Notes from Jan

Don’t Worry.

August 28, 2016

My friend  reassured me, after dropping off plants  to tend,”Don’t worry. Season’s almost over.” Her  words left me wiggle room, if they return to plants fit for a different kind of viewing.

Today I felt that slight hint Fall’s nipping at Summer’s sandals.
Saw Mums  yesterday outside the grocery store.  Candy aisle’s lined with bags of  snack-size bars, wrapped in the orange, gold and brown of Fall and Halloween.

I’m not ready.

But then, I’m not ready for a lot of things.

Like massive doses of truth, Patrick Gray keeps preaching from Luke.  Today’s ongoing story of Christ the Crisis  reminded me how unsafe Jesus is. A paradox  of refuge and rebuke.  Patrick reminded us, “Jesus walks into a room and we’re suddenly aware that the world’s not as it should be.”

And then, from today’s text in Luke 14, Jesus tells the host, at whose table he’s sitting with a lot of other people…important religious people…that the next time they might invite misfits, people who can’t repay the kindness.

Then He tells a story,  of another feast, another day, when the usual  invitees come up with lame excuses (lies).  So the Host tells a servant, “Go invite the poor, crippled,  lame, homeless, wretched.”  Then when the servant says that there’s still room at the table the Host says,” Then go to the country roads.  Whoever you find, drag them in.  I want my house full!”

And Christ’s with Patrick’s words  grabbed us by the elbow and dragged us to The Table,  a feast. Down the aisles we came, unlikely people from God knows where, last minute invitees to a party we didn’t deserve, with no hope of repaying such lavish love.

Don’t worry.  I held onto the wafer and more.

As Patrick said, “Grace changes everything.”

 

 

 

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3 Comments

  • Reply Dale Lefever August 29, 2016 at 12:47 am

    Thanks Jan. Our pastor preached on the same Luke passage and titled his sermon, “The Guest List.” I suspect there will be people at the ultimate feast we did not expect and some running late.

    Blessings, Dale

  • Reply wendy lane August 29, 2016 at 1:35 pm

    Amazing Grace – how SWEET the sound. <3

  • Reply Elizabeth Payne August 29, 2016 at 2:54 pm

    Very important message for this election season. No matter what happens, there will be Grace.

    The invitation is open to all of us to come to the table.

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