Friday, October 13, 2023

God's Feast: A Sermon for the 20th Day After Pentecost

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you in the name of Christ our Saviour. Amen.

 

A few years ago, maybe more than a few, I wanted to celebrate an important birthday in a big way. So, I sent invitations out, asking people to meet me at a restaurant for food, drink, and a good time. Based on the responses, I expected a big bash with all my friends. In the end, only a couple of people showed up.

 

Frustrating, isn’t it? You take the trouble to send out invitations, people respond back in the affirmative, you make preparations, but then they don’t show.

 

That’s exactly what happened to the king in today’s parable. He was holding a wedding banquet for his son and so he sent out invitations to all sorts of people. And he based his meat and food order on how many people said they were going to come. He must have gotten a lot of positive responses because he cooked off some oxen and a bunch of fat calves. But then on the day of the banquet, no one showed up.

 

The king is understandably upset that all this meat is prepared and there is no one to eat it. So, he sends his slaves out to those who accepted his invitation, telling them that dinner was ready. But the guests had all the excuses. One had a farm to tend to, another had his business. What a lack of consideration for the king! I’m sure we can all understand his anger at the situation, even if his retribution is a little over the top. What’s he going to do with all of this already-prepared meat?

 

At this point, the king just needs some people to come and eat dinner, so he sends his slave to gather anyone off the street who is hungry. It doesn’t matter at this point who they are, whether they are good people or bad. In Luke, where this parable is also found, it says they are to bring in “the poor, the maimed, the blind, and the lame.” The king just doesn’t want to see all this food go to waste. Gone is the need for a special invitation. All are welcome to the king’s feast!

 

But wait. If that’s the case, if all are now welcome to the table, why does the king reject the man wearing the wrong clothes? If people are being brought in from the street, it’s not like they would have had time to go home and change. Well, it’s likely that the king would have had a robe the man could have borrowed. The same way a fancy restaurant would lend patrons a jacket if that was what was required to enter the establishment. So the lack of wedding robe isn’t the underlying issue here. It’s the man’s lack of response to the king. It says, “he was speechless.” By refusing to respond to the king and put on the proper clothes, the man has removed himself from the party.

 

Gospel living begins with an invitation, but it can’t remain a mere idea. The man in the wrong clothes accepted the invitation of the gospel but refused to conform his life to the gospel. Are we willing to accept the invitation to God’s feast? Are we willing to put in the work of loving God, loving others, and loving ourselves? By saying yes to the invitation, we are declaring that our behaviour will align with the covenant that we have with God. By putting on the wedding robe, we are putting on Christ, meaning that we will live out our baptismal covenant in clear and visible ways.

 

According to Marvin McMickle, there are many Christians who are like the ones in the parable who refuse the invitation from God. They want the safe route to discipleship, but they shy away from the difficult work of outreach and social justice. They want peace on earth, but don’t want to work toward that end. They want to end world hunger, but they don’t want to serve a meal at a soup kitchen. They are always in for a free meal, but don’t want to donate groceries to a food pantry.

 

Through worship, God invites us to a party where Holy Communion is a feast for all of us – friends and strangers. We share bread, wine, and blessings together at the table. And the number one rule for this party is that the Lord will take anybody who shows up. As it says in John, “For God so loved the world that whoever believes in God shall not perish but have eternal life.”

 

But we must go beyond simply accepting the invitation to the table. The parable today is a warning to listen to God and to do the work of God – loving God, loving others, and loving ourselves. To not do that work is to refuse the Kingdom of God. To give false lip service to this ministry is to show up in the wrong clothes.

 

So, will you accept God’s invitation and then make excuses not to show up?

 

Or will you accept the invitation, clothe yourself in Christ, and give honour to God by living out the Gospel?

 

Many are called, says Jesus, but few are chosen. And it is we who do the choosing. Are you ready? If you are, then God will be with you wherever you are, wherever you go. Because God passionately wants us to come to the banquet.

 

Amen.





Resources:
"The Parables of Jesus" by Neal F Fisher
"Feasting on the Word" edited by David Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor
pulpitfiction.com
episcopalchurch.org

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