[This reflection by The HBC Team was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 26/Oct/2025]
If you’ve ever hosted a dinner party, you’ll know the slight panic when people don’t show up. The food’s ready, the table’s laid, and you keep glancing at the clock, wondering where everyone is.
Jesus once told a story like that – about a host who prepared a great banquet, only for every invited guest to find something “more important” to do. So the host opened the doors wide and invited anyone and everyone. The story is about God, of course – the God who keeps setting the table, keeps sending the invitations, and keeps saying, “There’s room for you”.
We’ve been exploring that in our recent Open Invitation series: what it means to reflect that same heart in the way we live. Because God’s invitation hasn’t expired. The table is still set. But it seems fewer people are RSVPing these days.
Many assume the church is for “other people.” Too religious, too exclusive, too … something. Yet at its best, the church is meant to be the open door – the visible sign of a God who still welcomes, still forgives, still makes space.
That’s why invitation matters. Not the pushy, awkward kind that makes people squirm, but the gentle, natural kind that flows from friendship – the “come and see” moments when we share life and faith because it’s part of who we are.
The truth is, we’re not the hosts of the party – we’re the messengers. Our job is simply to pass on the invite. The meal’s already been cooked, the grace already prepared.
So maybe this month, as you go about ordinary life, you could look for someone who’s still outside the hall – someone who might just need a simple, genuine invitation. A word of welcome. A reminder that God’s table is big enough for them too.
Because the table is still set. And there’s still room.
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Last Sunday’s reflection: Having Higher Standards Than God? by David Makanjuola
Contributed by The HBC Team; © The HBC Team