An Invitation

I don't really like to write a blog post that means absolutely nothing to certain people, so I'm not going to do that. But for some of you, portions of this post will mean absolutely nothing. But please keep reading. At this point I don't know how long I'll ramble and there just might be something for everyone.

If you have a Senior High student at Asbury Church in Tulsa, your student has been asked to bring art supplies for the patients at a psychiatric hospital in Central Asia. I can't get anymore specific than that since this post will travel far and wide. But if this part of the post applies to you, you'll know the details of the place.

In Luke 14: 12-13, Jesus, while dining at a Pharisee's house, tells the guests that when they have a banquet it really doesn't count if they invite friends, brothers, relatives or rich neighbors because those people can always return the invitation. Instead, he says, invite the poor, crippled, lame and the blind because they can't repay you - and your reward will come from God, not from man. So the Senior high students at Asbury are inviting the psychiatric patients to the banquet. They are doing something practical for them that most people would never do because most people have decided that these people don't matter...they don't count. But they matter to God, and they count in the kingdom of God, and so they deserve an invitation. So the students are collecting art supplies to send with two of their own when they travel there in the Spring. The patients take art classes, and create beautiful works of art, and our students want to encourage them to continue to develop their talent. The students are learning that the kingdom of God is open to everyone - even (especially?) those that society has tossed aside. As teenagers, they are tempted to put people into categories of those that matter, and those that don't matter. If we can get them to think upside down (because the kingdom of God is all about upside down) then they can help change the world. Sound dramatic? I don't think so. We'll see.

So anyway, if you have a Senior high student, ask them about the list of art supplies, tell them to go shopping and bring the supplies by March 9. Help us help our students invite these precious patients to the banquet. It's going to be a great party.