During the George Bush era Robert Kirkpatrick, who was serving a three year sentance at the Belmont Correctional Institution in eastern Ohio, got an invitation from Vice President Cheney to a two and a half thousand dollar a plate fundraising dinner in Washington to meet President Bush himself. Kirkpatrick told reporters that he wanted the President to know he’d be happy to attend but he’d need to pull some strings to get him there. I’m not sure what the final outcome was, but I doubt that the invitation was followed up.
Not so with Jesus. In one of his great stories He talked about God’s servants going out into the streets and lanes and inviting us all, even the most disreputable of us, to God’s great feast of abundant life. And the great thing is there are no strings that need to be pulled. All we have to do is turn round and say ‘Yes’.