[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Come to My Party

[Joe Parrish]

Forwarded:



-----Original Message-----
From: Frank Fisher <f.fisher.obl.osb at comcast.net>
To: PRCL-L <PRCL-L at LISTSERV.LOUISVILLE.EDU>; midrash <midrash at joinhands.com>; propertalk.topic <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>; SBA <SBA at SBAbbey.com>
Sent: Fri, Oct 7, 2011 10:24 am
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Come to My Party



ere's my second draft for Sunday, the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The
ericope is Matthew 22:1-14
__
Frank R. Fisher, Obl OSB
ww.ffisher.net
nterim Pastor
irst Presbyterian Church of Gibson City, IL
ttp://www.firstpresbygc.org
aka
Brother Oscar Romero
blate of St. Benedict's Abbey
artonville, IL
ww.SBAbbey.com

I pray not that you walk in my shoes - nor I yours - but that together we
alk so close to Rabbi Jesus that we are covered with dust from his
andals." - Neal Rylaarsdam

________________________________
"I’m not invited 
o the party!"
hose words 
ass from your lips
n a scream 
f fourth grade anguish.
hey’re accompanied,
f course,
y an enormous
lood of tears.
Your mother 
ries to console you,
ut you won’t be 
onsoled today.
or you can see 
he mail carrier’s back
s he recedes 
nto the distance.
nd you can see 
he stack of mail;
 stack 
illed with things
like catalogues 
nd letters.
nce you thought
such things 
ere wonderful.
ut they don’t make it 
oday.
hey don’t make it
ecause today’s 
he day 
f the birthday party.
he party,
t seems,
o which
you’re not invited.
It was weeks ago
hen you’d first heard 
bout the party.
ou’d heard 
how one of the 
ew girls
ho’d just moved 
o your school
ad planned to invite 
 few friends
o a small
birthday celebration.
But then 
he plans for the 
mall 
elebration
rew and grew.
efore long
everyone you knew
as talking about 
hat looked like
 birthday party 
o end 
ll birthday parties.
here were going to be 
lowns and acrobats,
ugglers and dancing dogs.
his was one party
ou definitely 
anted to attend.
But when the invitations 
ent out,
ou didn’t get one.
t first
you’d thought
our invitation 
ad been lost 
n the mail.
o everyday 
ou kept searching 
hrough the mailbox
oping against hope
he missing invitation 
ad arrived.
 But now,
ith the party’s starting time 
nly minutes away,
ou finally 
ave to face facts.
ou’re not going.
Tears of disappointment
rickle down 
our cheeks
s you tell your mother 
ou’re skipping supper
nd heading off 
o bed.
ou place your foot
n the first step 
f the stairway 
o your bedroom,
nd then
the doorbell rings.
ou slowly trudge 
o the doorway,
hrow open the door,
nd stand there staring
hile your mouth 
rops open 
ith astonishment.
or there 
n your front steps
s the girl 
ho’s having 
he party.
You stand there
staring 
or just a moment
s you try to think 
f something 
o say.
hen before your bewildered mind 
tops spinning
he girl timidly speaks up.
"I’m sorry 
 didn’t invite you 
o my party,"
he quietly says.
I thought
I’d invite 
ll the people
ho’re popular 
t school.
ou know the ones 
 mean.
 thought all of them 
ere my friends.
ut none of them 
howed up.
nd when I went to their houses 
o ask them 
hy they didn’t come,
hey only laughed.
hen they tore up 
heir invitations
nd threw them 
n my face.
I guess they weren’t my friends 
fter all.
 know 
 didn’t invite you
nd I know
you’re probably mad 
t me.
ut will you please 
e my friend?
ill you come 
o my party?"
You stop for just a second 
o say goodbye 
o your mother
s you skip out the door 
ith your new found friend.
nvited or not,
othing in the world
could keep you 
ndoors.
ou’re not really sure
hat’s happened 
hat’s allowed you 
o attend.
ou only know
how much you rejoice.
or you’re going  
o the party.
"Are you sure
this grade’s right?’
hose words 
lip through your lips
ith a leaden feeling 
f finality.
 feeling telling you
hat the answer’s 
oing to be.
or you’re standing 
n your professor’s 
ffice
hile you look
at your report card.
he report card
howing the ruin 
f your college career.
It had been 
 long and hard 
emester;
he hardest one
f your college career.
ut you also knew 
t was the 
ast semester
f your college career.
o you’d attacked your work 
ith a will
s you looked forward 
o the party;
he big party 
he college always 
hrew
o congratulate
all of the graduates.
This was rumored 
o be quite 
 party.
t was an event 
overed by newspapers 
nd journals
rom across the country.
There was no doubt 
n your mind 
ou’d be attending 
he party.
or  you’d done well 
n all of your papers
nd all of your tests.
t least you’d thought 
ou’d done well.
ut now 
s you look 
t the grim look
n your professor’s 
ace
ou know 
ou haven’t done 
ell enough.
ou’re not going 
o the graduation party.
nd it looks like
ou’re headed 
or another year 
f school.
The professor tells you 
hey’ve offered
he additional year 
o you
s an alternative
to your flunking out
entirely.
You quickly 
eave your professor’s office
nd head back 
o your dorm room 
o pack.
or you’ve decided 
ou’ll clear out of here 
ight away
efore you encounter 
oo many
of your graduation party bound 
riends.
But just as you’re sitting 
n your last suitcase
n a desperate effort 
o jam it shut,
here’s a knock at the door 
o your dorm room.
lowly 
ou go to the door to open it
ith your mind 
till full 
f the details 
f packing.
nd then 
s you open the door
ou stand stock still 
ith astonishment.
here at your door’s 
he professor 
ho’d just flunked you.
ou stand there
wondering 
hat other bad news 
he has for you.
ut she pushes past you
nd sits down 
n the edge 
f your bed.
For a minute
he just sits there
s she shakes her head 
ack and forth.
t looks like 
he’s trying 
o figure out
omething;
omething 
hich seems to be 
onfusing her.
nd then 
hen she speaks
ou’re the one 
ho’s confused.
"They didn’t show up,"
he says slowly.
ll of the newspapers 
nd the magazines
re there 
aiting for them.
nd they didn’t 
how up!
o one came 
o the graduation party.
hey told us
hey don’t want 
o graduate.
I know 
 told you
ou weren’t supposed 
o graduate.
ut would you like to 
nyway?
Please,
et us graduate you.
ome with me 
o the party.
You stop for just a second 
o pop the lid
n your 
training suitcase
s you race out the door 
ith your professor.
or whether or not 
ou were invited 
othing in the world 
ould keep you 
n your dorm room.
ou’re not really sure
hat’s happened 
hat’s allowed you 
o attend.
ou only know
how much you rejoice.
or you’re going  
o the party.
"All in all
’d rather stick pins 
n my eyes
r drink bleach!"
hose words 
lide angrily 
hrough your lips
n response 
o your friend’s question.
or she’s just asked you
f you’d like 
o attend a party.
Ordinarily
a party’s 
ust the type of thing 
ou’d like to attend.
ut this 
s a special type of party.
t’s a wedding reception.
nd it’s not just 
ny old 
edding reception.
t’s 
he wedding reception
or the man
you were going 
o marry.
You’d been engaged 
or almost a year
hen he’d called off 
he wedding.
nd it was going to be 
uch a nice 
edding.
t was not only 
oing to be 
 wedding
elebrating your marriage 
o a very special person.
o describe it bluntly
t was going to be 
 huge bash!
You’d personally 
laned the wedding
nd
the wedding reception.
ou knew 
t was going to be 
 celebration
ike no celebration 
ou’d ever seen.
nd even though
the engagement 
as been broken
ou’ve heard 
he wedding plans
ave remained 
he same.
So it was still
going to be a great party.
ut there was no way 
ou’re going to 
 reception
or a wedding 
hich was supposed to be 
our own.
You’re still fuming 
t your friend
hen you hear a pounding 
t the door.
ou aren’t sure 
ou want to talk 
o anyone else today.
fter all 
hoever’s there
ight emulate your friend
nd try to talk you
into attending the party.
But then 
ith an almost automatic 
eflex
ou’re driven 
o open the door.
nd when you open it
ou see someone
you certainly didn’t expect 
o see.
or there 
tanding 
n your threshold
s your ex-fiancé.
He stands there 
or several minutes.
nd you stand there too
ot knowing 
hat to say 
o him.
But then 
e breaks the silence
nd in an earnest voice 
ays,
She didn’t show up.
verything’s ready.
he minister’s there,
the flowers are there,
the band’s there,
the photographers are there
nd all of the guests
are there.
ut she 
sn’t there.
 thought 
 loved her.
 thought 
he loved me.
 looks like 
 was wrong.
he told me
he won’t 
arry me.
I know
I broke our engagement.
ut will you 
till 
arry me?
ill you come 
o our wedding?
ill you come 
o our party?
You stop for just a second 
o say goodbye 
o your friend
s you skip out the door
with your 
ew - old fiancé.
For invited or not,
othing in the world
could keep you 
n your apartment.
ou’re not really sure
hat’s happened 
hat’s allowed you 
o attend.
ou only know
how much you rejoice.
or you’re going  
o the party.
"I
m
n deep trouble"
hose words 
pill from your lips;
ips you’d been sure
ould never 
peak again.
or you’re
ead.
t least 
ou remember 
ying.
ou remember
being surrounded
y your family
s your sight and hearing 
lowly 
aded away.
ou remember 
heir hands
ently touching yours 
s you took 
our last breath.
But you certainly 
on’t remember
eing in the place 
ou’re in now.
t’s an amazing place
ou have to admit;
 place 
illed with light 
nd music;
 place 
hich seems to be 
illed 
ith joy.
ut mostly
t seems a place
filled with 
 Presence;
n awesome 
resence
hich dominates this place 
nd everyone 
n it.
Then as you continue 
o sense 
his presence
ou fall 
o your knees.
or suddenly 
ou know 
our death must indeed
ave been real.
ou know 
he Presence 
ou feel
ust be the presence
f the One
who created you.
nd you know 
he quality 
f your mortal life
gives you no right 
o exist 
or even a moment
n the presence 
f God.
But as you continue 
o sink down 
n despair
here’s a tap 
t your shoulder.
tartled
you look up
o find a face 
ooking down 
t you.
t’s a face 
ou’ve never seen 
efore.
et somehow 
t’s a face you know 
ery well.
ut before 
ou can identify 
his person
ho’s looking at you,
he identification’s 
rovided.
"Welcome,"
he person says.
Welcome 
o my parent’s house.
y name’s Jesus
nd I’ve been 
xpecting you."
Your terror now 
nows no bounds
s you stammer out 
 confession
f all 
ou’ve done.
nd then 
ou tell Jesus
how you don’t deserve 
o be invited 
nto God’s presence.
But Jesus 
imply smiles,
nd then replies,
Come on,
here’s a party 
oing on;
 party 
here there’s been a place 
et 
or you
ince the beginning 
f eternity.
on’t worry 
bout the fact
hat you’ve never received 
n invitation.
or I arranged for you 
o attend
his party
ong, long ago
on a hill 
alled 
olgotha."
You stop then 
or just a second 
o say goodbye 
o your mortal life
s you race toward the party 
and in hand
ith the Lord 
f all life.
or invited or not,
othing in the world 
r beyond it
ould keep you 
rom this party.
You’re not really 
ure
hat’s happened 
o allow you 
o attend.
ou only know
how much 
ou rejoice.
or you’re going  
o the party.
ou’re going
o the wedding feast
f the Lamb.
To God alone be glory.
men.


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