It's Me, Uninvited.

Ex-trav’-a-gant: 1. Originally, straying beyond bounds; wandering.

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. (Luke 7:36-37)

Have you ever gone into someone’s home as an uninvited guest? I have not. But I have had the privilege of showing up in a few churches as an uninvited guest.

I can tell you that I've received all sorts of reactions. Once I walked into a church for a memorial service I had found out about at the last minute. I wandered in from off the street in jeans and a denim jacket. Some people glanced at me, and in their glance it seems they weren’t too fond that I had walked in without the traditional black dress.

Another time, I learned that there was a church seminar that was directly related to the topic I had been studying in school. I mentioned to a colleague that I would be in attendance. A third party who knew I was not on the attendance roster, overhearing our conversation, interjected: “Who invited you?”

But let’s back-track to a different time… about 32 A.D. It was a time when attire denoted position. It was a time where women were not encouraged to engage in academic ventures. But in a small gathering of Pharisees and professionals, a woman with a bad reputation wandered into a place where she had not been invited, and her presence taught everyone in the room a powerful lesson.

[Actually, I’m wondering if we in 2014 are not so different from people who lived in 32. We still have our hang-ups about attire, education, and ‘who-knows-who’…]

The lesson is this: Jesus is worth being extravagant for. His presence, His word, and His love are worth the embarrassment of wandering into the place where He is. He’s worth straying beyond the boundaries set by man.

Jesus has captured my heart, and I want to be in whatever places He is speaking-- even if it means I have to ignore the social, political, or tradition-based cues that seek to keep me from pursuing His presence. I pray the same is true for you.

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.