Isaiah 25:6-9; Philippians 4:4-13; Matthew 22:1-14

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Have you ever been invited to a wedding? We all know how extravagant weddings and wedding receptions can get. Whether you’ve attended one, or not, we understand that there is a ton of planning that goes into putting such a party together. The guest list is only the starting point. For being invited to such an occasion should be a huge honor. It’s not everyday that you get to attend a wedding.

Now, imagine you’re the one planning such a monumental party and event. You’ve sent out the invites. You’ve prepared the reception, got the food ready, the cake, the music, so on and so forth. You’ve spent hours upon hours preparing for such a party. But when the time comes to receive back the invitations, everyone declines to come. They’re too busy. They don’t feel like coming. They’re not interested. How would you feel?

Such is our Gospel reading this week as Jesus tells us a parable about a wedding feast. The king prepares a wedding feast for his son and invites guests. When the food is all ready, he sends out the call for the guests to come. But what do they tell him? “But they [the guests] paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them,” Matthew 22:5-6. They say they’re not interested. They don’t want to come. And even some act wickedly by seizing the servants and killing them. How do you think the king felt?

Indeed, God issued a call out to his people, to the nation of Israel from of old. He called them; he prepared for them; he set the table for them. But they wouldn’t come. It’s for this reason in the story that the king sends out a new call, “Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find,” Matthew 22:9. When his own people reject him, God invites anyone to come and join. That is, God issues a universal call for all people to join in the wedding feast. Answering the call begins with not scoffing or holding contempt for God’s gracious invitation like the first guests.

In the same way, God has issued a universal call to faith. Every person on earth is being called by God to believe in him and to join in the wedding feast. This is the wedding feast of his Son. That is, it’s about Jesus. It’s about Jesus stepping up to marry his bride, the Church. It’s the celebration of Jesus redeeming his bride from sin and shame, as she is presented before him as holy and spotless. For every feast requires a sacrifice and the sacrifice for this feast was Jesus. It was his death on the cross that cleanses all of us from our sins and makes us spotless and holy before him. It’s the wedding garment, the garment of Christ’s righteousness which allows us entry into the holy assembly of God. Thus, by God’s gracious provision, he has cleansed us from our sin and brought us to the eternal feast where Jesus becomes both host and meal. So, by faith, may we enter into the wedding hall, answering the call of salvation, to join in the feast unending!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

Almighty God, You invite us to trust in You for our salvation. Deal with us not in the severity of Your judgment but by the greatness of Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!