An Invitation arrives.

 You go to the mailbox. It is a day like any other day. You don't have much expectation for mail. There might be a bill or two. There would probably be some advertisement, there seems to be something like that every day. How can they afford to send out so much junk mail? Then there will be the obligatory credit card application or the "you are approved" loan letter. Really? Do people really fall for that? They must, because they continue to send them out. 

You open the box, pull out the few pieces of mail that the mailman put there, and close the box. Holding your mail, you sort through it. Yep, there is the credit card application. Some things never change. There is the ad paper. Doesn't look like there are any bills today. Wait a moment, what is that? You look at the envelope. What is it?

It looks like an invitation. The envelope looks nice. There is a first class stamp on it, meaning that it is not junk mail.

 

It definitely looks like an invitation. (The sample that I put here is just a sample I pulled off the internet.) You turn it over in your hand. Looking at both sides. Who was it from? There was no return address. Who sent this to you? It is addressed to you. Your name is there. Your address is correct. 

Holding it in your hand, you go into the house. "Hon!" You call out. "Look at what we received today. An invitation." Your spouse responds, "An invitation to what?" "I don't know. I haven't opened it." Tossing it on the table, you walk away.

An invitation is so nice to receive. But if you just look at the envelope and don't open it, the invitation holds nothing for you. You need to open it. But if you just let it sit on the table, you are wasting that invitation.

During Advent, our Wednesday evening services will be following the theme, "Invitation to a Stable." We will be looking at the invitation that is sent to us. The first week, we will see what it announces. Come and join us at St. John at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 1st. (And stay for the dinner served by St. John Noah's Ark. What will they serve? Lasagna!!!! yum)

Next...will the invitation be opened?