"Jesus was invited to parties."

A thought by Kyle Idleman, from his book, One at a Time (p. 128). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

That is a very interesting thought.

Kyle continues, "It says something that people wanted him at their parties. For instance, in John 2 we read of a wedding party and we’re told, 'Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding' (v. 2).

"Doesn’t that seem a little weird? If you didn’t know anything about Jesus or the Bible, and someone told you that God came to earth and lived a human life, would you expect this God-human to be invited to parties?"

He goes on, "I might guess that people would be like, 'Don’t invite the God-human. He’ll be walking around with his good/bad checklist on a clipboard, spying around corners, shaking his head in disapproving ways. It’s a hard no to inviting the God-human.'

"But that’s not what happened. Jesus was invited to parties. Someone making their list of who was wanted at the party said, 'Oh! We definitely need to invite Jesus. He’s a lot of fun. People love him!'

"Question: Are you invited to parties? Do the people who know you—in your neighborhood or at work—want you around because you’re positive and fun and encouraging? Or do you not get the invite because people assume you’d stand in a corner giving everyone a disapproving stink eye?"

Kyle says, "Jesus was invited to parties, and he accepted the invitations.

"Again, this is a bit surprising to me. I would assume Jesus wouldn’t have the time. Wedding parties back then were weeklong events. Jesus knew his time was limited. He had a lot to accomplish.

"I can picture his administrative assistant saying, 'Well, looks like you have to write your '"Sermon on the Mount"'—by the way, are you still sure that’s the best name for it? No disrespect, but I just can’t picture that going viral. What about '"How to Be Happy"' or something a little more catchy? Anyway, you have to write that, and there’s your leadership pipeline. You’ve got these junior executives you’ve chosen who, frankly, need a lot of training. Also, you’ve got to perform at least a few miracles sometime soon. We need to create some momentum. So, weeklong wedding party? Sorry, no can do. That’s not going to happen.'

Kyle then says, "Do you accept invitations to parties? Too often Christians can stay in the comfort of their Christian bubble, avoiding social situations that might be awkward.

"I get it. I’ll choose comfortable over awkward every time. But that’s not the choice Jesus made, and I choose to follow Jesus."

That is a very thought provoking thought, isn't it? Maybe we need to put some parties into our schedule so we too can make a difference. Yes, yes! #continuethought