Final Events in Craiova, Part 2 (A Seat at the Table)

In my last blog, I mentioned the purpose of the final events that we hosted in Craiova. The goal was to round up all of the people that we had met or had relationships with and invite them to be in relationship with the local church.

An invitation to our events was an invitation of love, acceptance, and hope for them to have a personal encounter with the Gospel. As I was sitting at the events, particularly the adult events, a parallel analogy began to form in my mind between these parties and a parable about a party that Jesus shared in his day.

If you open a bible and flip to Luke chapter 14, you will stumble across the parable of the great banquet. In this parable, Jesus tells the story of an important man who was throwing a large banquet. In that time period, to not show up to a party after you already committed to coming was highly offensive. So when this man sent out his servants to collect his guests, and almost all of them had an excuse why they couldn’t attend, the host was upset.

Instead of wasting a good banquet, the man sends his servants out to invite anyone that can be found. The host commands 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.” -Luke 14:21

These are the exact people that a passage before, Jesus said that you would be blessed by inviting. “Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” -Luke 14:14

The point of this parable is that Jesus has come and wishes to bring US to the banquet. He wishes to bring us into His Kingdom of heaven. The guest list doesn’t look like we thought it would. There isn’t a person who is not included. The only warning in this passage that Jesus makes about the people invited to the banquet is this; “I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.” -Luke 14:24

Why? The people invited had their eyes elsewhere.

Let’s not be people that are too preoccupied with our own understanding and expectations that we are not willing to join Him. Who are we actively inviting to the banquet of Jesus?

I smiled as I looked around our event because I realized that it was Scripture coming to life. The group I saw before me was an eclectic group all right. What I saw in front of me was the most seemingly random group of people that had no business being in the same room together except for an invitation extended from the heart of the Father.

Man did it make my heart happy to see the whole thing unfold in front of me. I saw people of different age, class, religion, and personality type sharing conversation together, dancing together,  and eating together. This is what the Kingdom of heaven looks like, a seat for everyone at the table.

It got me thinking, who are we being intentional about inviting into the Kingdom of heaven? Who are we inviting into our space and loving well? If the only people around you are people that are like you, I encourage you to change that. Invite someone into your space that doesn’t expect the invitation, and love them so well that they realize the invitation was always there for them.

I like to spend time around people that are like me, it’s comfortable, it’s easy. But what if our lives are not about our own personal comfort? What if by inviting people to taste the Kingdom of heaven that seem unlikely, we realize that each of us ourselves are the unlikely person that was invited in.

Lord thank You for the city of Craiova, Romania.
Thank You for eyes to see the unseen.
I pray that you stretch me and show me who you want me to invite today.
You alone are sovereign, and to You belongs all the glory, Amen.

Photos by: (kaileeknudsen.theworldrace.org)