The Greatest RSVP

Call me old fashion I guess.  I still love cards and invitations that come in the mail.  In the last year or so I have attended three weddings.  All with beautifully unique invitations complete with an RSVP card to secure my attendance.  

Have you ever read the parable of the Feast in Luke 14? Jesus is attending a great feast and hears a man proclaiming how great the banquet in the Kingdom of God will be! And his response is known as the Parable of the Great Feast.  These are the red letters – the words of Jesus:

“A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations.  When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all began making excuses.”  As you read the excuses provided by the dinner guests you can tell that they are frivolous excuses and most likely lies.  

“The servant returned and told his master what they had said.  His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.”  The servant obeyed and brought people but yet there were more seats available.  So his master sent him back out to find more guests. “Urge anyone that you find to come, so that the house will be full.  For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.”

The master in the parable is God and the great banquet is the Kingdom of Heaven. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible is filled with words to live by, stories that help us understand who God is and how to have a relationship with Him.  It is a giant invitation to join our Heavenly Father in Heaven and the great banquet hall.  All we have to do is acknowledge who He is and invite him to have a relationship with us.  

The first guests who were the more worthy “in society” ignored the invitation and made excuses.  These are the people with deceiving appearances – people you would automatically think to be honored so that they answer yes to the invitation right away.  But often people know God and acknowledge who He is, but they put off the invitation because they are afraid of making the commitment and giving up their time. Fear and excuses have eternal consequences. Our time here is so short.  We aren’t promised tomorrow! 

So the master invited those less favored by society.  He invited the poor, the sinners, the uneducated.  Jesus is teaching us that the Kingdom is open to ALL people.  It is open to you and to me if we accept the invitation. In Romans 10:13, Paul writes that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  Don’t ever think you are unworthy of God’s saving grace.  No matter who you are or what you have done you have a seat at the table waiting on you if you just say yes!  Don’t believe the lies! 

As God’s disciples, listen to what the master is saying in these verses. He is urgently telling his servants to go back out and keep finding people! Find anyone that you can and invite them to my banquet! Go now, go find them before it is too late! And even as I write these words I know this is an area I often fail in as I hussle from one thing to the next.  Lord help me slow down and see those around me!

I encourage you to go read Luke 14 today.  Jesus gives a stern warning at the end of his parable.  None of those first invited, those that rejected the invitation with lame excuses, will get even the smallest taste.  Jesus wanted everyone to know that God wants the banquet hall to be full and to have every seat filled.  God gave us free will to choose Him. He is waiting for one more to come before he closes the door.  And he is so very patient! But one day when we least expect it that door will close and the last seat will have been filled.   I pray that we see each other at this great table. 

I beg you today to think about what occupies your time? What keeps you from spending time with our Father each day? Can you set your alarm 30 minutes earlier each morning so that you can read your Bible and pray? What keeps you from attending church on Sunday?  Just like in the wedding example I used above; God has been eagerly preparing a special place just for you at His table. He’s prepared and planned and He has a seat reserved with your name.  You have the invitation. There is nothing more important in our short time in this life than to accept this invitation and follow Him.    Knowing Jesus and accepting Him into your life is the most important RSVP you will ever send.

Heather Callahan