The invitation came in a brilliant white envelope with gold foil accents. When I opened it up and pulled out the folded cardstock in the inside, I noticed that it had some heft to it – not just ordinary card stock, but something substantial. On the outside of the folded note there was my full name in a fancy script font. On the inside, the details for the party that was being held, and a request that I attend.

It’s not every day I receive something like that. Perhaps you’re the same. You get the invitation and the mere invitation seems like it is maybe even better than the party. The invitation communicates things like honor and value and prestige, care and attention and diligence. Even more so if you don’t normally receive such an invitation. 

Maybe if you’re a Hollywood star or a billionaire mogul you receive enough of these to just send them right to recycling. But not me. Probably not you. Even if you can’t attend, maybe you hang on to the invitation, just to remind yourself that it was sent to you.

When Jesus tells us in Luke 14 to “When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, etc…” He hones in on this reality of the importance of the invite. The party is one thing, but the invite is another. To know that you got the invite, perhaps even beyond your expectations – that is something special.

So Jesus encourages us to invite people. Invite people to your banquets, yes. But invite them to other things too. Invite them to coffee, invite them to help wash the car, invite them to watch the game, invite them to game night, invite them to margaritas, invite them to church, invite them to the movies. Invite them to your life.

Studies have shown that Americans are living increasingly private lives. I’m no exception. I doubt you are. Wrapped up in our screens and caves, we isolate ourselves and others. What if following Christ’s words could buck that trend? What if we could counterculturally invite people to a shared life? It would mean difficultly on our part, for sure. But would it? Could it be worth it? Jesus seems to think so.

After all, He was the one who came into our world and gave us an invitation to join Him. You have that invitation in your hand. It’s not paper and foil, but water and Word. Your baptism is your invitation to His great party. And as you think of what that invitation means to you, maybe it will move you to invite someone else to something.