You're Invited!

Trinity XX --- October 9, 2005

Matthew 22:1-14

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our text opens with these words. Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.”

How many of you like a good meal? Hey, personally, I’m there! If a king invited me to a banquet, you wouldn’t have to tell me twice. Let me know what day and what time - I will be there!!! I mean, can you imagine the food that would be spread out on the table? I cannot, but I’d go, if for no other reason, than just to see how the other half lives. And, I’d love to find out what would be served.

Who here would not come to a wedding banquet offered by a king? Who’d make the excuse that they had something better to do? Better yet, who, if invited, wouldn’t beg and ask their boss for that day off if they had been scheduled to work? Who wouldn’t take care of things so that they could attend?

What is more, if someone personally brought you an invitation to the banquet, how would you treat them? When the UPS guy or the FedEx guy comes to the door with a package, aren’t you excited about what would be inside the box? If a note came to you hand-delivered, would you grab the messenger and treat them poorly? Would you kill the messenger? Of course not.

So, obviously there is a point that Jesus is trying to make in this parable, a point about the kingdom of heaven.

Now of course, Christ is speaking about the kingdom of heaven. God invites many. But there are many who are more occupied with other things than attending the banquet. They procrastinate and find reasons not to attend the banquet. Others mistreat the servants sent by God to bring them the invitation. And some try to get in wearing their own clothes.

We may not understand this last bit, but it was common practice for guests to be given a garment to be worn when invited by royalty to the wedding. This was especially true of those guests who were financially, decidedly disadvantaged. Or, to say it so the people in Rio Linda might understand, a wedding garment was given to the poor so that all would look to be richly dressed.

When mentioning how the guests treated the servants sent to deliver invitations, Jesus is referring of course, to the rejection of God’s prophets and their mistreatment by the people of Israel. This is nothing more than a rejection of God’s grace. They desired to live their own way, not as God’s chosen people. He desired to give them all things; they desired to do it on their own. Even when they were in trouble, and should have remembered that God had in the past graciously delivered them from the hands of their enemies, they instead turned to other earthly kings for help. So, God used men to rain down destruction upon Israel. Forty years after Christ’s ascension, Jerusalem was destroyed.

Dear friends in Christ, God’s call is a serious matter. We must not neglect the implications of what happened to many before Christ’s advent - to those who rejected the invitation. They suffered greatly for it.

Today the invitation rings out, “Come to the banquet!” The servants of your heavenly King graciously invite you to attend the wedding banquet feast. What is it that keeps so many away? He has set a sumptuous board, the finest foods are before you. Why do so many reject the invitation? Is it their preoccupation with earthly things? Is it that this life so consumes that they do not deem it important?

God even invites us to a foretaste of that wedding banquet, a table set before us in the presence of our enemies - sin, death, and the devil. It is a meal which forgives sin, grants eternal life, and defeats Satan. It is a meal which for many centuries was offered weekly in Christ’s church because He commanded it to be done often. Now, we gather in Christ’s name, the bridegroom Himself is present, even as He promised, and yet that feast He gives isn’t set before us. Why do we forsake His command? Why do we despise that gracious gift?

Some within God’s church rejects the invitation to the banquet, refusing to wear the garment the king provides. Many are the congregations who place more on their own appearance - their own praise songs - their own style of worship. They do this because they claim that they need to keep the people happy, that they need to spice up the invitation. These congregations are trying to disguise the banquet, making it appear as something else. Some servants are going out and making their different garments than the ones that God would give to the people, enticing them to rely upon their own works and goodness, rather than simply providing the garment of salvation which the King purchased with the blood of His Son, and has graciously given them to wear.

It does not matter that some reject the invitation or even try to wear their own clothes to the feast, God will not allow the banquet to be cancelled. God will not allow the feast to be postponed. God desires that this feast be eaten. So, more servants are sent out, and God extends the invitation to good and to bad. God shows no special prejudice to persons, His invitation goes out to those who are worthy as well as those who are not - the wedding hall will be filled.

God Himself provides the garment of salvation to be worn, the very wedding clothes. Without these wedding clothes, even if heeding the invitation, some will be cast out. Your standing in God’s church has not been secured by your membership vow at Zion/St. Peter Lutheran Church, though God expects you to keep your promises. Your place at the banquet isn’t purchased by your financial contributions, even though your financial gifts help spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. In fact, you haven’t secured your entrance into heaven by the gracious acts of service you render both to God and to your fellow man.

There is nothing left for you to bring to the banquet that would gain you entrance. Nothing you can provide which earns you a place at the table, all has been provided by the Father of the Bridegroom.

Just as the king provided the wedding garments for his guests, so too God provides the garment by which you enter His kingdom. In our text, one man was not wearing the garment provided by the king, he was cast out. This man attempted to wear his own clothes, but they were not good enough.

God provides the garments for the wedding banquet, He provides you with the garment to enter His kingdom. As you know, that garment is nothing less than the white robes of Christ’s righteousness and blessedness, purchased for you with His life, suffering, and death. It is only this garment which is acceptable to the King and master of the banquet. Without the robe of Christ’s righteousness to cover your sins, the King could not abide you in His presence.

The King provides this garment which He gives to you, to cover your sinfulness. As the king provides garments rich enough for the poorest of the poor to be seated at his banquet, God Himself provides garments rich in grace and are your righteousness - making you equal even to the Son Himself.

In baptism, God called you by name and clothed you with Christ’s righteousness, the wedding garment which gains you entrance to the feast. In faith, when you live in daily contrition and repentance, remembering your baptism, your garment is continually cleansed in the blood of the Lamb.

When you hear the Word of God - in the absolution and proclaimed in Law and Gospel, your garment is given thorough cleansing in Christ’s blood. This Word is nothing more than an invitation to you again - come to the banquet.

You are given a foretaste of that wedding banquet on the table God has prepared in our presence. When you eat and drink Christ’s body and blood, Christ is preparing you for the eternal banquet He is preparing for you even now.

Today, the wedding banquet is ready. This is nothing more than God’s gracious gift to you. You are invited - come to the wedding banquet. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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