Just imagine.
You have told everyone to come for Thanksgiving dinner and even sent out special engraved invitations to each one!
Getting ready, you have had the yard cleaned up and all the leaves raked away. The porch is neat and decorated with fall pumpkins and flowers.
The door has a beautiful wreath themed with Thanksgiving colors and a big “Welcome!” across it.
You have thoroughly cleaned the house from top to bottom. Windows sparkle. All the books, papers and magazines have been collected from the table tops and put away. Wood shines after being dusted and polished. The fireplace is all cleaned out and set up with kindling and wood to be lit to make a cheery, warm flame.
The best dishes have been rinsed off and the silverware polished. The crystal glasses are sparkling and reflect the light. You have put your best linen tablecloth on the table and all the place settings are ready. Flowers and candles decorate the middle of the table and fill the room with a lovely aroma. Beautiful hand-lettered calligraphy of each invited guest’s name marks their place at the table.
The huge turkey is golden brown and waiting to be enjoyed with fresh cranberry sauce. Side dishes of everyone’s favorite vegetables and breads are lovingly prepared and perfect!
Pies with flaky crusts and cakes beautifully decorated are just waiting to be served after dinner.
You get ready and dress in your best clothes. Looking in the mirror, you take time to smile, and look forward to greeting your beloved guests.
You go stand at the end of the driveway so no one will miss the turn. You eagerly wait.
You wait, heart beating quickly.
You wait, looking anxiously down the road.
You wait until the sun sets and you make your way back to a beautifully prepared dinner and spotless home.
Going into your house, you see all the preparations that have been made. You smell the delicious aromas of turkey, dressing, vegetables and fresh-baked bread.
You sit alone at the lovely empty table. The candles burn down and gutter out.
You continue to wait.
No one comes.
Sad, isn’t it?
In the Bible, in Luke 14, Jesus tells the story of a banquet (of course, it isn’t Thanksgiving!) that is prepared and the guests make excuses not to come. They even disrespect the people who invite them. When they tell the man giving the dinner what happened, he sends them out to the highways and byways to bring all to the dinner — the poor, hurt, disabled and all! The servants did this and there was still room for more. So the man sent them out again to bring in those who would come.
The house is God’s house, the banquet the Kingdom of God, the invited guests were the Jewish nation. When Jesus was rejected as the Messiah, God then expanded his invitation to all people, including Gentiles, to come to His Kingdom and banquet. God is “... not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
You are invited! You are invited to come to God!
Will you leave Him standing at the door alone?
