Listen

Seek the Lord when he can still be found; call him while he is yet near.

Let the wicked abandon their ways and the sinful their schemes.

Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them, to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness.

Isaiah 55:6-7

Think

Am I beloved like David, or am I sinful and wicked? Sometimes, we become distracted by that question and put (or keep) people in distinct categories. Often, because we want to be categorized as worthy and not wicked, we distance ourselves from those we imagine are not as righteous. Conversely, we may put ourselves in the “sinful” category, and distance ourselves from those we deem worthier of love and blessing.

This passage invites us into a new way of thinking. God doesn’t separate who is “worthy” and who is “sinful;” all are invited to the banquet and all are welcome at the table.

How do you choose to seek the Lord instead of spending your energy categorizing yourself and those around you? Indeed, each of us is both beloved and sinful. God calls us, in our brokenness as well as our righteousness, to accept care and mercy. God’s invitation to the grand banquet table asks us to listen for and receive God’s forgiveness and love. How do you respond to that invitation today?

Paris Ball

Pray

God, sometimes I spend my energy putting the people around me into categories and wondering how I fit in.

Thank you for reminding me that my time is better spent listening to you and accepting your love.

Thank you for reminding me that I am worthy.

Amen.

Go

O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Spread his praise from shore to shore;
how he loveth, ever loveth,
changeth never, nevermore;
how he watches o’er his loved ones,
died to call them all his own;
how for them he intercedeth,
watcheth o’er them from the throne.

S. Trevor Francis in “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” (1890)