The Best Invitation We Could Get

I love invitations. Like this one from a friend celebrating a birthday. The card is all decked out in groovy 1970s colors. “Come on man,” it says, “It’s a ‘70s party. Can you dig it? Don your best polyester and platform shoes then boogie on over to my pad. It’ll be far out. Don’t be a spaz. Be there or be square.” Well, if you lived through the ‘70s, you know exactly what he meant.

Of course, some are taking wedding invitations to a whole new level of extravagance. One couple had a policeman friend hand-deliver district criminal court subpoenas to their guest list. The summonses read, “You are hereby commanded to appear before the District Court on August 30, at 2:30 PM to testify as a witness to the marriage of Mark and Christie. Failure to appear is punishable by law. Save the date.”

A young couple from Eastern Europe immigrated to the United States but struggled with the language and culture. One day a wedding invitation arrived. At the bottom were those cryptic letters: RSVP. It’s French of course, “répondez s’il vous plait,” or “please respond.” They talked about it and finally the husband said,

“Vife, I know vat it means: RSVP. Remember Send Vedding Presents.”

I love it when a friend invites me to play golf or my wife invites me to enjoy dinner. I say “yes” every time. Yet there are three invitations I turn down regularly.

The first one is to rest. Jesus said in Matthew 11, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Start your day there. Not with your phone or your newspaper, just come to him. Keep company with Jesus. You’ll learn to walk freely and lightly. Rest.

Secondly, we are invited to pray. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” David responded to that invitation. “O Lord…Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips. I am praying to you because I know you will answer.” Pray.

Third, drink. It’s the final invitation in the Bible found in Revelation 22. “Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.” The date on the invitation is today. The time is now. Throughout history, wise men and women have responded to this RSVP with a yes. Rest. Pray. Drink of the water of life. God bless you as you walk with Jesus today.