“And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and the hedges and press upon them to come in, so that my house will be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my dinner.’”

When was a time you felt left out? Most of us know that feeling, whether it was intentional or just unfortunate timing. In this parable, the people out in the roads, hedges, and outskirts represented the lowest in society. They were commonly and intentionally left out. Yet the master extended the invitation to these people. His call was simple. He didn’t cure them before they arrived or give them a reserved place far from the other guests, He simply invited them to come.

Similarly, God has not reserved His invitation for those who have their life together or who follow His commands perfectly. If this were the case, none of us would qualify. He has made His invitation available for all who believe, regardless of how they fit into society, regardless of the reputation they have, and regardless of the past sin and shame they carry. God sees those others have dismissed. As followers of Jesus, we are called to follow this way of our heavenly Father. The invitation of the gospel is not just for those who look, think, and act like us. May we have eyes to see others as God does. He calls us out of our comfort zones to reach those we have forgotten about to share His amazing love and hope.

• Who are the people on the fringes in your community? How does the community see those people? How does God see them?
• What are the ways you can serve and interact with those who are left out? What is challenging about that?
• Pray and ask God to help you see people as He does and to share His hope with those who are commonly left out.