My wife Sandee and I love parties. Especially at Christmas time. There’s nothing quite like family or a group of really good friends gathering to celebrate something they have in common. For followers of Jesus, Christmas is a really joyous time. We celebrate His birth. And we invite others in on the party.
But can you imagine what it would feel like if you weren’t invited? I don’t mean in the cute, cartoony, Charlie-Brown sense. What would it feel like if no one ever really noticed you? You were passed over. Every time.
One of my favorite scenes in the gospels is found in John 8. The story is a familiar one: An anonymous woman is caught in adultery and the religious leaders bring her before Jesus. In a dehumanizing trial-by-force, they’re leveraging this woman’s dignity against Jesus’ claims to divinity. But I just love how Jesus handles this situation.
Remember, this woman is among the most ostracized in her community. She’s clearly a sinner. She lives in shame – constantly overlooked except when someone wants something from her. Ignored and isolated.
But Jesus doesn’t ignore her. He invites her.
Jesus knows she’s a sinner. She knows she’s a sinner. Everyone already agrees on that. But rather than letting this shameful charade go on, Jesus gets to the heart of it: “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” After what must have been an awkward few minutes, the crowd eventually dissipates.
And then Jesus is left standing alone with her. It’s easy to imagine her head hung low, her eyes looking at the dirt as He asks: “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She answers: “No one, Lord.” His response must have felt like pure oxygen: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Can you imagine how that must have felt? All her life – or at least most of it – she was used, passed over, or marginalized. All of sudden someone was inviting her to be a part of something. He didn’t want anything from her. He simply invited her into a life of freedom.
And that’s the best part about how Jesus invites people: There is no one that Jesus can’t reach. We’re all equally sinful, but equally within Jesus’ loving invitation. This Christmas – maybe even while you’re at a Christmas party – think of someone you can invite to encounter Jesus.
