Have you ever been invited out for a dinner party at someone’s house or at a fancy venue? I love food and I love sharing it together with family and friends. Eating together, just like we do at Connect 4 events, is a great way for people to connect with one another. This is one of the things I miss most in lockdown, the opportunity to hang out with friends and share a meal together.

Did you know the largest recorded silver-service dinner party was held in the Washington Convention Centre, USA and involved 16,206 guests?

There is a parable in the Bible found in Luke 14:16 about a dinner party. A man hosted a huge banquet and invited many guests. When the time came for the dinner to begin, he sent his servants to go out and tell the guests the banquet was ready to those who had replied that they would come. On the day, most of the guests came up with lame and ridiculous excuses as to why they couldn’t come. They were just too busy with their own lives. One guest said he had just bought a cow, another said he had just got married and another said he had bought some land. The invitees were so busy with their daily lives that they missed a great opportunity. The poor servants had to return home and tell the host that no one was coming to the feast.
This angered the host, so he sent his servants out once more, but this time they were asked to go and find people from the side streets, the lame, the blind, the beggars and the unworthy, and bring them to the feast. The servants did this, but there were still more empty seats at the feast. The servants were sent out a third time and instructed to bring in anyone who would come and fill the empty spaces.

So it is with Heaven. God has invited us all to an amazing celebration in Heaven that He is preparing for us. He has reminded us that the Heavenly banquet will be starting soon, but it is up to us to be ready, accept and not reject his call. We need to be careful that we don’t get so busy with our daily lives, or have too many ridiculous excuses that will ultimately exclude us from the greatest opportunity ever given – eternal life with Jesus.

During this lockdown period, if you would like/need to contact the chaplaincy team for any reason, please don’t hesitate to give me a call. I am more than willing to chat over the phone - 0432825200.
Until we see you all again back at school, may you stay safe and well at home and enjoy some family time together.