Tag: opportunities

Enjoy the Feast

Read Luke 14:15-24

We have become a people of excuses. There always seems to be a ready excuse why we cannot do something. These excuses may appear reasonable and logical. Some situations are appropriately avoided due to safety concerns. Other times circumstances which are not within our control require us to decline an opportunity. Yet, more often than not, we make excuses so we can avoid situations we judge to be unpleasant or too demanding of us. We are more concerned about our comfort or convenience.

Jesus tells a story of excuses. He speaks about the host of a great banquet who invited a number of guests who the host deemed to be deserving of the invitation. When the banquet was ready, each guest had an excuse why they could not attend. With all the food prepared, the hall stood empty. The host  instructs his servants to go into the streets to invite the people to enter the hall and feast. When this did not fully fill the hall, the servants were sent into the countryside until the hall was completely occupied. Then the host declared that those who had received the initial invitation would not be able to enjoy the great food because their place had been taken.

In our lives we are given many opportunities to enjoy the “feast” of life. These opportunities come in the form of moments given to share with others. Sharing of time, resources, love and caring fill these opportunities. Sadly, we can be quick with excuses why we are unable to grasp these moments. The Lord has prepared a banquet of life from which we excuse ourselves. The individuals who accept the invitations find they are able to enjoy a wonderful selection of the finest life has to offer. Each moment feeds the soul in indescribable ways.

Do not excuse yourself from the banquet of life. Seize  the opportunities which the Lord provides you. Taste the sweetness  of each engagement you have with others. Those who decline will never know the great banquet others experience when they accept the invitation.

Such A Time

5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.

6 So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.

9 Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

Esther 4:5-17 (NIV)

Timing can be key in some situations. Submitting an application for a position at just the right time can make the difference in receiving the position or not. Walking into a coffeehouse at a specific moment can lead to an encounter which may open doors to a new opportunity or relationship. An idea may be well received at one time even if it had been rejected at another time. Timing can be the key to success.

The passage from the story of Esther focuses on timing. Esther had caught the eye of the king and the king chose to make her his queen. This placed Esther in a position which would later serve her and the Jews well. When Mordecai shared the plight of Esther’s people with her, she was hesitant to approach the King because of her fear for her own safety. It is only when Mordecai pointed out the true threat to her and her family’s safety did Esther begin to see the call to action in a different light. Then when Mordecai asks Esther if this is the time for which she has been placed where she is, she springs into action.

Each day we are given new opportunities and new challenges. Some of these are small in perspective while others are significant. God is moving us forward and providing us with choices which may lead us to a position where we can make a meaningful impact. Fear can cause us to hesitate from acting on opportunities that our positions may afford us. Just as Mordecai asked Esther, we must ask ourselves if we may have been placed where we are for such a time as this.

Missed Opportunities

13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

18 “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’[a] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”

20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Matthew 19:13-22 (NIV)

There are times in life when an opportunity comes our way but for one reason or another, we do not seize this opportunity. Later, we may realize what we truly missed. Other times we fail to ever have such a realization. Have you ever had such an experience in your life? I know that I have personally allowed opportunities to pass by me.

The writer of Matthew tells of two times an opportunity presented itself during Jesus’s ministry. The first involved children. The children came to Jesus in hopes that he would lay his hands on them and pray for them. The children saw an opportunity and determined to seize it. The disciples were the opposite. Instead of seeing an opportunity to minister to the children and learn from their unbridled faith, they saw the children as a nuisance and tried to send them away. Jesus intervenes, telling the disciples to let the children come to him. He sees an opportunity to teach the disciples about the nature of the kingdom of heaven. He also capitalizes on ministering to the children by laying his hands on them and showing them how important and loved they are in God’s eyes.

The second opportunity shared here does not have such a positive ending. A wealthy man approaches  Jesus to ask him how to ensure he has eternal life. Jesus lists some major commandments to follow which the man claims to be doing already. The man is not convinced that following these commandments is not enough so he seeks from Jesus what else he can do. Jesus instructs the man to sell his possessions, give to the poor and follow Jesus. The man walks away sad because he determines he cannot do this. A missed opportunity has occurred.

These stories cause one to take inventory of missed opportunities in one’s life. When have there been times in which instead of ministering to and/or learning from others, I have seen them as a nuisance and not worthy of my time? When have opportunities to sacrifice or give seem like too high of a price to pay to follow Jesus so I walk away? While no action of mine can take away or guarantee my eternal life, Jesus has already taken care of this for me, the missed opportunities can impact how I understand and live my faith.

How about you? Are you watching for and embracing opportunities to serve and grow in your faith? Be cautious to not see others as a waste of your time because they may be the very ones who can model for you what God is all about. Think carefully concerning what is too high of a price to pay for following Jesus. May the Lord open our eyes to all the opportunities which are placed in our path. May we be like the children and seize every opportunity with Jesus that we are offered.

Learning Opportunities

Two recent events has caused me to reflect upon the importance of learning from individuals who are members of faith communities which are different from my own. Unfortunately, both events share the common thread of hatred and misunderstanding.

The first event occurred almost eight thousand miles away in Christchurch, New Zealand. I am referring to the deadly shootings which took place at two mosques over a week ago. We may never understand what led the man to carry out such an act of hatred. What we do know is that lives were forever changed on that day as we have seen it happen in so many other situations. We also know that one piece of motivation for the shooter was the faith which individuals in those mosques practice.

The second event occurred on my Facebook page. Facebook is good at reminding us about various posts, events, and relationships which have shown up on our timeline. This week Facebook reminded me that on March 26, 2017, I joined others at the Mother Mosque in Cedar Rapids to show support for my Muslim friends and those throughout our nation. There was fear in their lives due to the announcement of possible deportation of certain individuals who had immigrated from other countries. Words of hatred were being spoken throughout our nation because of fear. We gathered on that day to hear from speakers from a variety of faith traditions. We then encircled the Mother Mosque and sang together to show our solidarity in support of those who practice the faith of Islam.

Until moving to Cedar Rapids, I had little understanding regarding the Islamic faith. I had always been open to learning about other Christian faith communities. However, I had never really had an opportunity to meet and have discussion with a Muslim. After moving to Cedar Rapids, I became part of a congregation which was open to learning and understanding people who were different from themselves. The pastor had met and heard one of the Imams from one of two mosques in our community. She invited him to come and speak on two Sundays to our adult class. I was amazed how much I learned. Then after becoming a member of the staff at the church, I had an opportunity to work alongside the Imam and some of his youth. We began a relationship which was enriching for myself and for the youth whom I was leading. We shared in a variety of service projects and enjoyed some educational opportunities.

These thoughts came rushing back into my mind over the last weeks due to the two events which I mentioned earlier. This has reminded me how important it is for us to take advantage of every learning opportunity we may be given with regard to understanding different faith traditions. Whether that learning takes place within our own faith tradition or when we learn from other faith traditions. This is vitally important because fear comes from the unknown and fear can lead us to do acts of hatred on different levels. By learning from one another, the unknown is taken away along with misinformation. We come to see each other as humans and not as “them.” When fear is replaced by knowledge and relationship, our behaviors show our unity and not our separation.