“When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.”  --Luke 14:12-14 (NIV)

“What I must do is all that concerns me, not what other people think.”  --Ralph Waldo Emerson

First, Break All the Rules

While Jesus was on earth, he attended a fancy Sabbath meal in the home of one of the most prominent religious leaders in Jerusalem at that time.  Before he sat down at the table, Jesus livened up that stuffy old dinner party in a rather dramatic way.  He reached out his hand and healed a man suffering from a painful swelling of the extremities—something that’s often a sign of congestive heart failure.  But instead of rejoicing for the man whose life had probably just been saved, the guests were scandalized.  In their eyes, by curing this man on the Sabbath, Jesus was breaking all the rules.

It’s clear that Jesus didn’t mind flouting social and religious conventions if that’s what it took to show God’s love to someone who really needed it.  Rumors about how the controversial carpenter from Nazareth had hugged lepers, eaten with tax gatherers, and conversed with “scarlet women” had no doubt already given Jesus a bad reputation among these “righteous” leaders.  But it’s one thing to hear about such politically incorrect behavior and quite another to see it in action.  Luke 14:4-6 gives the impression that everybody at the party stood by speechless and uncomfortable when Jesus asked, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?” and then, “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath?  If your son or your cow falls into a pit don’t you rush to get him out?”

They all knew the obvious answer.  Of course saving a person’s life—or even an animal’s—was more important than meticulously observing the Sabbath regulations.  But not one of these “righteous” men would risk speaking up.  Our guess is they were worried about their reputations and they knew that agreeing with Jesus while in attendance at this particular party would negatively affect their status.  They’d spent years climbing the social ladder and working to be included as part of the “in-crowd” invited to this party.  None of them were about to blow it now.  That’s just the kind of high-pressure, no-fun dinner party it was.

Jesus understood all of this, but he didn’t go along with it.  So he cheerfully broke one more social rule by announcing the following to his host and fellow guests:

“When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors.  For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward.  Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.  Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you” (Luke 14:12-14).

In other words, if you really want to have a great time, don’t go about building up your reputation by inviting the city’s most famous and successful “movers and shakers.”  Build your connection with God by inviting the people he loves and your city would rather forget.

That’s what Angie and her children did after she helped cook lunch for one of our Servant Evangelism workshops in an upscale suburban church.  When an unexpected heavy snow fall cut attendance at the workshop by half, there were huge amounts of homemade vegetable soup and lots of first-rate deli sandwiches left over.  Inspired by all the teaching about God’s kindness (and realizing her five children would never eat vegetable soup); Angie decided to take the extra food downtown and give it away to the homeless.

Angie didn’t really even know where to begin looking for homeless people.  So she just drove down into the core of the city and told her kids to keep their eyes open for anyone who looked hungry.  By the time they got downtown it was 8:30 at night, dark, and temperatures had fallen below zero.  Angie drove around until one of her kids pointed out a man warming his hands over a tiny fire in the parking lot of an abandoned gas station.  Angie pulled up and offered him some hot soup and sandwiches.  He accepted and as he finished eating, Angie asked if he knew anyone else who might like some hot food.  When they found some of his friends, Angie ladled out bowls of steaming soup and her kids distributed sandwiches and cookies.  After a while ragged men began materializing from hiding places somewhere out in the freezing darkness—each one eager for some hot soup and encouraging words.  It was nothing like Angie had expected, but it was truly amazing nevertheless.

On their way home, using a word he’s only recently learned from reading the book Charlotte’s Web, Angie’s son said, “Mom, when you were feeding those homeless men you were radiant!”

This would’ve been an inspiring story if it ended here, but it isn’t nearly over.  Angie, her husband, Tom and her kids were so moved by what they’d experienced, they gathered friends and neighbors from three different churches and started coming downtown on a regular basis to share food and listening ears with the street people who lived there.  They even sponsored a citywide “banquet for the homeless” inspired by the words of Christ we read earlier.  Angie phoned the local transit authority and persuaded them to provide free bus transportation to any homeless person who wanted to come.  That night, over 460 street people attended a wonderful buffet meal served on fine linen tablecloths with centerpieces of fresh cut flowers. 

At each place setting, Angie and her friends placed a white stone with a Bible verse inscribed on it to remind each guest how important he or she is to God.  After dinner, one of the homeless men stood up and announced, “I’m not going to be homeless forever.”  Holding up his white stone for everyone to see, he continued, “Someday I’m going to have a house with a mantle . . . and that’s where I’m going to put this stone that says God loves me.  You know, before today, I was planning to kill myself.  I didn’t see any hope . . . but now . . . now I want to live again!”

A series of healings had begun in the moment Angie told her kids, “Get in the car, we’re going downtown to feed the homeless.”  Now doctors and dentists from all over town were coming to offer free medical services and churches were mobilizing to provide long-term food and shelter ministries that continue to this day.  It’s amazing how many good things were set in motion when Angie obeyed what seemed like a passing generous impulse.  Angie sums up the experience saying, “It was a time of God working one miracle after another in the most practical way.”

But as far as we’re concerned, one of the best parts of the story came a month or two after the banquet when Angie asked her daughter Bethany how she’d like to celebrate her 8^th birthday.  Without any hesitation the little girl pleaded excitedly, “Can I bring my school friends to have ice cream and cupcakes with our homeless friends downtown?”

So that week after Bethany and her friends fed the homeless from the back of the family minivan, Bethany gave out birthday cupcakes.  Even though some of the men sang happy birthday and gave her best wishes, the conversation wasn’t exactly what you’d expect at a “normal party.”  As the singing and cupcake eating was going on, Angie and Tom were busy listening to one of the guys explain that his arm was bandaged because it had been chewed by a rat while he was passed out drunk.

It may sound a little crazy, but we think that’s exactly the kind of people and the kind of party Jesus had in mind!

Everyone’s Invited

Each time you go out and share an act of service, each time you show generosity in the spirit of Christ, you’re inviting others to come to God’s “party.”  Unfortunately, the “celebrations” many churches are throwing feel more like funerals.  Like the Pharisee’s party that Jesus attended; unspoken rules, dead-boring religious traditions, and an endless, unceasing torrent of words take center stage in these places.  That’s something Christ’s followers need to rise up and change right now.  Stop the funerals—start the party!  Jesus’ party is all about letting his love overflow in ways that are authentic and fresh.  It’s about putting generosity and faith into action instead of talking people to death.  It’s about reaching out and building bridges to struggling people and helping them overcome real problems.  Most of all, it’s about inviting every person who God loves, in such a way that says, “Whoever you are and whatever you’ve done, you’re welcome at Jesus’ party!”

Because Jesus wasn’t just talking about inviting the homeless people of your city to his banquet—Jesus wants you to seek everyone the upright Pharisees of the world are uncomfortable or embarrassed to have at “their” party.

With this in mind, a small group of men and women we know recently went to eat at a nearby Hooters nightclub.  If you aren’t familiar with Hooters, it’s famous for its pretty, young serving girls dressed in very tight-fitting T-shirts and short shorts.  And you could say its mostly male clientele is usually more interested in the “scenery” than the food.  But the small group didn’t go to ogle the girls.  They went to invite the Hooters waitresses and other employees to Christ’s party—because they knew no one else would.

They’d prepared about a dozen gift bags and filled the bags with pieces of gourmet candy, granola bars, a bottle of water and other little things the servers and the people back in the kitchen might appreciate.  As the small group ordered food and drinks, they struck up a friendly conversation with Cindy, their server, and then proceeded to go about eating and enjoying each other’s company.  When Cindy came back with their check, all the pretty gift bags were setting on the table.

“Is it somebody’s birthday?” she asked.

“No,” one of the group members said, “They’re for you and the other people who work here.”

“Why would you want to do that?” Cindy asked in amazement.

A group member happily chimed in saying, “These bags are just our little way of saying that God really loves you!”

Flustered, Cindy said, “Wait a minute; I’m going to get the manager.”

A tense moment passed before Cindy returned with an anxious looking restaurant manager in tow.  “Tell him what you told me!”  Cindy said.

“We wanted to tell you how impressed we are by the service we’ve been getting all night,” one of the group members said.  “Cindy and the other young women here are doing a great job.”

The manager was looking a little confused as Cindy pointed to the gift bags on the table and said, “They brought us these gifts to let us know God loves us!  Is it okay for the others to come get their presents?”

A relieved look spread over the manager’s face.  “I can’t see why not,” he drawled.  “Just bring ‘em out here one at a time.”

As Cindy rushed back into the kitchen to tell her friends to come get their presents, the manager said, “When she told me there was a group of Christians out here who wanted to ask me a question, I don’t know what I was expecting.  But you guys are welcome here any time.”

As each employee came out to pick up a gift bag, he or she asked something like, “Tell me again why you are doing this!” or “What’s the name of your church and what time do you meet?”  They were all curious about the kind of church that cared more about loving people than judging them for working at Hooters.

This story happened a few weeks before we [Sjogren and Ping] wrote this, so we don’t know if any of those who received a gift bag and an invitation to “Christ’s party” will show up at church.  But we’ve seen what can happen plenty of times.  When you consistently go out into your city sharing God’s love with no strings attached, lots of people start checking out your church or small group.  Here’s the hitch: If you throw a party, you’ve got to be ready for everyone who shows up.  Let’s say that again: everyone.

Get Ready . . . Here They Come!

We’ve trained lots of people to do this “inviting thing” over the years.  In several dozen cases it worked so well that the overall character of the inviting congregations started to change in a big way.  Lots of new faces began showing up—lots of different faces.  At first the folks who held the purse strings would say, “Of course we want to reach those people.  Praise God!  We’ll welcome them all!”  But as most folks who didn’t dress, or talk, or believe like them started walking through their doors, guess what happened?  That’s right; they quietly tracked down the “culprits” responsible for all of this disruptive growth and ordered them to make it stop.  In many cases, staff members who’d dramatically increased their church attendance were fired.  Really.  It’s happened time and time again.

It’s difficult to admit, but there’s a little Pharisee in all of us.  Like the Pharisees, if you’re willing to reach out at all, you’d probably rather go to friends, relatives, or neighbors who automatically recognize and obey your particular social, racial, or economic group’s unspoken rules.  But if you want to experience the overflowing power of Christ’s kingdom on earth, you’ve got to reach out to the people who don’t know or care about your rules.  Instead of seeking out those who might do you some good, or donate to your church, or make you look good; Jesus commands you to go love and serve those who can never repay you.

Inviting the poor, the crippled, the sick, and other socially ostracized people is just about guaranteed to make the hidden Pharisee in you uncomfortable—in a way Jesus really likes.  If you’ll allow it to, it will help you humbly acknowledge your own prejudices, brokenness, and blindness.  Soon there will be no room for feeling superior or inferior, but there will be plenty of opportunities for Jesus to touch you and make you whole.  If you let this happen, you and your community will never be the same.  That’s what Angie and her kids, the men and women who went to Hooters and thousands of others who’ve brought God’s party to the streets have discovered.

Getting Your Feet Wet

Think about people you’d expect to see at the parties you attend.  What do they generally have in common?

Now think about the people you rarely or never see at the parties that you attend.  Ask yourself, “Why aren’t they there?”

Now brainstorm some effective ways you could invite those who aren’t like you to Christ’s party.  Don’t stop at just thinking about these ideas; try a few out over the next week.

The Reflection Pool

Why do you think we have to break some of society’s “rules” in order to share Christ’s love with our communities?

• What—if anything—frightens you about the ideas in this reading? How can you get past those fears?
• What can you change about your own life and your patterns in order to share Christ’s love with those who are on the fringes of society?