GOD’S PARTIES

A sermon by the Rev. Dr. Marie Sheldon

Harundale Presbyterian Church

Glen Burnie, Maryland

October 13, 2002

Text: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.” (Matthew 22:2)

Scripture Passage: Matthew 22:1-14

People today love weddings. The media replayed and replayed the videos of Charles’ and Diana’s wedding a couple of months ago on the fifth anniversary of her death. This past March, anyone who was anyone attended the New York nuptials of Liza Minelli and David Gest. A few years previous to that we followed the TV show that kept us guessing about who would end up marrying a millionaire. Cameras camped out in Scotland to keep us on the inside track of Madonna’s marriage to Guy Ritchie. And, of course, helicopters have flown over Elizabeth Taylor’s estate multiple times to sneak a glimpse of her multiple marriages.

We are equally obsessed with the weddings of the not-so-famous as well – the weddings of our family members and friends. In this country the average cost of a wedding that includes invitations, thank-you notes, flowers, photography, videography, wedding favors, music, clergy, a house of worship, limos and the rest of the typical trappings that I won’t mention because you already know what they are is close to $19,000. Quite an investment.

This fascination of ours with weddings is not a new thing. It’s been around for centuries – for millennia, actually. Jesus told parables, stories about every-day life, as a way to teach people about God and God’s kingdom. Just such a parable was our gospel lesson of the morning. It’s called the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, and it gives us a few hints about what kind of a parties God throws, and what the expectations are for us as God’s guests.

It occurred to me, as I prepared to preach this Sunday, that I have never ever preached on this parable before – and I know why. There are some dark and disturbing elements in it that are difficult to understand. There are invited wedding guests who choose not to come to what was probably the biggest social event of the season. Not only were they nonchalant, they were also vicious – killing the very slaves who came around to get them to come to the king’s feast. The king, who most scholars consider to be a portrait of God, gets really angry – sending his own troops to destroy the murderers and burn their city. Then you find the king mellowing out, inviting just about everyone to the party – when there’s yet another royal mood swing as he gets aggravated with a guest who’s not wearing a proper wedding robe. That poor slob gets tossed into the darkness, by order of the king, with his hands and feet bound in the midst of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Not pretty stuff – difficult to reconcile with the image of God as a loving parent.

And yet, there are also positive elements to this story – elements that speak of God’s loving nature. Take, for example, the underlying premise of the parable: to give people a better understanding of what the kingdom of heaven is like. It ‘s like a wedding banquet for the king’s son – and a special banquet it was indeed. The king must have planned a huge get-together because we’re told that all the best foods are ready. The wine is ready to flow. A good time was to be had by all. But the king’s generous invitation is turned down by many who were invited, and the king then invites others.

What are the lessons for us in this? Well, there’s an important learning about God. God, as the King of heaven, invites all of us – the good, the bad, the indifferent, the bored, the angry, the insecure – all of us – to come to the party we euphemistically call heaven, a blessing that actually begins here on earth. You see, the Kingdom of God is both now and later. We are called into community today, and will continue in community when we enter eternity. And that call, that invitation, is extended to all of us by the incredible grace of God. Because God also gave us the gift of free will, we are not coerced to come into community. We can say “no.” We can sit on the fringes and not participate. But if we do accept the invitation, we need to be aware that there is a dress code.

This part of the story may be difficult for some. I remember a boy who came to my previous church’s worship services with a baseball cap on backwards. It drove some of the older people crazy. I was thrilled that the kid wanted to come to church at all. Many of the growing community churches have a very relaxed dress code. Play clothes are fine for kids and adults alike. So what’s this dress code wedding robe business in the parable all about? It’s not about external clothing. Rather, it’s about getting dressed in the elements of the Christian life. Many of these come down to us in the Letter to the Philippians that was read to you this morning. Be helpful to one another. Rejoice in the blessings of God. Be gentle. Know that God is always nearby. Don’t let worry get the best of you. Pray to God – ask for things – but give thanks, too. Be aware of God’s peace. Each of these elements mentioned in Philippians is like a piece of fabric that is woven into a mythical robe that is a way of life rather than a simple garment. To wear this robe, we have to let go of our previous way of dressing. We have to get rid of our sense of superiority, our self-righteousness, our conceit.

The church can be and should be a prelude to the Kingdom of God, and this parable has something to say about that, too. For many of us, the church is a type of club. We pay our dues, show up now and then, and in return, we expect to be fed, nurtured and pleased in as many arenas as humanly possible. For Jesus, however, the kingdom model is not so inward, not so closed. For Jesus, the kingdom is an outward institution – always welcoming, always inviting, always open. It is less about being served than about serving others.

If you think about it, that ominous line at the end of the parable isn’t as threatening as it sounds. “Many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14) Few are chosen because many say “no” to God’s invitations. We are summoned to do something extra; invited to be God’s hands, feet or voice; we are invited to teach, to lead, to sing, to pray – and we say “no” – quite content to keep wearing our old selfish clothes rather than to don those of the Christian life.

God’s still inviting all of us to the party. Will you come? Will you wear what you ought to? Will you be a part of it all? The decision is yours to make. What will it be?

Amen and thanks be to God.