Excuses, Excuses!Picture from CFA Christmas Banquet 2005

Let me apologize to those of you who are regularly checking my blog. I am not going to make any excuses. As a new grandfather I confess to have Daisy on my mind, and being quite preoccuppied with thoughts of my granddaughter. Of course that's difficult to tell from the last three postings. Then of course there are also these trips to the dentist, now four all together. This time I went in for a root canal, which they couldn't do. The canals in the tooth had narrowed too much through calcification, and after drilling and making his best effort to save the tooth, my dentist finally sectioned it and pulled it. I now have a huge hole where that tooth was, nearly large enough to stick my tongue in and tickle my optic nerve. Well at least I don't have any more worries about that tooth, although the dentist and I are far from through. Besides recovering from oral trauma, I have been working on several other projects including a music video presentation starring my new granddaughter, Daisy, and some other materials for church, including a new video CD to be included in welcome packets for visitors. Well, I said I wasn't going to make excuses, and I hope this doesn't sound like whining, because I really enjoy doing the blog and especially reading the occasional comments.

In Luke 14 Jesus tells the parable of the great banquet. In this parable the host of the banquet receives excuses from invited guests as to why they cannot attend. Look at verse 16-20:

Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great
banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the
banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited,
'Come, for everything is now ready.'
"But they all alike began to make excuses.
The first said, 'I have just bought a field,
and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' "
Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen,
and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'

Excuses, Excuses! Notice that when the host found out about all these excuses he became angry. Then he sent out his sevants to invite others including the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. Hey, I believe there is a message here. God doesn't want our excuses! He simply wants our fellowship. He wants us to join Him and feast at His banquet. the wonderful thing is that we are invited regardless of our limitations or weaknesses. We are invited to share in all that the Lord has provided. If you want to make excuses you will find a wide variety of them to choose from. In fact through the years, the list of excuses has grown quite long, and folks have become quite creative at manufacturing excuses. I wonder, what do we fear? Why do we avoid coming to the Lord's banquet table. He wants to strengthen us and feed us. He wants to prepare us for the awesome work of His Kingdom beyond the fellowship of the banquet table.
Let me close with words from an old hymn of the church.

Jesus has the table spread where the saints of God are fed.
He invites His chosen people, "Come and dine."
You can have your heart's desire, bread and fish upon the fire.
Oh 'tis sweet to sup with Jesus all the time.
"Come and dine" the master calleth, "come and dine."
You can feast at Jesus' table all the time.
He who fed the multitude, turned the water into wine,
to the hungry calleth now, come and dine.

You're invited! You're wanted. The Lord of all creation has invited you to His table. Don't miss it!