Lord Jesus,
You extend a royal invitation to Your banquet a feast not of food alone, but of mercy, joy, and eternal belonging.
You call not the perfect, not the proud,
but the willing, the weary, the ones who will simply come.
And still, I confess. I hesitate.
I let distractions speak louder than Your voice.
I fill my hands with lesser things
and convince myself I’m too busy, too broken, too unworthy.
Forgive me, Lord, for every time I turned away from joy,
for every time I treated Your invitation as optional.
Clothe me in the garments of grace.
Cover my shame in Your righteousness.
Help me take my seat with trembling gratitude and humble joy.
You told of guests who made excuses
some too wrapped up in their business,
others too comfortable in their routines.
And I see myself there
always intending to come to You,
but often waiting for a more convenient time.
Change me, Jesus.
Let me not be the one who misses the moment.
Make me respond today with urgency, with awe, with surrender.
You reminded us that Your kingdom is full of surprises
the outsiders welcomed in, the proud left outside.
Lord, protect me from the sin of assumption.
Help me never think I’ve earned a seat at Your table.
Let me walk in with the awe of one who was found on the street
and brought into a royal feast.
And then You silenced the proud with wisdom
Pharisees and Sadducees trying to trap You with words
but You answered with truth that pierced their games.
You weren’t playing; You were revealing hearts.
Reveal mine too.
Where I try to impress, humble me.
Where I hide behind knowledge or reputation, expose me.
Make me honest before You nothing more, nothing less.
When asked what matters most,
You didn’t point to ritual or performance.
You said love.
Love for God with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind.
Love for my neighbor as myself.
I confess how far I fall from that command.
How quickly I let fear overshadow faith.
How often I protect my comfort instead of loving my neighbor.
How easily I say I love You, yet keep You at a safe distance.
So Holy Spirit burn away the lukewarm,
the half hearted, the distracted.
Ignite in me a love that consumes
every part of my divided soul.
Let love for You be the root of every decision,
every desire, every word I speak.
And let that love spill out into my relationships
not just the easy ones,
but the broken ones, the strained ones, the ones that hurt.
Give me a heart quick to forgive,
slow to judge,
eager to serve.
You said all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commands.
So let my entire life hang there too
on love that is real, costly, and holy.
You warned that those who reject Your invitation
do so at the cost of their very souls.
But still. You invite.
Still, You pursue.
Still, Your arms are open.
So I come not polished, not perfect, but present.
And I say yes again.
Yes to Your grace.
Yes to Your kingdom.
Yes to loving You with all I am.
Let my life be a living "thank You"
to the King who called me from the roadside
and sat me at His table.
May I never forget the mercy that made a seat for me.
In Your gracious and holy name, Jesus,
Amen.