You are probably wondering why I've gathered you here.

     Yes, we are summoned to gatherings of different natures and statures.  Being summoned to the principals office over the school loudspeaker is ominous to any teenager.  Being summoned to dinner is an entirely different ball of wax.  When we are summoned or someone summons us, our minds go sideways.  We vacillate between feeling fearful and guilty to euphoria!  Depends on the circumstances for most of us.  We are given a traffic court "summons" which is a fancy word for ticket for something we didn't do.  If we did do it we have an excuse as to why we shouldn't be summoned.  Tomorrow many of you will be summoned to a Father's Day event.  Some look forward to this summons and for others the summons is another nail in the relationship closet.  So, what would it look like to have a summons that was always positive in nature and not demanding on us at all?  Would we be more able to handle that scenario in a positive way?  I think so.
     For various reasons I was a bad boy in high school.  It came as no surprise that I was summoned to the principals office over the loudspeaker one day.  Classmates just snickered and nodded their heads as they assumed that finally I was going to get what I deserved.  There were 3 others who were summoned as well.  All had been labeled as bad boys.  I knew I hadn't done anything wrong that particular day and it was only an hour or so after lunch.  When I walked into the principals office, there stood the County Sheriff.  When the four of us were all there the principal said the sheriff would like to talk with us.  The sheriff, it seemed, was taking a proactive stance on the upcoming Halloween night activities in order to protect the community from us.  What he did next was to summon us to be ride-along partners with his officers so that we would stay out of trouble.  And we would be paid!  What a shocker!  Of course we did it.  The money was the ticket.
     Once upon a time there was no fear when people were summoned.  Adam and Eve had intimate walks and talks with God himself in the garden.  Yet, after they sinned, when God summoned them for fellowship the first thing they did was to hide.  The second thing was to express their fear of being seen naked.  So they took it upon themselves to alter their world (put on clothing) and then made excuses for their actions and inaction's.  Is that any different than what we do today?  We do the same thing day in and day out.  All the while God is wanting to draw near and to minister to us, meet our needs and have sweet fellowship with each of us.  God put a price on this action when he sent Jesus to die on the cross, be buried and resurrected on the third day for US!  We have a second chance every day.  Even every moment of every day! 
     What is God summoning you to in your life in Him?  What stands in the way of our answer and action?  These and other questions are good starting places to change our perception of why God is summoning us to do His work.  He has gathered us here for a purpose.  We are summoned to be loved by him, cared for by him, and brought home to Heaven by him.  The least we can do is summon those around us to the same thing.  Everyone has the ultimate choice to answer or ignore the summons.  Perhaps today would be a good day to answer His summons.