In Luke 14:15 we read: “he said to Jesus, ‘Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.’”

At Westminster Church we’ve started a barbeque in July to celebrate our successful Bible camps. 

Picture a couple hundred people, music playing, kids’ in bouncy castles, face-painting, and hamburgers sizzling. 

A few years ago at the barbeque, a man came up to me on his bicycle. He asked what was going on, if it was open to anyone, and if it was free. Yes, it was. He pulled out a wad of money and asked if he could help pay for it. Then he went to get a hamburger.

It put me in a reflective mood. As I looked around, what did I see?

-I saw someone talking to someone else they hadn’t really talked to before.
-I saw a tired single mom who was so happy that she didn’t need to make dinner (or clean up), and that her kids were getting their faces painted with huge smiles.
-I saw a volunteer wiping down a plastic table after an apple juice spill.
-I saw someone I hadn’t seen before but who clearly hadn’t had anything to eat all day until now.
-I saw someone who seemed pretty well off and was chatting with a stranger, clearly out of their comfort zone.

A baby cries, a senior coughs, a ketchup bottle falls off a table. One of the congregants, Claude, steps up to the mike to say grace. After, the noise continues.

“Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

We thought we had organized a barbeque. Turns out, it was Jesus.

Our job is to say Yes to the invitation and join in with his celebration. 

---

Notes: 

DID YOU KNOW… 
–You can now LISTEN to The Up Devotional wherever you enjoy podcasts!! Here are the links (or above) for iTunes (Apple), Spotify, Google Podcasts and Stitcher.

–The Up Devotional is published 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) and returns on March 1, 2021.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.