Who You Need to Have Over for Dinner

We are here as members of the body of Christ, disciples of Jesus, seeking to build the Kingdom of God here in this place in Moscow, Idaho and throughout the Palouse. We are citizens of the heavenly Kingdom come to colonize this place for our King Jesus. This city is built primarily out of people, but it includes and extends to every area of human endeavor. It is as broad as the universe that our God has made, but it is built on mercy and forgiveness and love. It is not built like many other cities and nations on strength or power or might or intelligence. It is built on sacrifice, sharing, giving, caring for the needs of others ahead of our own, blessing enemies, lifting up the poor and needy and suffering. But as we do this, we will inevitably run into our own brokenness, our own sin, our own folly. In other words, we cannot pretend to be building a city of grace, if we are not regularly exercising that grace. We cannot pretend to have grace for a drug addict or a mental patient or shut-ins in the nursing homes, if we do not have grace for one another. The natural human tendency is to avoid conflict, to avoid hard conversations, to avoid spending time with those with whom we have differences or wherever there have been strains or tensions. But Jesus sends us into the fray with His love and grace. Jesus says that we must not back away from our enemies, from those who may have wronged us or from those who do not seem to appreciate our love for them. The command of Jesus is to do good to those who have wronged you, to do good to those who do not appreciate your kindness, to love your enemies. And practically this means that if there is anyone in this room with you today or any brother or sister or neighbor who you wonder if everything is OK. Perhaps there was a short exchange, a couple of bumpy emails, maybe a misunderstanding, whatever. If there’s even the slightest hint of tension or unease, you need to invite them over for dinner. This doesn’t mean that you should get all suspicious of all the dinner invites you receive. (Unless you suddenly have fifteen dinner invites this next week). The principle is that we are building a city together, with one another, out of love and care for one another. Grace and mercy and forgiveness is the mortar, and you are all the bricks. The point isn’t to invite people over for dinner in order to have show downs or awkward conversations. The point is to love one another. Do good toward one another. Sometimes the kinks will work themselves out, and sometimes a brief clarifying question or assurance will smooth any wrinkles out. But the point is love. The point is to do good to one another, and then to invite the world into this grace.