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The Wedding Banquet It’s unfortunate that there has always been a type of Christianity which has taken all the colour out of life. Sunday was a day of rest, of quietness and of serious grey piety. John Ruskin, probably the most influential English critic of the 19th century was brought up in a rigid and narrow Christian home. He tells how he was given a jumping jack as a present, and how a pious aunt took it away from him, saying that toys were no things for a Christian child. I think it was George Bernard Shaw, who, in his earlier days, noted in his Journal - “Today I went to church, and was not depressed!”. It’s a pity that to many people Christianity is simply a gloomy, pale-faced, serious religion, where there is no room for joy, or humour, laughter or spontaneous celebration, and heaven is best not thought about. It’s a pity that this has been the case, because if you were brought up a Jew, you would have a totally different understanding of what the presence of God would be all about. The most common metaphor which Jesus used for the kingdom of God was that of a Banquet, a Feast. Now I don’t know about you, but I enjoy a banquet. In fact I don’t get to them often enough, but when the chance comes, I wouldn’t pass it up for anything. Incidentally, Tickets go on sale today for our Parish Ball – and that’s a pretty close equivalent to a banquet. Its fantastic! Jesus says – “THAT is what the Kingdom of God – that’s what being in God’s presence is going to be like! – a place and time of celebration, of enjoyment, of being welcomed and loved by God. In other words, we’ve got it all wrong if we think that God wants us to be deadly serious and sour, or that its going to be like that in His presence. Quite often, after Family Service, especially when there has been a baptism, and family and friends have come along for the special occasion, I can tell those who haven’t been to church for a long time. They make comments to me like – “I really enjoyed that Service”. ( almost indicating that they hadn’t expected to, or even worse, that they shouldn’t!) Others have said – “That’s not how I remember church used to be – it was so dull and boring!”. I think in the past 50 or so years, the church, at least in some quarters, has moved closer to reflecting in its worship what, in fact, we ought to be like in God’s presence. Of course, in so far as the devout Jews were concerned, they believed that they were the only ones who would be present to enjoy all the riches and generosity of God. No one else stood a chance. So in the gospel reading today Jesus tells us a parable about what it’s really like. Now there is a tremendous amount in this parable, and I don’t have time to look at it all, but I do want to highlight just two simple points that it would do us well to remember. And that is (1) the Generosity of the King, and (2) the Grace of the King. Firstly – the Generosity of the King. Here was a banquet, a Feast, a party of gigantic proportions. I can only imagine some huge dining hall packed with guests, tables groaning with food, everyone enjoying themselves, and enjoying the presence of the King. What actually comes to my mind is the main dining hall of the Palace of Versailles, in France. A massive dining hall, breathtaking opulence, gold leafed carved timbers, and huge floor to ceiling mirrors which give an impression of incredible size. And that’s probably nothing compared to what the popular Jewish idea of Heaven was like. This King is no miser who keeps it all to himself. He shares what he has, and lavishes his wealth generously on his subjects. There is nothing they could want. Jesus is saying, this is a picture of His Heavenly Father. This is what He is like. And we are his children! We are his princes and princesses. And we are invited to this heavenly Banquet. This is what heaven is like! Such is the wonder and amazing generosity of God who gives and shares in joyful and loving munificence all he has with his children. This is what God, in parable form, shows us what it will be like in his presence. A Generous God. But the second point from this parable is that of God’s GRACE. You see, we aren’t the only ones who have been invited! The Jews thought that they were the only ones. The respectable, pious, reverent ones who loved God. But that’s not the case. And they were offended when Jesus twisted the ending of the story so that the ones who thought they deserved a place at the banquet, ended up being excluded, by their own excuses, and those who never thought they had a chance, were the very ones who were sought out and welcomed by the King into his grand Banquet. God is so generous that his generosity goes beyond the ordinary, - it becomes transformed into Grace. God is so generous that he invites - and even sends out messengers – to those who never thought they had a even the slightest hope of ever being invited. These are the ones who don’t think God is interested in them, – but He is! And we know that,- because Jesus was! The rejects of society were the ones, especially, whom Jesus went out of his way to meet, and to connect with. They were the ones he offered a new beginning to. That’s Grace. And given the invitation – they responded. When no one else would have them, or befriend them – God invited them into his Banquet. And the staggering thing is that they responded gladly and gratefully. Today, we can be grateful that we know that our Heavenly Father is a Generous and Grace-giving God. But lets remember that there are many who do not know that! Our lives this week are to reflect that generosity and grace toward others also – knowing that we all are invited to the banquet. |
