Who Is Invited?

Come. Simply come.

Did Jesus say "Come, follow me, Peter. Oh wait...no. Your pride and ambition and faithlessness are offensive to me!"

Was Thomas rejected because of his doubt?

What about Judas? Why was he called to follow Jesus? The one who would betray Jesus with a  kiss for 30 pieces of silver? Did Jesus invited him to follow, or did he say "Judas, your love of money is unacceptable."

Jesus knew everything about those he called to follow him. He knows everything about us.

Does his invitation have conditions or judgements, or does he just invite us?

Earlier this week, one of my favourite writers and bloggers, Jenn Hatmaker wrote a post that resonated deeply with my reflections on the Orlando tragedy.

"It is very difficult to accept the Christian lament for LGBTQ folks in their deaths when we've done such a brutal job of honoring them in their lives. It kind of feels like:

"We don't like you, we don't support you, we think you are a mess, we don't agree with you, we don't welcome you, we don't approve of you, we don't listen to you, we don't affirm you. But please accept our comfort and kind words this week."

Anti-LGBTQ sentiment has paved a long runway to hate crimes. When the gay community is denied civil liberties and respect and dignity, when we make gay jokes, when we say 'that's so gay', when we turn our noses up or down, when we qualify every solitary statement of love with a caveat of disapproval, when we consistently disavow everything about the LGBTQ community, we create a culture ripe for hate. We are complicit.

We cannot with any integrity honor in death those we failed to honor in life."

We need to speak louder in love than those who speak in judgment.

We need to know why.

Who is welcome at God's table? In the parable of the wedding feast, guests failed to attend. The King said to the servants "go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find."

Anyone you find.

Everyone they came across was welcome at the table of the King.

Who would have been on the streets?

Do not make this some sanitized version of Jesus' culture.

Rome was far more liberal than we are. Everything was acceptable.

Everyone would have been on the street, from the rich to the beggar, prostitute to a shop owner.

Everyone was welcome to the wedding feast. They were welcomed in and seated at the celebration table.

He invites us to come.

I am invited to come, deal with Jesus who is alone The Way to God and then he gently leads me to fullness of life. Jesus is the one who gives us appropriate wedding clothes. It is by his blood, we are made new. The one thrown out is the one who failed to receive the sacrifice Jesus made for them. It was not the other guests or servants who were given the right to decide that.

Do we refuse to welcome, love and accept people into community because of their irritable nature, pride, lust, gluttony or gossip? Have we fooled ourselves into thinking that these behaviours are acceptable to God?

Jesus reaches out to me while I am drowning in my imperfection. He receives me with love and compassion in my brokenness.

When we judge others, we forget we deserve judgment. We fail to remember what it feels like to be judged. We need to remember the grace we have received. Grace we are called to extend to each other,

Dear one, have you forgotten how Jesus called people out on judgement?!? "He who is without sin can cast the first stone." Could Jesus be clearer? "Deal with the plank in your eye before you help someone with the speck in theirs." Come on people!!

God invites us as we are.

He commands us to treat others as we want to be treated. Do I like to be called out in judgement? Do I like to have hateful words spoken to me? Do I like to have people rejoice in the violence people I identify with have suffered and call it just? Really?!? Is this how I would like to be treated?

I am heartbroken by the careless, hateful words spoken by so many who claim to know God.

As I read the names and see the faces of these precious ones who were senselessly killed, I feel such sadness. These lovely, treasured people deserved so much more than to be so violently snuffed out.

These precious lives were made by and deeply loved by God. He made these dear ones in his image. They are image bearers together with us of The King.  He grieves their deaths. He cries with and for those who love them and are broken-hearted. He is filled with love and compassion for them. Just as he is for you.

The King, our Heavenly Father, invites us to come.

All of us. Just as we are.

Come.