Calls

Invitations are weird in their own sweet way.  At times they bring a sense of joy, wonder, and inclusiveness.  On other occasions, they are a source of resentment, frustration, and even anger.  What is for one may be the opposite for another.  Regardless of the intent of the sender, an invitation is often viewed from the perspective of the receiver.  How does he or she see the context of the invitation?  What is the perceived intent of the sender?  Is there more to the story than simply the words on a piece of paper?
 
I know there are some invitations that come with an agenda.  Frequently the obligations are associated with gifts but that is not the true point of an invitation.  I would like to suggest that an invitation is simply a call to community.  It is a formal notice that someone else would like you, the receiver, to be part of something special.  I do admit that some “inviters” have ulterior motives.  Yet in every invitation there is an unique opportunity to be part of something wonderfully unique.  It often occurs in a singular moment in time that once past can never be recreated in the same way again.
 
My God of Compassion has and is giving you and me the opportunity to engage in Divinity’s work.  The call starts out with a voice we do not always recognize.  “Someone says: ‘Build, build! Make a road!  Clear the way, remove the rocks from the road my people will travel.’”  (Isaiah 57.14)  It continues with specifics on how we can be engaged in the business of living with those around us.  It is an extraordinary call to action that fundamentally changes the world in which we live.  While others have wrapped their agendas around it, God’s invitation comes simply as it is: a call to compassion, a call to love, a call to walk side by side with those on a journey towards Divinity.
 
The call comes as we wake with the dawn.  We can be history makers today.  We can respond to God’s invitation.