In church this morning the Gospel reading was the meeting of Bartimaeus and Jesus.

After asking ‘Why did Jesus ask, what seems to me an obvious question’ we considered what Bartimaeus had to do before he could even hear the invitation of Jesus.

He ‘sprang’ up and threw off his cloak we learn from the gospel reading.
A little insignificant action maybe?
But … wait …

This cloak was the cloak that kept him safe
This cloak was the cloak that he would spread out for people to place money or food
This cloak was the cloak that would be wrapped around him in the depth of the night
This cloak was the cloak that sheltered him from the wind and the rain
This cloak was the cloak that said ‘I am Bartimaeus the beggar’
This was the cloak that gave him everything; his identity, his security, his whole life.

And yet he threw it off!

Why?
He knows the cloak will keep him safe; but he hopes Jesus can give him so much more
He knows he can exist and stay safe under the cloak; but he hopes taking it off will give him a fresh start.
He understands the risk (it may not be there when he returns); but he hopes there is more to life than this!

So we considered this morning …. what is it that we need to throw off so we can hear the invitation of Jesus?
What might we be hiding under that keeps us safe … complacency, wealth, health, fear … maybe even church activity?
This was a challenge to us this morning and we focussed in on the fact that Jesus invites us all on what we hope is an amazing journey … I guess the question is can we spring up to hear it?