Joseph Writes an Invitation
Joseph Anderson Donetti walked home with G.M. through the soft darkness. “I need to give Danny a party invitation,” he said.
“What are you talking about?” G.M. asked. She opened the back door and turned on the kitchen light.
“An invitation to the ‘Welcome Home’ party that Jesus is planning for us when He comes,” Joseph explained. “Pastor Chuck told us to write down the names of people we know who haven’t heard about the party. I wrote down Danny, my best friend at home. I know Danny hasn’t heard about it yet. Do you think I should write to him or call him on the telephone?”
“I think a letter is a very good idea,” G.M. said. She sat down at the kitchen table. She opened her Bible. “Do you realize that a great many of the books of the Bible are letters?” she asked.
Joseph sat down next to her. “Really?”
“Yes, they are,” G.M. said. “Especially in the New Testament.” She turned the pages. “Look here,” she said, pointing. “This is the book of Romans. It says right here, ‘This letter is to all of you in Rome whom God loves and has called to be His holy people.'”
G.M. turned more pages. “This is the book of Galatians.” She read, “‘This letter is also from all the brothers who are with me.’ Wait a minute,” G.M. said, getting up.
Soon she came back into the kitchen, carrying a fat red book. “This is Eerdman’s Handbook to the Bible. Let’s find out exactly how many of the New Testament books started out as letters.”
“Can I get something to eat while you’re looking it up?” Joseph asked.
G.M. gazed at Joseph over the top of her glasses. “Pardon me?” she asked. “Didn’t we just come from a potluck at Mac’s house? Didn’t I just see you eat at least two platefuls of food?”
“Well, yes,” Joseph admitted. “But I’m still a little hungry.”
“I can’t believe it!” G.M. exclaimed. “What good does it do to feed you if you never get filled up?” Then the familiar twinkle reappeared. She waved toward the refrigerator. “Help yourself.”
Joseph pulled two carrots out of the vegetable drawer. Sometimes just looking in G.M.’s refrigerator made him homesick. At home there were always leftovers from Mom’s restaurant. Usually there was lasagna, his favorite. At G.M.’s house there didn’t seem to be much food. There were only things to make food with. Ingredients. Joseph rinsed the carrots at the sink.
“It says here that about 1/3 of the books of the New Testament are letters,” G.M. said. “It just goes to show you how important letters can be. When Paul sat down to write a letter to one of his friends or to one of the groups of Christians that he loved, he had no idea that people all over the world would be reading his words almost 2,000 years later!”
“Wow!” Joseph said. He handed a carrot to G.M.
“You know, hearing the voice of someone you love on the telephone can be a real blessing. But letters can be saved and read over and over again,” G.M. said. “Well,” she added, “you have certainly discovered that yourself this summer! If I hadn’t saved that old letter my father wrote to my mother many years ago, you would never have read it. And if you had never read that letter, we wouldn’t be getting a new roof on the house in a few days. That letter turned out to be extremely important to us today. The letters in the Bible are even more important than that for our lives today.”
Joseph slowly chewed a bite of carrot. “So you think I should write a letter to Danny?”
“Yes, I do,” G.M. answered.
“OK.” Joseph picked up his Bible and his notebook. He stuck his pencil behind his ear and his carrot in his mouth. He grinned at G.M. around the carrot. “I’ll go do it.”
Upstairs, Joseph sat down on the bed. He plumped up the pillow behind his back. He crunched off another bite of carrot and turned to a clean piece of paper in his notebook. Dear Danny, he wrote.
Five minutes later Joseph found himself staring at the corner where the two walls met the ceiling. He shook his head, swallowed the last bit of carrot, and sighed. He looked at his notebook. No more words had magically appeared. The letter still only had two words in it. Dear Danny.
Suddenly Joseph had a thought. This letter was an invitation from Jesus. Maybe if he asked, Jesus would give him an idea of how to write it. Joseph closed his eyes. “Jesus, I don’t know what to say to Danny,” he prayed. “Well, I do know what I want to say, but there’s just so much of it! I guess I don’t know how to start. Will You please help me?”
Joseph opened his eyes. He began to write. I am having a very good summer. Do you remember how I really didn’t want to come to Oregon? Well, now I know why I came. It was because God has a big plan for my life.
Joseph paused. Then he began writing again.
I found out that God made me, and God made everything. And He loves me and wants to take me to heaven to live with Him forever. He wants to take everybody. He wants to take you, too. I sure hope you decide to go. Jesus died to save us. And being saved is a free gift. I have a new sports watch to prove it.
Joseph put his pencil down and shook his hand. He hadn’t done so much writing since school was over, and his hand seemed to be out of shape. He picked up the pencil and began writing again.
