Has it ever happened to you that you have made all the necessary preparations for an important party or celebration. You have sent the invitations well in advance and when the day arrives, nobody comes? Or just only a few people arrive?
Some people who have received an invitation to attend a party and do not want to go give all sorts of excuses. Here are some of them:
-I haven’t felt well these days.
-We already have another commitment that we cannot cancel.
-I have an important meeting on the day
-No answer. Total silence
-It looks like it’s going to snow/rain and I don’t like driving when it’s snowing/raining.
Giving excuses isn’t new. Even back in Bible times people made excuses. Jesus once told a story about a king who threw a party. In Jesus’ story, the king was going to have a party for his son who was getting married. Since he was a king, and this was his only son, you can imagine that it was going to be quite a celebration! and it was a tremendous honor to be invited! All plans had been made, the food was prepared, the invitations had been sent. The day of the celebration came, but no one showed up! The king sent his servants to see where the people were and why they had not come to his celebration. The people all began to make excuses about how busy they were. The king was very upset, so he told his servants to go out into the streets and invite everyone they saw to come to his son’s wedding celebration. They did exactly what the king told them to do, and the Bible tells us that the wedding hall was filled with guests. Can you guess who the King was in the story that Jesus told? It was God. I’m sure you know who the Son was in the story. Right, it was Jesus. Jesus has sent you many invitations. Those invitations are in the Bible. “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). Jesus has invited us to come to him, and yet, some people are still making excuses, or they have “more important commitments”. Join us this Sunday at worship to listen to the word of God and to continue learning from the parables of Jesus and the message they have for our lives.
See you at worship!
We will be praying for you and your family. Please include us in your prayers as well.
“God of heaven, thank You for the gracious invitation to Your banquet, a feast of love, mercy, and eternal life prepared through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Forgive us for the times we treat Your call with indifference, letting our daily work, worries, or distractions pull us away from Your presence. Give us open hearts to hear Your voice, ready feet to walk in Your ways, and a daily desire to live as faithful witnesses of Your kingdom. In Jesus we pray.” Amen.