by Sandy Kirby Quandt

The party invitation read, “Come as you are”. My junior high girlfriends and I thought that funny. What if you were in your pajamas? What if you needed to wash your hair? What if you had a stain on your shirt?

Did the party host really want us to come as you are? We doubted it, and decided to wear what we would for any party … a dress, which of course meant narrowing that choice further as to exactly what kind of dress.

During Jesus’ time on the earth he told many parables. One parable was about a great banquet. The host of the banquet invited many guests, but when everything was ready and he sent his servants to tell those he invited to come to the party, they all made excuses why they couldn’t be there.

This, of course, angered the host. He’d gone to an awful lot of trouble and great cost to prepare a magnificent banquet. He wanted to share it with his guests. Yet, they couldn’t trouble themselves to show up.

The host told his servants to go into the streets and gather up the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. He invited the street people to come as you are.

God is preparing a great banquet in heaven and he has invited us to join him and Jesus. Although the invitation is for all, some who receive the invitation make excuses not to come. Too busy. Too weary. Too wretched. Too whatever.

But God tells us to come as you are.

Christ paid the admission price, he is the reason we receive the invitation in the first place. He clothes us with his righteousness. He washes away our stains and filth.

If we’ve placed our trust in Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross to save us from our sins, we’re on the guest list. This is a party we don’t want to miss, so RSVP with a yes, and come as you are.

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But Jesus said to him, “Once upon a time, a man planned a big dinner party and invited a great many people. At dinner-time, he sent his servant out to tell those who were invited, ‘Please come, everything is ready now.’ But they all, as one man, began to make their excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought some land. I must go and look at it. Please excuse me.’ Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on my way to try them out. Please convey my apologies.’ Another one said, ‘I have just got married and I am sure you will understand I cannot come.’ So the servant returned and reported all this to his master. The master of the house was extremely annoyed and said to his servant, ‘Hurry out now into the streets and alleys of the town, and bring here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’  Luke 14:16-21 (Phillips)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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