Isaiah 25:1-9; Philippians 4:4-13; Matthew 22:1-14; Psalm 23

Collect:

Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, pray with me, that the words I speak may be those God wants us to hear.

There is going to be a feast! Come to the feast! Today’s lessons tell us of special feasts, of who is invited, and that God is the host.

I have always loved the 23rd psalm. (I am sure many of you are as fond of it as I am). When I was growing up, it was one of the things we were expected to memorize in Sunday School. It is one of those things that gets etched on your heart, and can leap to mind when you, or someone you love, is in a tight spot, and needs to hear something about God, something comforting and absolutely true.

In the 23rd psalm, we hear of 2 sorts of feasts with the Lord. One is from the perspective of a sheep. If I were a sheep, nothing would sound better than green pastures, still waters, and a caring shepherd who I trust to watch out for me. Even from a human perspective, that sounds pretty good…just picture sitting with the Lord in a beautiful green meadow, next to a little lake…a time and place of peace. And then, wherever you have to go from there, the Lord is with you, walking along by your side…even through scary places like the valley of the shadow of death.

Then suddenly, in the middle of this very pastoral psalm, the image changes, and you are brought to a feast. God spreads the table before you. Notice that your enemies are present, they are not excluded from the table. But they and their notorious deeds are not the focus of this feast, and you aren’t afraid of them anymore. The action is with God, and he is anointing your head with oil.

Anointing is done to set someone or something aside for God. You belong to God. Your cup brims over, symbolizing the abundance of this new life….a life lived so intimately with God that you dwell in God’s house, forever.

Again, in our lesson from Isaiah, we are told of a banquet. Isaiah starts out telling us something amazing has happened. The fortified city of the enemy has fallen, oppression has ended, and the voice of the ruthless has been stilled. A great transformation has taken place, something the writer hoped and longed for, but probably never expected to see.

In the middle of this reading, there is a shift of perspective, from looking back to looking forward. Now the writer is waiting for the great feast at the end of time. The feast is for all people. No one is excluded. It is lavish and plentiful, full of the very best food and wine. We are told that God has destroyed death…”he will swallow up death forever”. All tears and disgrace are gone. Sin is triumphant no more. There is no more oppression. The people have only to be glad, sit down together, and rejoice in God’s salvation.

So, in these 2 readings we are told of feasts with God…one at the end of time, with all people, and one in the here and now, with the good shepherd. We are comforted to hear that now, and ultimately, God is in control, God watches over his own, evil and death are ultimately vanquished, and peace and plenty will abide.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us a parable about a feast…it is a parable that is meant to teach us something about the kingdom of heaven. There is good news in this story, but there are also some uncomfortable places.

 This is a wedding banquet for the king’s son. The king sends out runners bidding the guests to come, but the guests are too busy to accept the honor. Some of those invited are actively rebellious. Whether too busy or downright evil, they choose not to be part of the kingdom.

So the king sends his servants out into the streets to bring everyone they can find into the banquet. The servants do a good job, and soon wedding hall is filled with guests, both good and bad.

Now the king is walking among his guests, and sees a fellow without a wedding robe, and has him thrown out.

What does this tell us about the kingdom of God?

For years I had trouble with this story. The king seemed so capricious. First he invites everyone in, then he throws someone out. Wrong clothes. What’s that about?

It’s not the clothes, but what the clothes symbolize, that are the key to this parable, I think. The kingdom of heaven requires new clothes. That doesn’t mean we all need to visit the mall…more that we need to put on new attitudes when we come to this very special feast.

Think for a moment about going to a wedding. You may know the bride, or the groom, or both, or maybe you just know their parents. But it is an honor to be invited to a wedding…so you plan carefully. What will you wear? What present will you bring? You might work with friends or family, thinking up ways to help make this wonderful day more special for the couple. It is a time for pouring out generosity, love, and support…and you never go unprepared.

You bring that love and enthusiasm to God’s banquet, too. The physical clothing doesn’t matter, but the spiritual clothing, the adornment your heart brings to the event, is of the greatest importance. Your wedding attitude is shared with the other guests, their joy and love are joined with yours, and soon you don’t have just a room full of individuals any more. You have a community, you have communion, you have the feast where God is present…and the kingdom of heaven bursts through!

What are these attitudes we should wear like beautiful clothing? In the new testament reading, Paul gives us some ideas. He tells us to rejoice in the Lord always…to pray with supplication and thanksgiving… and  “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

So, come to the feast! Come with your brothers and sisters in Christ and gather at God’s table, adorned with all the beauty and holiness and joy that God has gifted you with….and what a feast it will be! The God of Peace will be with you.