Dinner Invite

Isaiah 55:1–2 NIV

“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. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.

Introduction: What would a feast look like to you?

Would the majority prefer a country pig roast, a fine meal in an elaborate hall, the classic Thanksgiving feast, or something else?

4 - We Work Hard For Nothing.

vs 2. - Why do you labor for what cannot satisfy?

Jonathan Pageau at the Alliance of Responsible Citizenship Conference this year. - A part of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and a French Canadian.

If worldview is just that all that exists is stuff.

The goal of human flourshing is Knowing about stuff, the will to direct stuff towards power, to gain more stuff. - The more stuff we have the more we flourish.

Observation - Our world is breaking down in this precise moment of history when we have the most stuff. - The refusal to have children, the mental health crisis, the despair, the hopelessness is occuring when, and in many ways because we have more stuff than any other visible time in human.

We are missing something, we are missing the why of life, the meaning and source of all good.

We want salvation, but we think we will be able to achieve it through what we have, or what we do, or by our reputation. - We are trying to set our own table, but it is not satisfying.

God uses the imagry of a banquet to describe satisfying our soul

5 - Jesus Has Set The Table.

Sumarize Isaiah 52 - 54 story

Showing hospitality is a directive for Christians, as mentioned in 1 Peter 4:9 and many other biblical passages. We are taught to welcome the stranger into our home and provide for those in need around us. In doing so, we model what God has already done for us.

1 Peter 4:9 NIV

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Jesus has set the table through his death and Resurrection.

7 - 1. G. The Broken bread and the juice remind us that Jesus was broken on the cross and his blood was shed to save us from our sins.

After Jesus has set the table....

8 - Jesus Has Invited Us to a Free Banquet.

Invitations we have been honored by:

- The simple text message invite.

- Homecoming invitations - The creativity - friends sneaking into home to capture Naomi’s stuffed animal.

- Formal Invitation - to someone’s wedding

- Invitations - unless it is the movie clue, are often a joy to receive. Wedding invitation, “Yes,” you get a free meal, but in reality it’s more than that. You have been invited to celebrate this beautiful new beginning to a relationship.

Invitations mean - I want to hang out with you. I want you with me, I want to build a relationship with you.

9 - 1. H. Just as bread and juice give us life, we remember that Jesus was Risen, and therefore gives us Eternal Life

- So....in Communion we recognize that Jesus is Present with us.

10 - 2. E. Communion Unites us with the Church (the body of Christ.) We are a part of One loaf, and OneCup.

= This business owner writes about the power of welcoming someone. She mentions what has made her feel welcome in hotels and restaurants and encourages her readers to find out what would make their guests feel welcome. She specifically mentions making eye contact with your guest, calling them by name, anticipating their needs upon arrival, and acknowledging the children (Roberta Nedry, “The Power of Welcome … Hospitality beyond Property Borders,” Hospitality Net, November 1, 2011, https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4053586.html). God welcomes us in these ways as well. He knows our name, provides for our needs, and welcomes the least of these among us: the children, widows, the sick, and the elderly. If businesses can make us feel welcome because of proper training, how much more delight will we feel when we feast with our King!

So that really is the question we have to answer.

11 - Will You Accept His Hospitality?

- God delights in our presence at his banquet table. We can accept his offer and delight in his presence too. We can take this a step further and offer the same hospitality to others, modeling the love and welcome of Christ to the world around us.

- God invites us to come to him and be well fed, as written in Isaiah 55:2: “We must let your soul delight itself in abundance. Even when we listen, even when we eat what is good, we still must let our soul delight itself in abundance. You can sit down at a great spiritual meal, but by your stubborn or bad attitude, simply not let your soul delight itself in abundance” (David Guzik, Study Guide for Isaiah 55, https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Isa/Isa-55.cfm?a=734002). We are invited to dine and delight in the presence of God. Our seat is set for us, and we are escorted to our place at the table. We are wanted. We are celebrated. We are anticipated! The feast has been prepared for us.

12- 2. F. It is the Holy Spirit who Jesus sent who unites us, strengthens us, and guides us.

Conclusion: