Declining Invitations, Appointments, and Responsibilities

All of us get invitations to go to dinner, to attend a movie, to watch a Rangers game, to meet a doctor for an annual checkup, to teach a class, to attend a class or a lecture or a worship service. Invitations occur all the time.

Luke 14:15-24 relates a wonderful dinner prepared for God. Here is the account:

"One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, 'Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!' Then Jesus said to him, 'Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is ready now.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.' Another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.' Another said, 'I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.' So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the hosue became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes to he town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.' And the slave said, 'Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room' Then the master said tot he slave, 'Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.'"

Anyone who thinks about this story for just a moment MUST chuckle or even laugh out loud. Jesus and other biblical speakers and composers and writers use a great deal of humor to communicate great truths. These excuses are so lame. Yet, we do this all the time. The truth is: I DO NOT WANT TO DO THIS--so, as very creative individuals, we make up excuses which sound good to us. It is not very hard to "see through" these excuses.

When Evelyn and I invite other people to spend an evening in our home for a meal or for conversation, it always hurts us when people "excuse" themselves for not accepting our invitation for this reason or for that reason. Of course, there are legitimate reasons why we must reject an invitation. But often, we decline an invitation because we just do not want to do this.

This also applies to my students. I love all of my students. But I am very boring, and so every now and then, this student or that student tells me or sends me a message that he or she cannot come to class that day, and then gives a "good excuse" he or she cannot come. Of course, sometimes this is legitimate, but sometimes it is not.

Children often help us get a point. Shel Silverstein posts this poem entitled "Sick."

"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more--that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke--
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hold inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is . . . Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

What is your excuse? Yep!!! This is funny. But sometimes it is also sad.

Share your ideas. Talk with your friends. Be truthful. Let me hear from you.

John Willis