God is welcoming
Everyone he has brought from the east and the west,
the north and the south... You should praise the Lord
for his love
and for the wonderful things
he does for all of us. ~ Psalm 107:3,8 (CEV)
“The servant reported back, ‘Master, I did what you commanded—and there’s still room.’
“The master said, ‘Then go to the country roads. Whoever you find, drag them in. I want my house full! ~ Luke 14:22-23 (MSG)
SUMMARY SENTENCE:
God is welcoming.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for the invitation to participate in your Kingdom feast. I confess my distraction and propensity to fill up on fast food while I'm on the way to the feast. Keep me focused and hungry for the best. I'm going to join with all the other revelers in the packed house to sing of your love and justice. Amen.
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
