In Luke 14, Jesus tells the story of a man who prepares a great banquet. When the invited guests make excuses and don't come, the host does something unexpected. Instead of closing the doors, he opens them wider.
He sends his servant into the streets and alleys to bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. And after they arrive, the servant looks around and discovers something beautiful:
There is still room.
So the host sends him out again.
Keep going. Keep inviting. Keep making room.
I wonder what the Church would look like if we really lived that way.
What if "come as you are" wasn't simply something we said, but something we actually believed? What if church was a place where we didn't have to pretend everything was fine? Where we could come tired. Questioning. Grieving. Hopeful. Carrying wounds that haven't healed yet and mistakes we wish we could undo.
Because the people who eventually filled the table in Jesus' story weren't there because they had earned their place.
They were there because they were invited.
And so are we.
We are all messy people who are deeply and completely loved by God. We all need grace. We all need one another. We all need a place at the table.
And because we know what it feels like to need that invitation ourselves, we get to extend it to others.
So let's keep making room. Keep pulling out chairs. Keep noticing the people who have begun to believe the invitation couldn't possibly be for them. Keep reminding people that they are seen, loved, and wanted in the family of God.
Because when we look around God's table, the good news remains:
There is still room.
