After last night, I know something of how the master in Christ’s parable of the master’s dinner felt. When I phoned the pastor of my local church to announce that I wanted to show folks a video called Darwin’s Dilemma at my home to anybody who was interested, he liked the idea. He also promised he would put it in the church bulletin and mention it the next Sunday.
Pastor Wayne was as good as his word and announced my “video night” from the pulpit as he gave the introduction to the service. Though I haven’t attended Sunday worship at Redwater Alliance since 2005, people there still remember me. I’m also on their prayer chain so I still have some contact with that congregation.
The evening finally came for my screening of this excellent video from Illustra Media. The coffee machine was set to go and I had purchased some bite-sized wafers from a local discount store. I cleaned the bathroom and kitchen as well as vacuuming the living room rug. Then I waited for guests to arrive.
Seven o’clock came but nobody arrived. I waited a half hour but still no church friends came. One woman did reply last weekend with an e-mail message saying she and her husband couldn’t attend because they played volleyball that evening. I had a feeling nobody else would turn up but I got everything ready just in case.
Though I feel sad that no one attended my “video night,” I know that people tend to be busy during the week with other activities. Even so, I had hoped my Christian friends would have been interested in the topic of creation. I guess I’ll have to munch on all the goodies myself then since we don’t have any extremely poor people here in Radway to invite to my feast.
For those who haven’t heard Christ’s parable, here is Luke’s account of it as recorded in the fourteenth chapter of his gospel (verses 16 to 24) from The Bible in Basic English.
And he said to them, A certain man gave a great feast, and sent word of it to a number of people.
And when the time had come, he sent his servants to say to them, Come, for all things are now ready.
And they all gave reasons why they were not able to come. The first said to him, I have got a new field, and it is necessary for me to go and see it: I am full of regret that I am unable to come.
And another said, I have got some cattle, and I am going to make a test of them: I am full of regret that I am unable to come.
And another said, I have been married, and so I am not able to come.
And the servant came back and gave his master an account of these things. Then the master of the house was angry and said to the servant, Go out quickly into the streets of the town and get the poor, the blind, and those who are broken in body.
And the servant said, Lord, your orders have been done, and still there is room.
And the lord said to the servant, Go out into the roads and the fields, and make them come in, so that my house may be full. For I say to you that not one of those who were requested to come will have a taste of my feast.
As for my own attendance of Wednesday evening Bible studies, my new book shows how dedicated I was, and still am, to studying Scripture. Check it out at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Virtual Bookworm Publishers.
Bruce Atchison - author 