Scripture: Luke 14:16-17 – “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, “Come, for everything is ready now.” But they all alike began to make excuses…’” (NRSVUE)
The other day, I was talking about the Sabbath, the day of rest that God asks us to observe, and how for Christians it is observed on Sunday, the first day of the week, rather than on Saturday, the last day of the week when God rested after the labors of creation. But in moving the day to Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, Christians created an interesting shift in meaning. And that is that instead of celebrating the ending of something, we are always celebrating new beginnings.
In God, each new week, each new month or year or day or minute, is a new beginning. God is always giving us new opportunities to do the right thing and to be the people we really want to be. Think of each ending as a Good Friday crucifixion, killing the sins of the past, and each beginning an Easter of forgiveness and new possibilities.
If you have a moment, do this mindfulness exercise to see what I mean. Take a few deep breaths. Every time you breath out, think of all the mistakes, regrets, and destructive behaviors you want to get rid of, and every time you breath in, think of how those mistakes are gone and you that you have hope to move in new directions.
Every moment is a new invitation, but so often we do not take God up on that invitation. Most of the time we ignore it entirely, but sometimes we RSVP in the negative. It reminds of me a parable Jesus told at a dinner where the host asked many people to attend. But they all made excuses, saying that they had other important things to attend to, like new land, new oxen, or a new spouse. Finally the host invited the poor, crippled, and blind to attend, and then anyone else on the street who wanted to come.
Most of the time when Jesus tells a parable, we connect the person in authority, in this case the dinner host, with God. God invites people to feast, to celebrate in the heavenly banquet or the celebration of the Kingdom of God, but we always make excuses. As I just mentioned, God keeps inviting us, and we keep saying no, and so those mistakes, regrets, and destructive behaviors keep piling up and piling up. And yes, we do have obligations and new things to enjoy, but if we do not bring them to God as well, we fall into those negative patterns and so the excitement of their newness fades like that new car smell.
So, as we enter a new month, a new season, and a new school year, tell yourself to stop making excuses! Breathe out all the “I should have”s and all the “yeah, but”s. Breathe in all the hope and resolve you need. Start with a breath, then a minute, then an hour, and before you know it, you are walking on the road to a life of happiness with no excuses needed.
Prayer: Lord, I breathe out my sin and breathe in my redemption. Let the Holy Spirit fill my body with the resolve to love you and my neighbor. Amen.
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