Feb 12th, 2021: An Invitation
I am writing while waiting to pick up my Mexican take out. Our son mentioned the place to us a few months ago that it is one of the best Mexican food in town. Some spicy food will be a good cure for this ungodly cold weather we have this week.
Good food is one of the best ways to overcome our cultural barriers. For many years when I was working with international students, we used to have these unbelievable feasts. Our students brought food from their own countries. We ate, talked, listened, and learned about other cultures. These are good memories, and I miss those days.
How we use spices sometimes indicates the geographical conditions and uniqueness of our home. Spices signify either the intensity or the depth of flavours of our food. Some we can taste right away with our lips, some with our tongues, and some later with our throats.
The world we live in is like an international buffet. We have our choices in terms of items we would like to try. We might miss some good selections if we choose to overlook them. Some of us are open to trying everything. Some of us are more cautious about trying something new and different.
It is not that different than how we embrace the essence of who God is. We are excited about the grace and the kindness of God. We are apprehensive about the sacrifices that God has made on our behalf because he calls us to do the same. We are timid when it comes to the righteousness of God because it demands too much from us.
The warning Jesus has for us is that He invites us to the banquet, and we might decide not to come. What would be our excuses for not coming?
The Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14: 15-24)
15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
