You're Invited!
8 Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' 10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad, so the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12 and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 For many are called, but few are chosen."
(Matthew 22:8-14)
Even though the chief priests and Pharisees wanted to reject Jesus' teachings about the kingdom of heaven, Jesus didn't stop trying to reach them. He told them another parable, this time comparing the kingdom of heaven - the realm of God, the reign of God - to a wedding banquet for a king's son. In this story the king sent his servants (the prophets) to tell the invited guests that everything was ready and they should come, but they refused. Many made excuses, saying they had work to do. They chose to attend to their households and businesses rather than the king's affairs. Some even killed the kings servants rather than accept the invitation. The angered king, then, destroyed those who rejected the invitation and their city, and invited many others to attend. The new guests came to the lavish affair, but the king noticed one attendee who was not appropriately attired and
had him forcibly removed.
Much like Jesus' previous parables, this one is less about a specific group of people than it is about all of us and our willingness to accept God's generous invitation. God has already made the preparations and invited those the world might deem as worthy as well as those deemed unworthy. But God does ask us to drop everything we were doing and put on the garments of God's kingdom - the garments of love for God and neighbor. We want to believe that we're the guests who accepted the invitation, but how often do we allow our own agenda, our self-interest and pride, to keep us from doing what God calls us to do and being who God calls us to be? We're all invited and God wants all of us to enjoy the bounty of goodness and grace God has for us. We just have to accept the invitation, be willing to shed the things that bind us to this world, and put on the garments of love and justice. We don't need to wait until we die to feast at God's banquet. This invitation is for abundant life here and now. Indeed, when love and just mercy flow freely among us, what a joyous celebration it will be!
God's kingdom come, God's will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
6 On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. 7 And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the covering that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. 8 Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, "See, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation." (Isaiah 25:6-9)
Enjoy this original song by yours truly.
...and this traditional hymn.
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