A Banquet of Words

ME: Intro

Show of hands,

Who else still feels like they are coming out of a food coma from a big meal?

I was at my grandparents yesterday,

And we had ham, green beans, salads, rolls, scalloped oysters, scalloped onions,

And my wife, Stephanie, made these maple bacon brussel sprouts,

And a sweet potato casserole,

My goodness!

It was soooo good!

I did not even mention all the cookies,

There were like 20 plates of cookies!

Every kind of cookies you can think of!

If there was a flat surface anywhere in the house,

It was filled with cookies!

It was a bountiful banquet!

Now imagine you had a choice.

You could go to a banquet meal like the one I just described.

Or, you could go to a meal where all that was offered was bread and water.

But it is not just any bread and water.

It is water siphoned from the neighbors house without them knowing.

And it is bread that the host swiped from the grocery store without paying.

Which banquet would you choose?

The choice seems obvious, right?

It should be.

You would pick the first banquet.

But this morning, we come to Proverbs 9,

Where we see Two Banquets of Words.

Throughout the first 9 chapters of Proverbs,

We have been introduced to two different women who have been competing for the the reader’s affections.

These two women are Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly.

Up to this point, we have seen,

Lady Wisdom makes you wise and grants you life.

While Lady Folly makes you foolish and only can offer you death.

She is an immoral woman.

Now, the competition between these two women comes to a climax in ch. 9.

One commentary describes this chapter as the linchpin of the entire book.

Because it sums up all that has been written before it,

And it sets the stage for all that comes after it.

This chapter comes down to two competing invitations:

[A Banquet of Life (vs. 1-6)

Competing Words (vs. 7-12)

A Banquet of Death (vs. 13-18)

You will be at whatever banquet you most want.]

The first invitation, in vs. 1-6,

Is an invitation from wisdom to a banquet of life.

The second invitation, in vs. 13-18,

Is an invitation from folly to a banquet of death.

In the middle of these two invitations are competing words in vs. 7-12.

These competing words reveal which invitation we accept.

There are two character sketches in these verses,

The scoffer and the wise person.

Those who fit the description of the scoffer are the product of accepting Folly’s invitation.

Those who fit the description of the wise person are the product of accepting Wisdom’s invitation.

So, the question for us all is which invitation will we accept?

Which banquet will we be at?

Or we could ask the question at the heart level.

Which woman do we love?

Lady Wisdom or Lady Folly?

The reality is we will be at whichever banquet we most want.

The choice we make determines if we walk a path of wisdom,

Or a path of folly in this life.

It is a crossroads between life and death.

If we accept Lady Wisdom’s invitation,

We are made wise and receive eternal life.

But if we accept the invitation from Lady Folly,

We are loving something more than God,

And the Bible defines this as idolatry.

Idolatry wrecks our lives in this world,

And ends in death.

So, these invitations have huge implications for our lives,

Both in an eternal sense,

And down to the smallest of details in our everyday lies.

When we walk in wisdom in our everyday life,

It serves as evidence that we have accepted Wisdom’s invitation.

It shows that we are growing in Christ-likeness,

That we are walking step by step with Jesus,

And that we trust Him.

But if we walk in foolishness in everyday life,

It reveals that we are walking toward our idols,

That we are trusting in our idols,

That we love our idols more than Jesus.

And generally,

This evidence is not as clearly seen in the big parts of our lives.

Rather, it is in the small, mundane details of our everyday lives that reveals either wisdom or foolishness.

If we are generally lazy, contentious, unwilling to be corrected,

Always paying bills late, or always turning in homework late,

Proverbs says it is because we are accepting the invitation of Folly,

Because we love our idols.

But if we are generally hard workers, trustworthy, and teachable,

Proverbs says it is because we accept Wisdom’s invitation,

And Jesus is making us wise.

So, here is the bottom line,

If we do not accept Wisdom’s invitation,

Which is ultimately Jesus’ invitation,

We will never be wise.

We cannot be wise on our own.

So, if we are not walking in wisdom,

It is because we have a problem with accepting Jesus’ invitation,

We have accepted the invitation of Folly,

We love our idols more than Jesus,

We turned down the bountiful banquet,

And chose stolen water and secret bread.

So, Proverbs teaches, we need to repent.

We need to turn onto Wisdom’s path.

And there is no better time to do this than right now.

WE: A Banquet of Life (vs. 1-6)

So, let us first look at the banquet Lady Wisdom invites us to.

This first banquet is a banquet for kings.

And she invites us simple and needy guests to A Banquet of Life in Proverbs 9:1-6;

Proverbs 9:1–6 ESV

Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”

Lady Wisdom seems to be preparing a banquet as a dedication of her newly built house.

Vs. 3 implies that her house was built on the highest point in the city.

Perhaps suggesting that her house is a temple.

This would be appropriate because the personification of wisdom in Proverbs,

Is a poetic device to point to Jesus,

Making it natural for wisdom to dwell in a temple.

It also says in vs. 1 that she built her house on seven pillars.

The seven pillars may be included just to display the architectural splendor of the house that wisdom built.

That she built a large, well-constructed, and recognizable house.

But what is more likely,

Is that this is meant to communicate something symbolically.

In poetic and wisdom literature,

Seven represents the number of perfection.

So, the fact that her house has been built upon seven pillars,

Illustrates the perfect stability that wisdom offers.

It says in preparation of this banquet,

She slaughtered beasts and mixed wine.

It would be mixed with honey or spices.

It also symbolically communicates that Wisdom is ready to share the joy of the benefits of her instruction.

Once this banquet of life is prepared,

Lady Wisdom sends out young women to freely invite everyone to partake of this life-giving feast.

These young women represent servants of wisdom.

Servants of wisdom are sent out to invite anyone who will respond to Wisdom.

She calls out through her servants,

Giving the most public of invitations.

But who exactly are the servants of wisdom?

You are.

I am.

Those who teach or train,

Those who mentor or disciple,

Parents and grandparents.

Wisdom’s servants are anyone who invites others to Wisdom’s banquet.

Pay careful attention to the wording of Wisdom’s invitation.

Especially here in vs. 4,

Because Lady Folly uses the same words in her invitation later in vs. 16.

The invitation is addressed to the simple,

To those who lack sense,

To those who are inadequate in wisdom.

It literally means those who lack heart,

Who lack the will to think and act rightly.

It is speaking of those who need a new heart.

So, who exactly is Wisdom addressing here?

She is speaking to you,

She is speaking to me,

She is inviting all of us to her banquet of life.

Look at her words specifically.

She invites us to turn in at her house.

To turn and come to her banquet,

To eat the feast she prepared,

To drink the wine she mixed.

This is very intentional language.

It implies we are on one path,

Heading in a certain direction,

And we need to leave that path,

We need to change direction,

To begin pursuing her path that leads to life.

There is no middle ground here.

If we do not turn from the path we are on,

If we do not repent of our sin,

Then we are not choosing wisdom,

We are not accepting her invitation.

And the path we are on will lead to death.

Vs. 5 is where we learn that the invitation is to a banquet.

There is bread to eat and wine to drink, she says.

Jesus uses this same banquet language in Matthew 22 and Luke 14,

When He compares the kingdom of God to a banquet.

He says that all are invited to this banquet.

Servants are sent out to the highways and the hedges to invite all people to this banquet.

He says that this feast gives life,

And all who refuse to come to the banquet will die.

Lady Wisdom’s invitation to this banquet illustrates the invitation that God expresses to us.

John 6:51 reveals the cost of God’s invitation;

John 6:51 ESV

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Jesus does not just offer food and drink at this banquet of life.

He offers Himself.

Lady Wisdom foreshadows this same idea here in Proverbs.

In order to accept this invitation,

It requires repentance,

It requires us to leave our simple ways,

As vs. 6 says.

Wisdom is inviting us to leave the inexperienced way of life behind.

To remove our way of doing life.

To forsake foolishness.

Instead, she says, receive life,

Pursue the way of understanding.

Adopt a life of insight.

Wisdom is saying,

“Repent of your foolishness, come to my banquet,

And I will make you wise and give you life to the fullest.”

We live wisely if we know wisdom.

The first step is to recognize that we are fools.

But it is fools who Wisdom invites.

So, accept her invitation,

Eat her food,

Drink her wine of joy,

And Jesus will produce wisdom in you in this world,

And He will give you eternal life.

This is the pattern for all who accept the invitation to Wisdom’s banquet of life.

GOD: Competing Words ( vs. 7-12)

After the invitation to the banquet of life,

We would expect the opposite invitation to the banquet of death.

Instead, we have these competing words in vs. 7-12 sandwiched between two invitations.

Proverbs 9:7-12;

Proverbs 9:7–12 ESV

Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

The question is, how do these words fit?

The answer is that they are giving examples of Wisdom’s teaching,

It sets the stage for the rest of Proverbs.

These competing words are pretty straight forward,

They contrast the two invitations, wisdom and folly.

These competing words show what the two women teach,

And what their followers become.

Whatever invitation you accept determines how you will be in your daily life.

Whether you act foolishly or wisely reveals which invitation you accept.

What you believe determines your behavior.

But the way you behave reveals what you believe.

This gets at the heart of worship.

It shows that our choices develop our character,

And our character indicates what path we are on.

So, the wise teaching begins in vs. 7.

It says do not correct a scoffer or else you will get hurt,

And the scoffer will just hate you.

This is not the first time we were introduced to the scoffer.

A scoffer is one who has gone further beyond the fool.

A fool simply lacks judgment.

Likewise, a scoffer lacks judgment,

But a scoffer makes a conscious choice for evil.

They mock wisdom,

They treat wisdom with contempt.

They are unteachable.

And a scoffer reveals himself when someone tries to correct him.

As vs. 7 says, the person who tries to correct a scoffer gets himself abuse.

You see, the further one heads down the path of folly,

The less they will put up with wise correction.

So, not only will the attempt to correct a scoffer fail,

But it will also backfire,

Causing pain, suffering, humiliation, or distress.

It is a waste of time and effort,

Because the scoffer will not listen.

Correction has no impact on the scoffer.

So, if you try to correct a scoffer,

Expect them to just lash out at you in return.

If you have tried correcting a person like this,

You understand the type of person this passage is describing.

The parallel to a scoffer is a wicked man.

The same fate awaits those who try to reprove a wicked man,

And that fate is harm.

When you try to correct a scoffer or a wicked person,

You are the one who gets hurt.

There are just some people who never listen to counsel,

Who never submit to authority,

Who refuse to humble themselves.

Proverbs describes this person as a scoffer.

So, Proverbs warns against reproving a scoffer,

Or else, the scoffer will hate you.

But, vs. 8 says, if you reprove a wise man,

The wise man will love you.

So, you should correct a wise man,

He will love you for your correction,

Because he becomes wiser from the correction.

This intentional contrast shows the stark difference between the scoffer and the wise.

A scoffer will shut out wisdom.

But a wise person is grateful for the opportunity to shut out folly.

The wise are able to perceive the positive side of correction.

The wise do not get defensive,

The wise person is not easily offended.

Rather, the wise person is humble enough to understand the need for correction,

And they are responsive to the correction they receive.

The advice in vs. 9 is to give instruction to the wise,

Because they will continue to learn.

The wise never reach a point where there is no room to become wiser still.

The capacity of wisdom that people can attain is limitless.

So, there is no person on this earth who is fully equipped with wisdom.

This is the idea that Jesus teaches in Matthew 13:12;

Matthew 13:12 ESV

For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

This also speaks to a general principle of human nature.

And that nature is that there is no standing still.

You are either growing or your dying.

You are going to progress in the direction of whatever invitation you accept.

If you accept wisdom’s invitation, you will accumulate more wisdom.

If you accept folly’s invitation, you will accumulate more folly.

That is what this verse is saying.

If you give instruction to one who already has wisdom,

He will be wiser still.

Therefore, the opposite is equally implied.

And this verse is also saying that wisdom is knowing whom to correct,

And whom not to correct.

How do you know?

You discern based on how they received your correction.

This is wisdom.

Our mission here at FBC is to love God and others, grow as Christ-followers devoted to serving one another, and multiply disciples.

We do this through the four sequential pillars of connect, grow, serve, and go.

Wisdom gets at this mission of growing in Christ-likeness.

Since Jesus is the embodiment of wisdom,

This means growing in Christ-likeness is not just reduction of sin,

Although that is a big part of it.

Growing in Christ-likeness is growth in discernment.

It means you grow in the ability to see truth in whatever situation you are in.

It means you grow in the ability to recognize when to correct people,

And when not to correct people,

Because you know trying to correct them will just make things worse.

It also means knowing when not to be a coward,

And when you should speak up and say something in the right situation.

The warning in these verses also indirectly encourages us not to become like the scoffer.

The question is;

When we are corrected,

Do we respond with hostility?

Or do we learn from correction?

Are you the type of person who is unwilling to accept correction?

If so, then you are a scoffer.

If you find yourself getting angry and attacking when someone corrects you,

Then you are a scoffer.

But on the other hand,

If you accept correction,

If you have a humble spirit,

If you acknowledge that you have room to grow,

Then you are wise.

And you will love and appreciate the person who had the courage to correct you.

So, how do you find yourself responding to correction?

Do you snap?

Or do you listen and find the truth in the correction?

Now let me follow up with another equally important question.

Do you have someone in your life who has both the freedom and the courage to ask you tough questions?

Wisdom is the ability to hear and respond to correction,

So, that you do not continue to make the same mistakes.

The point of these competing words is that if you cannot accept correction,

It is not just because of the type of person you are,

It is because you are worshiping an idol.

This is true in all the practical areas that Proverbs addresses.

If you are greedy, it reveals the idol of money.

If you watch porn, it reveals the idol of lust.

If you find yourself willing to misuse others for what you want,

It reveals the idol of self.

The starting point for growing in wisdom is a covenantal relationship with God.

That is what we see in vs. 10,

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

This is why the wise are teachable.

Because they are humble,

They fear the Lord.

You cannot grow in wisdom without this relationship.

It is this covenantal faith in God that will lead to the wisdom Proverbs teaches.

It will lead to wise budgeting,

To obeying your parents,

To enjoy family more than money.

If you lack wisdom in these areas,

And the other areas Proverbs addresses,

It is not just a character flaw,

It is a spiritual problem.

In light of this spiritual problem,

Lady Wisdom speaks important closing words.

Final words are impactful,

And vs. 11-12 are the last words Wisdom speaks in Proverbs.

So, she urges you to pick wisdom,

Acknowledging that it is your choice.

The wise path is the prudent path.

Wisdom promises that living with Wisdom means your days will be many.

This is not necessarily speaking of just life in this world,

This is a promise of eternal life.

If you pick wisdom, it leads to eternal life.

So, why we would want wisdom?

Because if you are wise, you are wise for yourself.

What does this mean?

It means you benefit most by your own wisdom.

You are rewarded when you are wise.

You will grow in wisdom and you will have eternal life.

But if you are a scoffer,

You bear the consequences that await a scoffer.

There is a cultural note that deepens this verse.

This is written in a communal culture.

So, throughout the Bible it is much more common to see people, or group-oriented language.

But this verse is one of the strongest expressions of individualism in the Bible.

Now, this is not meant to deny that an individual’s character does not bless or burden others.

Your wisdom, or a lack thereof,

Does not only affect you.

The rewards of your wisdom will spread to your family, friends, and anyone who may look to you.

This means the opposite is also true.

The consequences of your scoffing will spread to your family, friends, and anyone who may look to you.

But the individual emphasis here means that the person who has the most to gain,

Or the most to lose,

Is each individual person.

You cannot borrow someone else’s character,

You cannot lend your character to someone else.

Each person’s character is their own character,

You are responsible to choose which invitation you accept.

Your choice will determine your character,

And your character reveals which invitation you accept.

YOU: A Banquet of Death (vs. 13-18)

In vs. 13-18, Lady Folly concludes this chapter with her invitation to A Banquet of Death.

Proverbs 9:13-18;

Proverbs 9:13–18 ESV

The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town, calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And to him who lacks sense she says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

The description of the banquet of death here is directly opposed to the banquet of life in vs. 1-6.

We are calling it the banquet of death because accepting her invitation leads to death.

This forbidden woman is given the title Folly here,

It literally describes a person who acts stupidly or rash.

Folly is described as loud, seductive, and ignorant.

She is sensuous.

She is appealing.

She is alluring.

She is lazy.

And she is rowdy.

She draws in the gullible, the innocent, the naive.

But the reality is, she knows nothing, herself!

Wisdom is a teacher.

Folly cannot teach you anything,

Because she does not know anything herself.

She is clueless when it comes to morality.

Despite all her craftiness and deception,

She is in the same situation as every victim who accepts her invitation.

And these are the same qualities she produces in those who follow her.

The title Folly is so appropriate because this woman epitomizes foolishness.

In the opening verses, we saw how industrious wisdom was,

Building a house with seven pillars and sending out servants.

But Folly does not share this same ethic,

She is a poor copycat of Wisdom.

Her house seems to be a temple too,

Located at the highest place of the town.

She is sitting there as a pretentious claim of authority or rule.

Pretending that she is someone we can learn from.

When all she is doing is being a fake copy of wisdom.

She represents idolatry here.

Being unfaithful to God means we turn away from God and pursue after our idols.

And that is what is happening here.

Like wisdom,

Folly calls out from the highest place in town,

Hoping to deceive everyone into thinking she is wise,

Convincing everyone to turn toward her idolatrous ways.

Folly’s imitation of wisdom continues in vs. 15-16,

Using the exact same words as wisdom to invite you to her banquet of death.

She calls out to you,

Hoping you lack the resolve to resist her temptation to turn toward her way.

She especially hopes to tempt you when you are most vulnerable.

In vs. 1-6, Lady Wisdom invites you to a feast!

Here, Folly invites you to an illicit meal.

Unlike the feast Lady Wisdom offers,

All she offers is water and bread.

But she appeals to your rebellious nature as a sinner.

First, she offers stolen water.

She is saying that everything forbidden is sweet.

It tastes better to eat and drink whatever you are not supposed to.

Second, she offers bread eaten in secret,

Saying it is pleasant.

It is the perverse nature of human kind.

Where the second something is prohibited,

Suddenly, we want it more!

We can all attest to this nature.

But most of us just wonder why that is.

Well, the Bible gives us the answer.

John 3:19 says;

John 3:19 ESV

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

Romans 7:7-11 also explains;

Romans 7:7–11 ESV

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.

Romans 7 is explaining how we have this sin in us that wants to kill us.

When the law comes,

Sin seizes the opportunity to produce a desire to break that law.

Why?

Because the consequence of breaking the law is death,

And that is what sin wants.

So, it uses the consequences of breaking the law to accomplish its goal of killing us.

That is why,

When something is forbidden,

Sin inflames in us a desire to do what is forbidden.

Stolen water and secret bread seems tasty and inviting to us.

But the way that seems right to us does not end well.

Really, folly is inviting us to eat a banquet of what is forbidden.

It is an invitation to have an affair with an idol.

She is not just offering food and drink,

She is offering herself.

She is offering an illicit relationship that leads you away from God.

Solomon knows that this sin that leads us away from God leads to death.

Folly seduces you with half-truths.

She seeks to bring your attention to the temporary pleasure she offers,

But she forget to mention that she is inviting you to a banquet of death.

This is the definition of foolishness.

Foolishness is missing the connection between your choices and their consequences.

That is why earlier in Proverbs,

Solomon illustrated this as an animal being lead to the slaughter.

When you accept Folly’s invitation,

You do not realize you are about to be slaughtered.

You do not realize that you are accepting an invitation to your own funeral?

That is what our author tells us in vs. 18.

The guests at this banquet are the dead.

The word used for the dead speaks of the spirits of the departed.

These guests are in the depths of Sheol.

It is the grave.

There may be some consequences in this world,

Like shame, broken relationships, or loss of money,

But none of the consequences in this world compare to the ultimate consequence of Hell.

Biblical Counselor, Ed Welch, wrote a book about addictions based off this passage.

The title is A Banquet in the Grave.

An appropriate summary of folly’s banquet.

It makes clear the pathetic reality of her invitation.

She even says in her invitation that her banquet is eaten in secret.

That is the way our idols work,

We do them in secret.

The way we take a stand against Folly and our idols,

Is by bringing them to light.

God’s plan is for us to live and grow in community.

We give and receive in community.

We pray for others and others pray for us.

We learn wisdom from others and we offer wisdom to others.

The imagery of Folly’s invitation to a banquet of death is vivid, accurate, and tragic.

Like Folly, your idols lure you into the grave.

In his book, Welch describes this idea as voluntary slavery.

This banquet seems attractive, he says,

Until the lights turn on and you see the ugliness, the horror, the death swirling all around you.

This is not the banquet you think it is.

It is a banquet of death.

WE: Application

But we cannot forget how our passage began.

Remember this banquet of death is not the only invitation.

Lady Wisdom sends out her servants to invite us to a banquet of life.

This banquet is an invitation from God,

It is a banquet in His honor,

And He has provided everything for the banquet.

God says in Isaiah 55:1-2;

Isaiah 55:1–2 ESV

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

Now that sounds inviting doesn’t it.

This invitation should not be shocking.

The only requirement is you come with nothing.

Do not bring your efforts to try harder,

Do not bring your attempts to pay God back for the banquet,

Do not bring whatever you think you owe God for the mistakes you have made.

Just come.

Come with open arms and empty hands.

The NT teaches that Jesus is the embodiment of Wisdom,

Jesus lived in perfect wisdom,

Yet, he took the consequences for our foolishness.

He went to the grave for three days,

Then walked out of the grave.

He paid for the banquet of life in full.

And He invites us to accept His forgiveness.

If we do that, He transforms us with His wisdom.

Those who accept this invitation are welcomed into His Kingdom.

This invitation is not for those who already think they are wise,

It is for those of us who know we are fools,

But want to grow in Christ-likeness.

Who would have thought,

The treatment for our idolatry and foolishness is to want something better than our idols.

The Gospel is a universal invitation.

The simple requirement is that you bring nothing to the banquet of life.

You acknowledge you need Jesus,

And you believe that He has indeed paid for everything on your behalf,

And rose from the dead after paying with His life.

The choice is yours to make.

Have you recognized your foolishness?

Have you recognized your idols?

Have you repented?

Have you turned from the foolish path toward Wisdom’s home?

If so, keep doing it.

Ask God to reveal your foolishness that still remains,

Then confess it,

And repent,

Turn from that foolish path toward Wisdom’s home.

Run to Jesus,

Accept His invitation to the banquet of life,

And He will make you wise.

If you have not done this yet,

Why not?

Do you think you may be too bad or too unworthy to come to this banquet?

If so, hear me clearly.

This invitation is especially directed to the marginalized,

To those who feel unworthy.

Murderers like Saul,

Adulterers like David,

Liars like Peter,

All had nothing to bring.

Yet they are feasting at the banquet of life.

So, if any of you similarly feel like you have nothing to bring,

You have been invited.

But you will be at the banquet you most want.

Pray.