There was a man who was throwing a party, and he invited the who’s who of the community to come. It was going to be awesome. Until they all decided they were too cool for school and bailed. So what’s there to do?
Matthew 22:21 Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’
Sometimes I think this is how we are as children of God. Those who think that they’ve got it all together end up missing out, but the last shall be first.
I always think about this when I think about missions. Sometimes, I am one of the least being gathered to the table. Occasionally, I get to be the servant sent out to bring others in.
Never am I the Master. You see the people of Haiti, your lost neighbor, or your crazy uncle: we are all invited to the table.
author Jen Hatmaker says this:
"And when it has all been won back, when it has all been conquered and redeemed and restored and reborn, he will turn the Kingdom over to God, the Kingdom he came to declare, the one God dreamed of from the garden, the one Jesus lived out on our soil where the least will be the greatest, the last will be first, the lowest will be the highest, and every tear will be wiped away, all sadness vanquished forever. The great table will be set, and the feast will begin.
Hallelujah. Jesus lives."
That is the message I brought back from Haiti, it is the message of Missions. Jesus Lives.
That’s it, that is all that I’ve got. Jesus lives! I was going to tell you my philosophy on missions. Or what are the best way to support those in need economically and socially, with plans and infrastructure and sustainable development. I believe all of those things are necessary and important. On such topics, I could wax poetic about for much longer than one blog post.
But here is the truth: we are all invited to the same table and Jesus lives. That is good news. That is Gospel.
So, walk out your front door and find them, the lost, least and broken, the hopeless, the victimized, even the perpetrators.
You may find them in the back alleys, or the bars, in Haiti or in India or living on the wrong side of the tracks or maybe just across the street. Bring them in, fill up the table, because we have all been invited and Jesus lives.
