Twenty Second Sunday after Pentecost Year A Proper 23 – RCL – 2008
Exodus 32: 1 – 14; Psalm 106: 1 – 6, 19 – 23; Philippians 4: 1 – 9; Matthew 22: 1 – 14
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Parish, Portland, OR
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Exodus 32: 1 – 14; Psalm 106: 1 – 6, 19 – 23; Philippians 4: 1 – 9; Matthew 22: 1 – 14
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Parish, Portland, OR
Sunday, October 12, 2008
COME TO THE BANQUET
Let us pray: God of bounty and blessing you have invited all of creation to feast at the banquet prepared from the foundations of the world. Help us to humbly accept your invitation and to live out the welcome which you have modeled in your un-rivaled generosity. When the busyness of our lives and our preoccupations with the mundane details keep us from you, gently guide and move our hearts to consider all that you have been and done for us; especially in the ministry and salvation of your Holy One, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
(SUNG) I CANNOT COME. I CANNOT COME TO THE BANQUET,
Let us pray: God of bounty and blessing you have invited all of creation to feast at the banquet prepared from the foundations of the world. Help us to humbly accept your invitation and to live out the welcome which you have modeled in your un-rivaled generosity. When the busyness of our lives and our preoccupations with the mundane details keep us from you, gently guide and move our hearts to consider all that you have been and done for us; especially in the ministry and salvation of your Holy One, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
(SUNG) I CANNOT COME. I CANNOT COME TO THE BANQUET,
DON’T TROUBLE ME NOW. I HAVE MARRIED A WIFE,
I HAVE BOUGHT ME A COW. I HAVE FIELDS AND
COMMITMENTS THAT COST A PRETTY SUM,
PRAY HOLD ME EXCUSED, I CANNOT COME.
The parable story which we encounter in the author of Matthew’s Gospel this morning is a continuation of the discourse which Jesus was directing toward the Chief Priests and Elders of the people in vs. 22-23 of the previous chapter; and then later identified in v. 45 as the Pharisees. Jesus directs 3 parables (or 4 if you separate as some scriptural scholars do the parable of the wedding feast from the parable of the wedding garments) directly to the heart of the message which the author of Matthew’s Gospel wishes to convey to the early Christian community struggling and suffering from the devastation of most of what that they had known in their spiritual and religious lives when the occupying Roman forces destroyed the temple at Jerusalem in the year 70 of the Common Era. Matthew’s community was comprised of mostly Jewish members and a growing contingency of gentiles who were learning and beginning to follow the way of the Christ. Jesus in the judgment parables which we have been hearing for the past several weeks is pointing out that the Kindom of God is being expanded to incorporate more than just the people of Israel – and this would not serve to make the leaders and officials of the Jewish social, religious and political system very happy. In fact, we know in hindsight what Jesus’ radical message against the establishment of 1st Century Palestinian life ultimately resulted in.
So, that is the reality of the context in which Jesus begins to address the leaders of that time with a message of God’s intention of a “new thing” which will shape the foundations of cultural and religious life for the disciples and believers who hear the good news and strive to live it out in their age. Now what of us who strive to do the same in our own age? What do these stories and parables have to say to us and the way we are being asked to live out the life which we promised in our baptismal covenant? That’s where the message gets a little more difficult and lot more tricky! The allegorical story of the wedding banquet, those who are invited and do not come; and those subsequently who are gathered in and offered the taste of the Divine covenant which God extends beyond the original covenant made with Abraham and Sarah – is often confusing and difficult for our 21st century ears to hear and comprehend. In this allegorical treatment, most scriptural scholars identify the cast of characters as follows: the “King” is God; the “son” is Jesus; the “invited guests” are the people of Israel; the first “slaves” are the Hebrew prophets; the second and third set of “slaves” are early Christian missionaries; the “burned city” is Jerusalem; the “good and bad” are righteous and unrighteous members of the Church and the “wedding robe” equates to “righteousness”.
(SUNG) I CANNOT COME. I CANNOT COME TO THE BANQUET,
The parable story which we encounter in the author of Matthew’s Gospel this morning is a continuation of the discourse which Jesus was directing toward the Chief Priests and Elders of the people in vs. 22-23 of the previous chapter; and then later identified in v. 45 as the Pharisees. Jesus directs 3 parables (or 4 if you separate as some scriptural scholars do the parable of the wedding feast from the parable of the wedding garments) directly to the heart of the message which the author of Matthew’s Gospel wishes to convey to the early Christian community struggling and suffering from the devastation of most of what that they had known in their spiritual and religious lives when the occupying Roman forces destroyed the temple at Jerusalem in the year 70 of the Common Era. Matthew’s community was comprised of mostly Jewish members and a growing contingency of gentiles who were learning and beginning to follow the way of the Christ. Jesus in the judgment parables which we have been hearing for the past several weeks is pointing out that the Kindom of God is being expanded to incorporate more than just the people of Israel – and this would not serve to make the leaders and officials of the Jewish social, religious and political system very happy. In fact, we know in hindsight what Jesus’ radical message against the establishment of 1st Century Palestinian life ultimately resulted in.
So, that is the reality of the context in which Jesus begins to address the leaders of that time with a message of God’s intention of a “new thing” which will shape the foundations of cultural and religious life for the disciples and believers who hear the good news and strive to live it out in their age. Now what of us who strive to do the same in our own age? What do these stories and parables have to say to us and the way we are being asked to live out the life which we promised in our baptismal covenant? That’s where the message gets a little more difficult and lot more tricky! The allegorical story of the wedding banquet, those who are invited and do not come; and those subsequently who are gathered in and offered the taste of the Divine covenant which God extends beyond the original covenant made with Abraham and Sarah – is often confusing and difficult for our 21st century ears to hear and comprehend. In this allegorical treatment, most scriptural scholars identify the cast of characters as follows: the “King” is God; the “son” is Jesus; the “invited guests” are the people of Israel; the first “slaves” are the Hebrew prophets; the second and third set of “slaves” are early Christian missionaries; the “burned city” is Jerusalem; the “good and bad” are righteous and unrighteous members of the Church and the “wedding robe” equates to “righteousness”.
(SUNG) I CANNOT COME. I CANNOT COME TO THE BANQUET,
DON’T TROUBLE ME NOW. I HAVE MARRIED A WIFE,
I HAVE BOUGHT ME A COW. I HAVE FIELDS AND
COMMITMENTS THAT COST A PRETTY SUM,
PRAY HOLD ME EXCUSED, I CANNOT COME.
This allegorical parable of the wedding banquet, like the ones which immediately precede it, is directed toward the unbending and “un-seeing” rigidity of the Chief Priests and Pharisees of Jesus’ time. The message speaks still to us today who strive to follow in the way of Jesus, probably somewhere in the middle of the “good and bad” that are invited into the banquet hall and truly wish to join in the feast which God has prepared for those who love and serve God. What do we make of the latter part of this parable; or perhaps the 4th judgment parable of the wedding garment? Some scholars believe that at such a feast which is described in this story, the host of the banquet would have provided for the garments which were to be worn by the invited guests, so all that would have been required was to take it and put it on. For whatever reason, the individual chooses not to avail themselves of the traditional wedding garment – when they are confronted by the Host of the banquet we are told, “he was speechless”. I’ll just bet he was. For us today, it would be helpful to think of this garment of righteousness as the garment which we put on when we are invited into the banquet of the Christ at our baptism. At that time, we (or others in our name) made certain promises as to how we would live our new life in Christ. It is helpful for me, as I review my spiritual health to do so in light of how I am doing with those promises. Will you continue in the Apostles teaching and fellowship, in the Breaking of the Bread and in the Prayers? Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? Will you proclaim by word an example the Good News of God in Christ? Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving you neighbor as yourself? Will you strive for Justice and Peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? So how do you measure up against these promises?
As for me, I’m not perfect – but here’s the good news Christ doesn’t demand perfection, only a genuine attempt at living out the life we have been given in service to God and to our fellow human beings. When I fail, which I often do, I can ask for forgiveness – from God and from my fellows and begin again because of the promise that my sins have been forgiven; that God, in Christ made the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I might have a chance to join in the banquet and make the Kindom a reality in the world around and within us. I invite you to notice that in this passage it doesn’t say that the banquet was cancelled because the invited guests wouldn’t come. No, the wedding and the feast were to go on as scheduled – only the guest list was changed. God doesn’t alter God’s plans because of the indifference of we human beings. The invitation has been extended – it is up to us accept the invitation to joy. The banquet is still there for those who would come – who would accept the invitation. Many times, however, we have other things to think about, there are jobs to be done, aging parents or children to be looked after, mortgages to be paid and the myriad of details, which occupy our busy lives. We become consumed with our consumer culture and the distractions of a world which has little room for talk of feasts and joy. We find so many other things to occupy our time and consume our energy. Our lives become so busy and cluttered it is often difficult or impossible to hear the invitation to joy. Often when we are reminded of the overflowing bounty available in God’s realm of reality we become embarrassed, we tend to dismiss it as something to be thought about after we’ve taken care of the real responsibilities of our lives. Listen to what Paul has to say the community at Philippi about this banquet of Joy, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice.” How does this joy manifest itself? In gentleness, in a lack of worrying about anything, in an attitude of prayer and supplication and thanksgiving and petition trusting that God will provide all that we need at the banquet. Paul urges those who have accepted God’s invitation to the banquet to remain there by thinking of whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing and commendable of things that are worthy of excellence and praise.
How many of us are still hesitating because of the fear that attending the banquet will demand too much of our time, or limit our ambitions in this world or dilute our own ambitions? It should come as no surprise that the one who makes the invitation to the banquet of joy will not accept second place in our affections. It is true that accepting God’s invitation to the banquet will change our sense of what is of importance and value. How saddened and lonely our hearts feel outside of the banquet hall, how much we would miss of the companionship of our Saviour and our friend, Jesus the Christ.
Fear has become the driving force of our political and social environments in the past weeks. When humanity stands at the brink of change – our natural reaction is fear. Fear that we will not have enough and others are looking to take what is rightfully ours. Fear that change will mean taking on roles and responsibilities that we do not want to assume. Fear that our hope is all in vain and that the planet spins wildly in space with no direction or purpose. Christianity, however, in the midst of all of our fear and uncertainty cries out with hope for all whom God has created and holds in care and concern. God will not reach out from the heights of heaven to thwart our fear by settling the conflicts and sorting out the financial messes that we have entwined ourselves in. God will however, fill some of us with the voices that can lift us from the fear and lead us to the solutions around poverty, disease and hope for the hopeless. Anthropologist and humanitarian Margaret Mead, is quoted on the subject – she writes, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” It is our responsibility to listen with the ears of a thoughtful and committed Gospel people – a people who trust in the goodness and righteousness of our God and who understand that we are the hands of that God at work in the world around us. We are the people of God who continue to invite that world to feast at the Holy Table where we are nourished and fed with the strength to proclaim the Kindom present among us and yet to be fully revealed.
Why would we reject such an invitation to this banquet of joy? Let us, rather put on the garment of righteousness and feast at the banquet prepared from the foundation of the world.
COMMITMENTS THAT COST A PRETTY SUM,
PRAY HOLD ME EXCUSED, I CANNOT COME.
This allegorical parable of the wedding banquet, like the ones which immediately precede it, is directed toward the unbending and “un-seeing” rigidity of the Chief Priests and Pharisees of Jesus’ time. The message speaks still to us today who strive to follow in the way of Jesus, probably somewhere in the middle of the “good and bad” that are invited into the banquet hall and truly wish to join in the feast which God has prepared for those who love and serve God. What do we make of the latter part of this parable; or perhaps the 4th judgment parable of the wedding garment? Some scholars believe that at such a feast which is described in this story, the host of the banquet would have provided for the garments which were to be worn by the invited guests, so all that would have been required was to take it and put it on. For whatever reason, the individual chooses not to avail themselves of the traditional wedding garment – when they are confronted by the Host of the banquet we are told, “he was speechless”. I’ll just bet he was. For us today, it would be helpful to think of this garment of righteousness as the garment which we put on when we are invited into the banquet of the Christ at our baptism. At that time, we (or others in our name) made certain promises as to how we would live our new life in Christ. It is helpful for me, as I review my spiritual health to do so in light of how I am doing with those promises. Will you continue in the Apostles teaching and fellowship, in the Breaking of the Bread and in the Prayers? Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? Will you proclaim by word an example the Good News of God in Christ? Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving you neighbor as yourself? Will you strive for Justice and Peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? So how do you measure up against these promises?
As for me, I’m not perfect – but here’s the good news Christ doesn’t demand perfection, only a genuine attempt at living out the life we have been given in service to God and to our fellow human beings. When I fail, which I often do, I can ask for forgiveness – from God and from my fellows and begin again because of the promise that my sins have been forgiven; that God, in Christ made the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I might have a chance to join in the banquet and make the Kindom a reality in the world around and within us. I invite you to notice that in this passage it doesn’t say that the banquet was cancelled because the invited guests wouldn’t come. No, the wedding and the feast were to go on as scheduled – only the guest list was changed. God doesn’t alter God’s plans because of the indifference of we human beings. The invitation has been extended – it is up to us accept the invitation to joy. The banquet is still there for those who would come – who would accept the invitation. Many times, however, we have other things to think about, there are jobs to be done, aging parents or children to be looked after, mortgages to be paid and the myriad of details, which occupy our busy lives. We become consumed with our consumer culture and the distractions of a world which has little room for talk of feasts and joy. We find so many other things to occupy our time and consume our energy. Our lives become so busy and cluttered it is often difficult or impossible to hear the invitation to joy. Often when we are reminded of the overflowing bounty available in God’s realm of reality we become embarrassed, we tend to dismiss it as something to be thought about after we’ve taken care of the real responsibilities of our lives. Listen to what Paul has to say the community at Philippi about this banquet of Joy, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice.” How does this joy manifest itself? In gentleness, in a lack of worrying about anything, in an attitude of prayer and supplication and thanksgiving and petition trusting that God will provide all that we need at the banquet. Paul urges those who have accepted God’s invitation to the banquet to remain there by thinking of whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing and commendable of things that are worthy of excellence and praise.
How many of us are still hesitating because of the fear that attending the banquet will demand too much of our time, or limit our ambitions in this world or dilute our own ambitions? It should come as no surprise that the one who makes the invitation to the banquet of joy will not accept second place in our affections. It is true that accepting God’s invitation to the banquet will change our sense of what is of importance and value. How saddened and lonely our hearts feel outside of the banquet hall, how much we would miss of the companionship of our Saviour and our friend, Jesus the Christ.
Fear has become the driving force of our political and social environments in the past weeks. When humanity stands at the brink of change – our natural reaction is fear. Fear that we will not have enough and others are looking to take what is rightfully ours. Fear that change will mean taking on roles and responsibilities that we do not want to assume. Fear that our hope is all in vain and that the planet spins wildly in space with no direction or purpose. Christianity, however, in the midst of all of our fear and uncertainty cries out with hope for all whom God has created and holds in care and concern. God will not reach out from the heights of heaven to thwart our fear by settling the conflicts and sorting out the financial messes that we have entwined ourselves in. God will however, fill some of us with the voices that can lift us from the fear and lead us to the solutions around poverty, disease and hope for the hopeless. Anthropologist and humanitarian Margaret Mead, is quoted on the subject – she writes, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” It is our responsibility to listen with the ears of a thoughtful and committed Gospel people – a people who trust in the goodness and righteousness of our God and who understand that we are the hands of that God at work in the world around us. We are the people of God who continue to invite that world to feast at the Holy Table where we are nourished and fed with the strength to proclaim the Kindom present among us and yet to be fully revealed.
Why would we reject such an invitation to this banquet of joy? Let us, rather put on the garment of righteousness and feast at the banquet prepared from the foundation of the world.
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