Welcome to Easter Monday – the day after Resurrection Day! On that Sunday more than 2000 years ago, our Heavenly Father and Creator opened the invitation for all of us to join Him in the eternal and abundant life He had designed for us from the Beginning! By Jesus’s death, burial and resurrection, sin and death were overcome and a bridge was built for us to be reunited with our Father and dwell securely with Him forever. We cross that bridge by faith – faith in His Son and in His great act of grace.
Banquet Photo by Robert Mathews on Unsplash
Jesus Himself likened God’s Kingdom to a great banquet being given by a man who invited many. (Luke 14:16) He extends the invitation, but we must receive it and respond to it. When we do, we discover a joy that rises far above life’s current realities. And even amidst life’s toughest external realities, a Savior-focused life truly can be a Sublime Soiree. How? That is what we hope to share with you as we move forward.
At first blush, the idea of a sublime soiree might sound a bit shallow and frivolous. But we ask you to consider this: The Westminster Shorter Catechism states that “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” God WANTS us to ENJOY Him! Always. But, how often do we really do that?
Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who – FOR THE JOY set before Him – endured the cross, scorning its shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
But, friend, how often do we live like someone who has JOY set before them? We get way too focused on our circumstances and look far too infrequently to the One who has charge over them all!
And that’s why we want to unpack the elements of a sublime soiree more deeply. We want to encourage ourselves and our friends to live in God’s Sublime Soiree: Free Above the Fray. Beginning this week, we will be exploring all of the elements of a Sublime Soiree, giving you fun tips and tutorials along the way and unpacking their deeper Biblical meaning. In the month of April, we will look more deeply into the invitation. We not only will have a fun tutorial on making our own invitation, but we also will delve into God’s invitation to us and how to share that invitation with our family and neighbors in simple, intentional ways.
We have a place card at the soiree table with your name on it, so please join us. In the meantime, we pray you have a sublime week, free above the fray!
The Sublime Soiree © April 4, 2021