INVITE

The tune

Inviting. Something we do almost every day.

 “ Let’s go have lunch”.

“ Would you like to get a coffee?”

“ I’m having a little get-together this weekend”.

“ Wanna grab a beer after work?”

It’s easy – we do it all the time.

So why is it so hard to invite someone to church? Or why do we shy away from this spiritual practice?

There are likely as many reasons as there are members of our congregation. I’m going to hazard a guess here and wager that most of them boil down to fear of some sort. Fear that we’ll say the wrong thing. Fear that the offer will be rejected. Fear that we’ll damage a friendship or work relationship by taking it into another realm. Fear that we’ll come off sounding like a two-bit judgmental TV preacher “ Have you asked JEEE-sus into your heart?”

But mostly it may be because we haven’t done our homework.

By inviting, we’re not selling something. Just like our daily casual invitations, we are opening up the opportunity for a deeper relationship because you enjoy the person’s company. An invitation to church is an invitation to that person to share something that you find enriching to your life.

We earn the right to invite. In order to do that we must invest in people first. Listen and learn their stories. Learn their passions, their longings and share with them the same. Then suggest something or talk about something to help you connect on a spiritual level. If the person gets to know you and wants to know more about why you live your life the way you do, they’ll make a point to find out. Once your conversation turns to things spiritual, the invitation will flow naturally.  You don’t need to answer their questions about God, evil, bad things that have been done in the name of religion, you are just inviting them to a place where they can explore those questions in the company of others with similar concerns.

Inviting is not about talking people into beliefs, it’s being ready to give an explanation for the hope you have and admit the doubts you have.  And that you have found a place that lets you do both and more!

Lord,  replace our fears with joy so that we may be hospitable members of your church, inviting and welcoming all.

Amen.

Paul S.