As you collect the day’s mail from your mailbox and mindlessly thumb through the envelopes you notice something quite different among the anticipated bills and throw-away coupons: your name and address in brushed handwriting and a familiar name in the return address. Happy curiosity, a friend has thought of you and written to you personally. Further, you open the note to find an invitation to be together with that person. Joy and connection characterize an invitation. Such an exchange honors personhood and relationship. Additionally, invitations are meant to elicit a response. Through Luke 11:23-26, Steve teaches that Jesus is presenting himself as an invitation to each of us. And such a magnificent invitation necessitates a response.
