Denise Foerch, Spiritual Director
This week as I spent time reading our text for today, I wondered about those who gave excuses for not coming to the feast. I thought about reasons why they would feel it was ok to make an excuse. It could have been that they felt that their presence wouldn’t matter – they probably wouldn’t be missed, since there were going to be so many guests. Or maybe they heard there were going to be a certain kind of people there, and they didn’t believe those people should have been invited. Or perhaps their sense of self-importance made it ok to say ‘No’ at the last minute.
While doing this pondering, a song kept running through my head. It’s usually used for Communion, but there were parts of it that really fit this situation. The song was written by Nicole Nordeman. Take a moment to read the words. Do you see yourself?
Oh, the days when I drew lines around my faith
To keep you out, to keep me in, to keep it safe
And oh, the sense of my own self entitlement
To say who’s wrong or won’t belong or cannot stay
‘Cause somebody somewhere decided
We’d be better off divided
And somehow despite the damage done He says, ‘Come’
Oh the times when I have failed to recognize
How many chairs are gathered there around the feast
To break the bread and break these boundaries
That have kept us from our only common ground
The invitation to sit down if we will come
Come from the best of humanity
Come from the depths of depravity
Come now and see how we need
Every different bead on this same string
Come, there is room enough for all of us, please come
And the arms are open wide enough, please come
And our parts are never greater than the sum
This is the heart of the One Who stands before an open door and bids us come
