1406 St. John

You hear about a place at the edge of town. It is, you’ve been told, the most elegant, finest and beautiful establishment in the “whole wide world”. You stand outside and observe that although the place is packed, there is no line and inside, there are plenty of tables and chairs, as well as servers waiting for people to come in and sit down. The Master himself is waiting to open the door for you when you step up to it.

Your eye catches the poster in the window. It says, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; he who has no money, come, buy, and eat! Come; buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and labor for that which does not satisfy?” 1

You can see that everyone inside looks so peaceful, happy, and joy-filled and the sound is a soft quiet, like a beautiful orchestra playing soft and low. You catch a glimpse of the sign over the door at 1406 St. John, “The Way”. You hesitate; you consider going in, but your feet are still.

You think freedom means doing whatever you want and if you go “in there,” you will forfeit your freedom. You only think this way because you do not know. You have never dined there. You have never felt the warm, loving embrace of the One standing at the door waiting to welcome you in. You’ve never sampled the wine or drank the Living Water, or tasted the Bread of Life or feasted on the Richest Foods.

Will you go in? Or, do you go back to your neighborhood in Mayhem, to your home at the intersection of Hopelessness and Despair, where you feed on the garbage that fear and anxiety produce. You have plenty of company, after all. Many others still live life “their own way”, in the endless pursuit of money and satisfaction, and ways to have a good time.

The Master waits for you to come to the door. It’s up to you. Remember this though: The door will be locked one day, and once it is, it will be too late.

1 [Isaiah 55:1-2 ESV]