The Wedding Banquet

 The kind of things which made the guests deaf to the invitation of the master, were not bad things in themselves.

One person in our parable today, went off to see to his estates, the other to see to his business.

In modern terms the first may have had a mortgage to pay , a piece of property to buy, a transaction to be completed.

The second may have been a very conscientious worker, with a desk piled high with new reports, a boss that plagued him, and countless meetings to attend to.

Neither was off carousing, drinking or womanising. What they were doing was good and proper.

But sometimes it is very easy to be so involved with earthly things that we forget that matters of eternity are more important; we want to see to that which can be seen, rather than the unseen; to be lost in the clamour of the world than listen to the still, small voice of God.

There is a real tragedy that in today’s world, it is often the second best’s which take priority over that which is best for us.

We can be so busy with the administration and organisation of our lives, we forget life itself.

Take television for example. There is absolutely nothing wrong with relaxing and enjoying good television; but sometimes it can take us over because we are tempted to get so comfortable, we’ll watch useless programmes that do nothing other than waste our lives away. Television can so easily rule our lives, and rob us of communication with friends, a good novel, a hobby, fresh air, a good walk.

Take money; absolutely nothing wrong with earning a day’s wages for a good day’s work, and in turn paying necessary bills… but when our excess is hoarded or misspent or idolised then we become like last week’s man in the harvest parable who builds bigger and bigger barns in which to store his grain, and that very night his life is demanded of him. He had been a person who is rich in material wealth, but has not sought to be rich in God’s eyes.

He has missed out on the joy he could have had in sharing his wealth.

In other words we can robbed of a pure joy that could be ours.

Can you imagine that same parable reading:-

‘Everything is ready, come to the wedding banquet. But they made light of it and went away, one to watch a favourite soap on television, the other to read the financial column to see how his stocks and shares were doing.’

This parable is not so much about punishment as being robbed of all the precious things we will miss if we do not respond to Jesus, and his precious way of living life..

The invitation is one of graciousness. An open hearted,  master with wide open arms and much to give, stands waiting, and if there is no response from those to whom he sent an invitation, then that blessing will be given to others instead.

There are really two parables in our gospel reading today.

This first one also seems to have a local meaning attached; in that here again is an accusation against the Jewish leaders who were firmly rejecting what Jesus had to offer. They had been invited by God to be his chosen people, yet when God sent his Son into the world, they turned their backs on him. The result was that the invitation went out instead to the waifs and strays, to sinners and the gentiles, who were not even expecting to be invited, and so they came willingly.

Also in this first parable there is one verse quite out of place, and it may not have been included in the original gospel written around the time A.D. 80/90. The answer is that the temple was sacked, burned and raised to the ground in A.D. 70. Complete disaster had come to those who rejected Christ. Had the Jews walked in love and humility they never would have become the rebellious, warring people who finally provoked Rome into moving against them.

But there is a second parable hidden here, beginning at verse 11… a continuation of the first.

The king has opened the door to all people, but then he noticed among the company at his wedding feast, a man who was not dressed for the occasion, and he was bound by his hands and feet and thrown out into the outer darkness.What humiliation!

It seems very cruel, after all he did respond to the invitation, not like those who were preoccupied.

But Grace is not only a gift; it comes with it a huge responsibility.

I wonder how you would all feel, had I arrived here in jeans and tee shirt, and old trainers this morning?

I wonder how I would react if you had all arrived here in your dressing gowns and slippers?

To dress appropriately shows respect, and it shows consideration towards those you know and love.

However this part of the parable is not really about how we prepare our bodies when we enter God’s company, it’s not about fashion or dress sense, it’s more about how we prepare and dress our minds and our hearts and our spirit before we come into the Master’s presence to eat with him and worship him.

We cannot go on living in the same way as we did before we met with Christ; we must wash ourselves clean, come with pure hearts, in a spirit of holiness and love, seeking to be fed and nourished.

We come as sinners seeking to become saints, not wishing to remain sinners.

I remember the very first time I came to this church as a priest. My preparation was all done, prayers, sermon, responses,  all carefully written down. What I failed to do, by way of preparation, was to check your service book, which I thought was the same as at the other two churches in the Team.

It wasn’t! Your preparation for worship was beautifully set out on the first couple of pages, and that’s where I began to read, and found myself totally lost and growing hotter and hotter under the collar, not knowing where the liturgy had taken itself off to.

It was fairly obvious, that my preparation had not been perfect.

How glad I was not to be thrown out onto the pavement into the outer darkness of that first October morning here at St Paul’s.

What a way to begin!

Nightmare!

To enter into worship and not prepare our hearts is foolishness and offends God. Too often we come with too little preparation.

What kind of garments does God see us wearing this morning. What kind of garments will we take with us into the coming week?

Rags of fear, timidity, depression, apathy, tiredness…

What about imagining ourselves rather in the golden garments of humility, expectation, love, self control, penitence, reverence, unswerving faith. For then our worship would be truly worship!

For then our witnessing would be truly glorious.