I’m having a banquet in my heart for you,

A feast in my soul.

The banquet will be loud with love,

Bursting with joy.

Some will stop,

Ask the occasion,

Ask how much to see you.

You will come,

Free of charge;

A complete gift.

The feast will smell so heavenly,

Some will ask to join;

Ask what’s on the menu,

I’ll respond:

Grace

Eternal-life

Love

Joy

Peace

Patience

Kindness

Goodness

Faithfulness

Gentleness

Self-control

They will come in and eat.

Ask for the chef,

They will leave with him,

Free of charge;

A complete gift.

But most will pass with fingers as earplugs,

Hands as nose plugs.

Act as if they don’t need what you have to give.

Most will tell me to turn down the noise,

Turn off the lights.

If only they knew through you, their life is laid out,

Moment by moment,

Minute by minute.

But I won’t yell to my heart to turn down the noise,

Or urge my soul to turn off the lights.

Like I was once welcomed,

I will still welcome them to join;

Welcome them to taste what I taste,

See what I see,

Feel what I feel,

Love who I love.

I hope they too will have a banquet in their heart for you,

A feast in their soul.

____

Inspired by:

Luke 5:27-29 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with him.”

Luke 14:16-24 Then Jesus said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time of the dinner, he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets. Another said, ‘I have bought five yokes of oxen and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.’ Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ and the slave said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room. Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.”

Poetry