I recently received a wedding invitation in the mail. I was so excited as I began to think about celebrating this upcoming marriage. I spoke to the mother of the bride and she was excited too, but had struggled to cut down the guest list. Generally, invitations are exclusive – only those invited can participate. In our liturgy for Ash Wednesday, there is an invitation – an invitation to the observance of a holy Lent. Unlike most invitations, this one is not exclusive. Instead, it is open to everyone.

More Muslims have converted to the Way of Jesus Christ in the last four decades than in all the other years since the advent of Islam in the 7th Century. Something is certainly happening among Muslims and there is an openness in their society that was not there before.