She reached into her backpack, past the dogeared pages of homework and yet-to-be-completed crayon masterpieces. When she found the creased postcard sized paper adorned in bright colors, she held it aloft parading it around with glee as only a 9 year old could do. Outlined on the paper were the details of a birthday party to be held in a few weeks. Foremost among the details: rollerskating.

Her excitement was unmistakable. Her smile, unrelenting. We inquired about our daughter’s plans to attend. She looked at us as if any notion of not going to the party was as absurd as asking her to hold her breath for a week. It was, after all, her friend who invited her. It was something she wanted to do. So, plans to attend were unstoppably set in motion.

I failed to realize that part of these plans not only included a gift to be purchased, transportation logistics to and from the event, but also what particular outfit ought to be worn. Evidently, this last piece of party attendance is among the most time consuming and labor intensive. How we look while skating in the all-skate direction (counter clockwise for the uninitiated) and lip syncing top 40 hits is as critical to the party as cake and ice cream.

So she went. She had the time of her life with her best friends. She looked the part. And, in review, it occurred to me that the appeal of the event was as much about the anticipation stemming from the invitation as anything else. The mere fact of being invited created something within my daughter — something good and undeniable. The invitation alone gave her a sense of being connected to someone and to their most important day. Those invited were a part of an in-group made special by merely receiving an invitation. Even those who couldn’t attend could still count themselves as part of that inner circle of valued friends because they too, received a brightly colored roller skate card from a classmate.

If ever there was a time to invite anyone to anything, it’s this week. While we won’t feature rollerskating as part of our celebration of Easter (Sat. 5pm, Sun. 9am and 11am), and top 40 hits will be noticeably absent from the solemn commemoration of Good Friday service (Fri. 7pm), the events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection are wrapped in a mystery and a power that are worthy of an invitation. People are often longing for something they can’t name directly. People want what they see in Jesus, but are unclear in how to access it. This week, consider who you’ll invite to Easter services, remembering that the invitation alone communicates a deep level of care and inclusiveness.

Happy Easter,

Jeff