His son too is a gentleman. He stands at the door and knocks, sometimes gently, sometimes more fervently. But though he may he does not open the door himself. He invites but he does not coerce. He waits for us to come and open the door.
In this season of Christ's Mass we sing a song "O' come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant..." It is a call to all those who have waited with faithful expectation for the coming of the Messiah. It is an invitation to be attendant to the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ.
Today, I read of another invitation; one that was offered centuries in advance of the incarnation. It is the invitation and the foretelling of the greater invitation yet to come. My text today is;
Isaiah 55:1 (NIV)
Invitation to the Thirsty
55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
As I consider this verse, a sense of serenity descends on me and my eyes fill with tears. It is as though I am remembering and reliving that moment in my life when I was so thirsty I thought I would die. A time when there was a knock at my door and I opened it to find a messenger of peace, a Prince of Peace who with scarred hands delivered THE invitation that I needed. An invitation to a wedding feast. But I digress... this verse...
This passage is an urgent exhortation for action. It begins with a directive; "Come." That is the central command from God to us. Across all time God has called us to relationship with him. He has leveled mountains, bridged rivers and built roads that lead from where we are to where He is. He spanned the great chasm of our sinfulness with His own son that we may have safe passage to a living relationship with the living God. In this passage, he calls to us "Come, come, come, Come" no less than four times! If we take nothing else away from this verse, we should take away the understanding that GOD WANTS US TO COME TO HIM.
This passage is an invitation to all. Though written at a time when only the Jews held out hope for deliverance, this passage speaks not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles. In that, it gives a glimpse into God's plan for total redemption for all mankind. It speaks of just how much God wants us, mankind, to be with Him for all eternity. But among both Jews and Gentiles, there is a requirement; the invitation is specific in whom it invites. He calls for 'you who are thirsty' and 'you who have no money.' His exhortation is to those who are needful. Those who being satiated by the world have no thirst, no hunger, no need, they have no need for this invitation either.
This passage reminds us of God's economy. God offers water to the thirsty; the water of life. God offers wine and milk to the hungry; the wine of Christ's blood and the milk of God's word. The most valuable 'things' in all of creation, salvation and redemption and relationship are offered free of charge! There is no money required, leave your checkbook at home. The currency of God's realm is grace and forgiveness, not dollars and cents. The price has been paid for all who would come.
We have an open invitation to the greatest wedding feast of all time. The one I got says that I can invite as many people as possible, this one invitation is good for everyone. The party has already started (when the bride showed up) and it doesn't stop till the bride-groom arrives. At this feast, there will be enough to drink and enough to eat. There will be laughter and singing; there will be dancing. There will be friends and there will be joy. Come, join me at the table. Come and invite your friends too.
Joyful, joyful,
Carl
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1 comment:
I got the invitation, too, Carl! And I accepted. I'll be there at the table with you!
I often probably say too much when I reply to your powerful devotional journal entries. They have become a part of my devotional life. But today what I've shared above is enough.
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