Invitations
November 4, 2015
Matthew 4:18-20
Life is full of invitations. There are birthday invitations, wedding invitations, dinner invitations, grand opening invitations, anniversary invitations, and invitations to participate in a myriad of activities. The list is endless. I get more invitations than I can accept. Some invitations you decline because you just can’t make them all. Others you accept. Many of us keep our invitations on the refrigerator, held up by magnets. Many of us now keep those invitations on our calendars on our phones or ipads or computers. Everyone likes to be invited. No one likes to feel left out or alone. It was sad to me that in the last years in the lives of my elderly parents, the refrigerator that was once filled with invitations to parties and weddings, was filled with little cards reminding them of doctors’ appointments. The invitations had dried up, but I remember that my parents never felt sad or alone. Years before, they had both said yes to the greatest invitation. Jesus invited them to follow Him, and they said yes. It was the yes to Jesus’ invitation that sustained them, held them, gave them hope, and filled their lives with joy when all the other invitations had come and gone. It is still the greatest invitation out there when Jesus invites each of us to “Follow me.” When we follow Jesus, He leads us to a past that is forgiven, to a present that has beautiful purpose, and to a future that that we know is guaranteed. No matter what other invitations you get, the most important invitation you will ever respond to is to say ‘Yes’ to the invitation to follow Jesus.
Life is full of invitations. There are birthday invitations, wedding invitations, dinner invitations, grand opening invitations, anniversary invitations, and invitations to participate in a myriad of activities. The list is endless. I get more invitations than I can accept. Some invitations you decline because you just can’t make them all. Others you accept. Many of us keep our invitations on the refrigerator, held up by magnets. Many of us now keep those invitations on our calendars on our phones or ipads or computers. Everyone likes to be invited. No one likes to feel left out or alone. It was sad to me that in the last years in the lives of my elderly parents, the refrigerator that was once filled with invitations to parties and weddings, was filled with little cards reminding them of doctors’ appointments. The invitations had dried up, but I remember that my parents never felt sad or alone. Years before, they had both said yes to the greatest invitation. Jesus invited them to follow Him, and they said yes. It was the yes to Jesus’ invitation that sustained them, held them, gave them hope, and filled their lives with joy when all the other invitations had come and gone. It is still the greatest invitation out there when Jesus invites each of us to “Follow me.” When we follow Jesus, He leads us to a past that is forgiven, to a present that has beautiful purpose, and to a future that that we know is guaranteed. No matter what other invitations you get, the most important invitation you will ever respond to is to say ‘Yes’ to the invitation to follow Jesus.