"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.'" Luke 14 : 23
People in society and those who surround us have a deep
thirst in life, and it is different for each person. Whether it is a thirst for
love, success, family, joy, or whatever else it may be, everyone has a thirst
and a desire for something more in their life.
But what can provide quench in our lives for that thirst? How do we
receive that quench?
There can be many sources of joy in life, one of which comes
from the joy of invitation, whether it be extending an invitation, or being the
one who is invited. Everyone can relate to a time of when we were invited to an
event and shared in happiness, laughter, and joy with our friends or family. Or
when we have extended the invitation to those around us and made them feel
honored and grateful to be a part of our lives for that particular instance. This
can be as simple as a dinner party and a movie at your house, or going to a
baseball game together.
All around the world, other cultures are so hospitable and
are welcoming to their guests. Many times, the hosts go out of their way to
make sure the guest is as comfortable as possible and try to make them feel
that it is as much the guest’s home as it is the host’s. Our speaker
experienced this first hand when she had visited Mexico and Africa.
Visiting these places made our speaker realize how America
has a culture that has a hard time of inviting and accepting invitation, for
one reason or another. It may be because we may not know or neighbors and are
timid about making ourselves available to others around us, or it may be
because Americans like to be independent and want to handle issues by
themselves. Yet, we should want and long to have a culture of invitation.
When we have a culture that is full of invitation, it make
others around us feel loved, cared about, and have purpose. Many times, the
invitation is extended because we want the best for the people around us or
want to share our joy or experience with them. Through doing this, it creates
great friendships and lasting memories that can be shared for years to come.
Sometimes others can interpret invitation through a sense of
guilt, burden, or feel manipulated. Yet that is not the intent at all! The
invitation is extended in the first place to share their presence and joy. It
is extremely important that when inviting others, we do not give that
impression and want to show love, no matter if the invitation is declined or
accepted.
In Luke 14: 15-23 we focused on the servant in the story and
the heart he had when his master asked him to invite others to the great feast.
When preparing for a feast in the biblical times, it took years in advance to
prepare. The grapes had to be grown, collected, and fermented to make the
perfect wine; the livestock had to be raised from a young age and be well taken
care of to ensure it was a animal worthy for a feast. The master wanted to
share this occasion and feast with everyone!
When the master asks the servant to go out and invite others
to the feast, the servant leaves and does so with a joyful heart. Yet he
receives many declines for the feast. Was he discouraged? Not at all! He knew
that heart of his master and knew that he could not return to the house with
declines from the guests, knowing that there was going to be a feast with no
guests. So the servant, on his own will, extends the invitation to the blind
and lame in the hopes of having a large celebration and party.
How do we act when we invite others to join us and they
decline the invitation? Are we discouraged or disappointed? We may feel that
way, but it is important to never let that be an excuse to not invite them next
time. Like in the parable, we should be like the servant and focus on the
master and his desires and not our fears.
Everyone in life longs for their thirst to be quenched, and
although there are many substitutes to quench the thirst for a short amount of
time, the only way to have our thirst quenched forever is through Jesus. We
should invite others with reckless abandonment, just like the servant, to make
sure everyone has the invitation of our Lord and Jesus. Invite in joy and focus
on the potential and goodness of God.
His power is more amazing than we can imagine and His we
should be good and faithful servants and experience the joy of invitation by
inviting others to His power, love, and hospitality.
