment