October 11, 2026 "God's Invitation"

20th Sunday after Pentecost

Isaiah 25:1-9

Psalm 23

Philippians 4:1-9

Matthew 22:1-4

Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,

grace and peace to you from the one whose invitation is transformational. Amen

I just have to start off by saying-

 this parable is ridiculous,

each sentence is more absurd than the last,

 it is rife with logical inconsistencies,

full of hyperbole (at least we hope)

 and seems utterly divorced from reality

or if it is describing reality

 it’s not one that we’re altogether comfortable with

 and yet since it is a parable told by Jesus

we take it seriously,

 perhaps too seriously,

 or perhaps too literally,

this is a parable after all,

 and parables are stories that are meant to shake us out of complacency,

 challenge us to look beyond the obvious,

even indict us with uncomfortable truths,

 they are supposed to make us think,

 be mirrors that help us reflect on our lives in this moment

which means we will see something different each time we approach them.

But even for parables, this parable is ridiculous.

And it still reveals good news about God.

That God’s invitation is freely offered

 and transformational to those who accept the offer.

This time as I approach this parable

I’ve got invitations on the mind,

 specifically how God’s Way is the way of invitation-

 that’s our emphasis for October

as we continue to look at who God is and how God works.

again and again we find that God is a God of invitation

who sets out to do the work of God

through invitation rather than coercion.

And indeed God’s invitation is at the heart of our readings for today.

In our reading from Isaiah

 the prophet bolsters the people in the present

 by reminding them of God’s actions in the past

 (being a refuge to the poor and destroying the ruthless who made them poor)

 as well as hope for God’s promised future,

a future where God will lay a sumptuous banquet

 and invite all peoples,

and at this banquet God will transform the world by destroying death

 “[God] will swallow up death forever.” says the prophet,

 which to our ears might sound like an odd turn of phrase

but is actually quite an evocative image.

 In ancient Canaan death was depicted as a monster

 swallowing up everyone,

so here along comes God who is bigger than the death monster,

who gives it it’s own treatment. 

It’s like one of those cartoons

where there is a little fish swimming along

and then a bigger fish enters the frame and swallows the smaller fish

 and looks pleased with itself

until an even bigger fish comes and gulps it up.

 God’s that biggest fish gulping up the death dealers.

“Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the lord has spoken.”

This is the God for whom the people wait

 whose invitation includes not just a banquet

 but a fundamental transformation of the world.

A banquet appears in our psalm as well-

God seems to have been an early adopter

 to the philosophy that if you want to build a relationship with people

you start with free food.

 But it’s not just about the food or the banquet,

 it’s about the one hosting the banquet,

 the one who issues the invitation to sit down,

 who even prepares a table in the presence of enemies,

 a tangible sign of the presence of God in all things

 and a foretaste of the goodness and mercy that shall follow the banquet,

goodness and mercy that we can trust will come

 even when moving through the valley of the shadow of death.

 It’s an invitation that transforms fear into trust.

And then we come to the invitations of our parable,

 our ridiculous parable.

The first invitations to the wedding banquet thrown by the king are brushed off

(an unlikely scenario, who would ignore the invitation of the king?)

 but not only are the invitations ignored but actively rejected

(again absurd)

 as is the king’s overreaction shall we say of sending troops in response

 but the problem of the empty banquet hall still stands

 and so the invitation is expanded to everyone, good and bad,

and servants are sent to bring people in

 ‘no really you are invited to the kings banquet,

come on, we’ll even give you a wedding robe’

 and the hall is filled,

 and if we could stop here it would be great,

stopping here we can say that God is relentless in issuing invitations

and that all are invited

 and the presence of both the good and that bad

show that God truly means all

 and that presence in the kingdom does not depend on what we do, on merit

but on God’s invitation

all good news and all true.

 But the parable doesn’t stop there,

there’s one more scene

where the king finds one guest not wearing the wedding robe

 and when questioned the man cannot explain why he is not wearing the robe

and is subsequently kicked out of the party

thrown into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth

 (and this is the part we really hope is hyperbole).

 now I don’t think it’s about the dress code

but what the robe represents

the transformational nature of accepting the invitation,

to not put on the robe is a refusal to fully join the celebration,

 itself a form of rejection.

God wants us to be transformed by God’s invitation

not just for us to stuff our faces at the buffet

 and slide out the back to continue doing what we were doing.  

And here a bit of context helps.

In the story of Jesus that Matthew is telling

this comes after Jesus has entered Jerusalem on a donkey,

the palm Sunday parade,

 he’s had his temple tantrum

causing a ruckus and attracting more crowds

 along with the condemnation of the temple authorities

 who want to throw him out

but can’t because the crowds love Jesus

 and throwing him out would cause a riot

 and draw the wrong kind of attention from Rome,

 it’s to this crowd on the edge of riot and revolution

that Jesus is telling this parable

and it’s reasonable to see how the crowds might identify the temple leaders

 with those who rejected the initial invitation

 and themselves with the guests gathered off the streets

and be feeling pretty good about themselves over the temple leaders

 but then Jesus adds the part about the guest

who doesn’t put on the robe

a warning to the crowds

 not to get too full of themselves,

that a partial acceptance of the invitation

is as bad as a rejection,

this is an invitation which expects full participation.

 If you’re going to Jesus’ party,

you’d better party.

But how do we maintain that level of participation?

 This is the question Paul is addressing to the Philippians

as they wait in the in between,

 they have accepted the invitation

but full participation is getting tiring

as they wait for the day of the Lord

and Paul writes to encourage them

 in ways they can continue living into the invitation-

 in their treatment of one another,

 in clinging to what is true rather than false

and in rejoicing in the Lord,

not because everything is perfect

 but because the Lord is near,

as near as water and word, bread and wine.

Because God continues to issue the invitation

To God’s transformational banquet,

To live God’s way on earth as in heaven

The invitation is issued anew each time we gather

As the Lord sets out a feast for us,

and feeds us with himself,

transforming us by forgiving us our failings

and renewing and strengthening our resolve

 to not only put on the robe but to wear it proudly. Amen