Luke 14:15-24

One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, “Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Then Jesus said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.’ Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ And the slave said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’”

I've seen this text used as a way to guilt people into coming to church more. Or as a way to appreciate church more.

But I think this parable is bigger than that. 

Church, as wonderful as it is - and it's been part of my life for all of my life - isn't the endgame. Jesus didn't come just to make sure we have thriving church communities.

Jesus came to bring thriving life.

Life for those who take for granted that it is theirs: those who have.

And life for those who think they won't ever have it: those who have not.

Those who have are invited to participate in that life. And when they do, they find out just how abundant that life can be.

But that life isn't meant just for those who feel they've been invited.

It's meant for those who are usually the ones outside the gate. 

Those usually left out.

Those usually forgotten.

The house is meant to be filled. The party is meant to burst the rafters with both those who have and those who are usually left out.

And when we are part of that party, we see just how full life can be.

Lord, you throw the party of all parties. Help me to reach out and bring in those stragglers who didn't realize they were meant to be a part of it so that we may celebrate together. Amen.