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Newsletter 10/3/2024

Writer's picture: Clovis AVClovis AV

Go then to where the roads exit the city and invite everyone you find to the banquet. - Matthew 21:9


I have to be honest. Sometimes I just don’t want to go to certain events I’m invited to. There, I said it. And I’m sure that I’m not alone in this. Now, of course I always want to attend the special occasions that you the reader ask me to come to. No doubt :-) It’s those others ones I struggle with. There are different reasons for this. My calendar gets booked up quite quickly and there are those rare times when I know that I’m going to get slaughtered if I R.S.V.P. Too many events, too little time. Also, every so often I would just rather stay at home and relax and do nothing…which is rare because even when I’m at home I drift into finding something to do. Then there are those functions that you just know are going to drain the life out of you. But you gotta do what you gotta do. My final excuse is, I’m an introvert and crowds of people scare me. And yet, most, if not all of the time, I end up enjoying myself at the end of the day. Attending weddings, birthday parties, baby showers, and gatherings aren’t so bad after all, I reason. So please don’t stop inviting me. If I can, I’ll be there. 


Then there are those moments when we wish we were invited to something but we weren’t. What a bummer. Like when we see our friends post a photo on Social Media of them having fun at someone’s house or at a restaurant and we think, “what gives, why wasn’t I asked to go?”. That hurts. We start to imagine things after that. We wonder if they really like us, or we try to convince yourself that we don’t really care anyway..and that’s a lie. It would be nice just to get the invitation right, even if you can’t go…or don’t want to? We want to feel appreciated and loved and like our company is good company. We sometimes have a fear of missing out (FOMO) and just hope to be included in whatever enjoyable or bizarre thing will unfold at the gathering. We’ll make memories, laugh, fill up our love cups, and return home with that airy and buzzy sense that the event created meaning in our lives. We connected superficially or deeply, and which one doesn’t really matter as long as we were there. 


Let’s pivot. God is planning an event. And I like the fact that He does not have a short guest list. He does not extend invitations to only a select few of His good friends while the rest are left to question and wonder if they are worthy of being welcomed. He mails out invites to the entire population of planet earth. In every age, past or present, Christ has extended to humanity the invitation of a lifetime. While people love to be asked to go to exclusive affairs, concerts, sports games and the like, the Lord is offering something exceedingly better. And it is open to all. The eternal kingdom, the forever party, the wedding feast of the Son, is being prepared now. The gospel is the invite and no one needs to experience FOMO in this respect. But some will. There will be individuals who do not want to go. Some would rather stay home. Some are too busy and the calendar can’t quite fit this one in. They leave the invitation on the shelf, on the desk, next to the bed, and fail to respond. And too bad, because there will be no posting about Heaven after the fact on some celestial social media account. One has to be there, or they miss out entirely. And not only that, the rejected invite hurts the heart of God. I know what it’s like to invite someone to something and they can’t or don’t want to come. I feel the loss. God has a table and a place ready with our names neatly written next to our saved seat. And if we do not make it, God feels the loss. The expense for the gathering was paid for with the life of Jesus. Your spot is reserved.  So consider today, that the Lord is calling and welcoming you into that which is greater than all other events you’ll ever attend. And the only remaining question is, have you sent Him your R.S.V.P.?


We have the beautiful privilege of celebrating Communion this coming weekend. I encourage you to pray, humble your heart, search your motives, surrender yourself in preparation for the feast of Christ. Make peace with those you are at odds with. Take this seriously. We will see the glory of God together in worship. We will also dive into the word and unpack Matthew 22 as we continue with our teaching series The Life and Teachings of Jesus: Invitations. Blessings until we see one another this Sabbath. 


Pastor Dean

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2370 Helm Ave

Clovis, CA 93612

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