01-04-20

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS

January 4, 2020

Scripture: Jeremiah 31:8-9

See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return. They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

Thought for the Day: So many people desire to be a participant in God’s party, yet they are not pleased with the invitation list. They have offered, without God requesting their help, to whittle down the list to a more respectable and limited number. It feels like the parents of the couple who are looking at the budget and the potential invitation list for the wedding. Of course, in the case of the wedding, choosing to be financially prudent is probably a wise decision when it comes to a new life together. But with God’s party, there is unlimited resources of welcome, mercy and love. It tends to be our fear of scarcity that drives the limiting of access to the party. As we begin a new year, let us be driven by the multitude of images from both the Old Testament and the New Testament that expand the roll of who is invited so that our list might begin to reflect God’s list. Included among such stories is the one told of the Wise Men from the East who wouldn’t have been on anyone list.

Prayer: I love your invite list, O Lord, for it includes my name. No matter what others might suggest or the attempt by some to scratch it off the list, you have already circled and starred it alongside the names of every single human being. What a beautiful party! Amen.

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