Unlikely Guests

I LOVE this time of year…the crisp leaves crunching under our feet, the cool air and mixture of bright sunshine and cloudy days…the building anticipation of the holidays just over the horizon.  At my house, the fall decorations are all up, the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin spices are looming in the air (thanks to my stock of candles) and I find myself thinking about what fun get-togethers I can come up with.  I love spending time with my girlfriends, whether we are getting together for a meal and conversation, having a baking or jam making party, a game night…doesn’t really matter to me.  I just love hanging out with other women, talking about real life and sharing a ton of laughs…and we laugh a lot!!  But we also share our hearts and our struggles and at times our tears.

As we head into this particular holiday season, I’m highly aware of a lot of hurting people around me… women struggling with health issues, families that are falling apart, marriages in distress, financial stressors, parenting struggles, churches under attack, relationships in crisis, depression, loneliness, and a whole lot of loss.  It can be overwhelming at times to think about all the pain that is being experienced by the women around me.  I’ve found myself asking how to help them…how to reach out and share God’s love and grace to these broken daughters of the King.

This morning I ran across a post in a blog that really spoke to my heart.  The author was sharing that like myself, she loves to plan events, get-togethers, and specifically parties for her kids and one of the things she and her children spend a lot of time working on is the guest lists for these various events.  Here’s an excerpt from her post:

“When my children and I make their party guest lists together, we prayerfully ask the Lord to put those on our hearts who would be blessed by receiving an invitation. Perhaps a friend who is not financially able to host birthday parties themselves. Or someone who is dealing with paralyzing emotional pain. Maybe someone whose parents are going through a divorce. Perhaps a friend who is shy and tends to be socially isolated. Or the one who has rough edges, is not easy to be around and doesn't see God's loving acceptance of them. The poor, the lame, the crippled and the blind.

Truth is, without Jesus and His redemptive love, we are all "the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." Even in Christian circles, we can feel like the outcast or the unwanted guest. We've all experienced that "I wasn't invited" feeling. An invitation speaks of acceptance, inclusion, care, love, worth and friendship. God's Word tells us to extend invitations to unassuming guests.

The Lord of Hosts beckons us to come to His wedding banquet. As we unfold and accept His invitation, we are seated at the table of the King. Just as we are chosen by God to be guests of honor at His party, let's select unlikely guests and place them at the top of our own guest lists. You are honoring God by inviting the poor, lame, crippled and blind. "He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God" (Proverbs 14:31, NIV).”

~Sharon Sloan

http://www.proverbs31.org/devotions/the-guest-list-2009-11/

The holiday season is upon us and if you’re anything like me, there will be a variety of family functions, work Christmas parties, and get-togethers that I will be either attending or hosting.  But this idea of inviting “unlikely guests” speaks to my heart in a deep way.  It doesn’t matter how old we get, the human nature of our hearts desires to be accepted…to be loved…to be seen and matter to others.

So my challenge to all of us (myself included) is to reach out to the broken and hurting…to include the “unlikely guests” on our guest lists this season and to send them an invitation.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a get-together.  Here are a few ideas:

1. Invite women to bring their Christmas cards or craft projects and spend an afternoon or evening working on them while enjoying some great conversation and some coffee/tea and cookies.
2. Host a game night and ask the ladies to bring a snack to share.
3. Invite a group of ladies to come over for a day of baking.  The idea is that each person brings a recipe or two and ingredients and once everything is made, each woman goes home with a little of each recipe.   Or…as a group you could put together goodie baskets, add a note of encouragement or a scripture, and give them out to others that are struggling or just need to be blessed.

Be creative and think about the woman that perhaps attends your church, but sits in the back quietly and leaves without interacting with others…or the single mom who is overwhelmed and struggling…or the woman who struggles with social skills, but desperately wants to be a part of the group.  Ask God to show you who you can bless in this way and then choose to be the hands and feet of Jesus in her life.

"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." 

~Hebrews 13:2

"...not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
~Philippians 2:4

"And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
~Hebrews 13:16