At Least He Showed Up
Notes
Transcript
Our scripture text this morning is really an odd story because it does not fit into our nice an neat image of who God is. It is easy to say, well at least he showed up when all the other people who were invited did not.
There are a lot of people who physically show up to church on a Sunday morning, but they do not show up spiritually. The check off church as one activity and then move on with their life as normal. I came across an interesting story this week that sort of retells this parable in a way that might help us better understand what Jesus is getting at. I am not sure who wrote it, but I feel they captured this parable very well.
This story is about a Youth Pastor named Susan and her former Pastor named Mark. It is told from the vantage point of Pastor Mark in letters that he is writing to Susan based on what she has told him. Listen to it:
August 11
Dear Susan,
It was good to hear from you again. We miss you around here, but it sounds like you’re settling in well in your new home and congregation. God’s blessings to you in your life and work there.
Congratulations on being selected to serve as a youth advisor. The young people of that church are fortunate: I know you’ll do a good job with them. Let me know how it goes!
Peace in Christ,
Mark
September 7
Dear Sue,
Yes, as you mentioned, the "crush of fall Activity" in the parish is upon us once again. Things do tend to accelerate after Labor Day.
Sorry your Fall Youth Rally and Kick Off was so poorly attended, and after so much preparation, too. Four youth out of a possible 53 is pretty dismal.
You asked if I’ve any suggestions. I’ve collected plenty of "war stories", but I suppose you’re looking instead for wit and wisdom born of experience and pain! First of all, you dare not discount the significance of those four youth. Find ways to minister to and with them. Nurture and care for them. They’re a start, the makings of a committed core group. Let them assume as much responsibility for things as they’re able to handle. Like all of us, they need to invest themselves if they’re to feel any ownership. Don’t program for them; plan and design ministry with them. Support ‘em, love ‘em and don’t be afraid to challenge ‘em. And keep me informed.
In Christ,
Mark
September 29
Dear Sue,
Well, look on the bright side: at least they were honest with you. Calling on every household with junior and senior high youth took a lot of time and effort. You and your core group are to be commended.
You ask if I am surprised that so many youth and parents were able to look you straight in the eye and say, "Sorry, not interested." Well, yes and no. Yes, I’m always surprised at how tentative some folks’ commitment is to the Lord and the mission and ministry of his church. Surprised and saddened and a little guilty for not being a better witness to the liberating power of the gospel myself. It means so much to me - is so much a part of my identity and self-understanding - that I have a hard time comprehending half-hearted, lukewarm responses to the good news.
Somehow soccer leagues and band practice, clubs and every weekend at the lake seem poor excuses and pale by comparison. Not that any of those things is bad. They’re all part of God’s good creation given to be enjoyed. When, however, they squeeze out worship and service, learning and witness, they strike me as exceptionally poor substitutes for fellowship in the crucified and risen Lord and our brothers and sisters in the household of faith.
But no; over the years I’ve come to expect (without being cynical or self-righteous, I hope) that in every place some church folks will be highly committed, others marginally committed and others apparently uncommitted to doing ministry in Christ’s name.
What I have learned is to stop playing God. For one thing, I have always to remember and be humbled by the fact that my own record of commitment is not exactly stellar. There have been times when I was turned off by what I perceived to be a cowardly church, a sleeping giant; other times when I was feeling my oats and decided I could go it alone, if not without God, then at least without his cumbersome and gawky bride, the church. And each time, someone or something has brought me up short and returned me to the fold. As a result, I suppose I’ve become more understanding about different levels of commitment in the life of faith.
Please note I said understanding. I understand that some are more and others less committed; I sometimes even understand why it is so; I know that I am called to invite others into deeper fellowship with the God of the gospel. My vocation and yours and that of every baptized believer is simply (and sometimes not so simply!) to be faithful, continuing to share the unconditional good news of God’s love and forgiveness for Christ’s sake and trust the Holy Spirit to make of that proclamation what he will. When we extend invitations to involvement and ministry, we trust God to use such invitations as means of grace, media for communicating his grace and love.
Some will respond, others will not; what God will ultimately make of that is God’s business, not mine. Mine is to issue the call with all the love, graciousness, courage, urgency, and patience I can muster.
This is beginning to sound like a sermon! I hope these meanderings of the mind and soul are of some help to you. Let me know where you take it (or it takes you!) from here.
Peace
Mark
October 16
Dear Sue
So some of the parents have suggested to members of Church Council that your phone calls and postcards to their teenaged children constitute a kind of "harassment". "Fear not, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." At least the parents admit you’ve never been anything but polite and invitational. I doubt very much that God wants people responding to his love merely because they were browbeaten or sent on a guilt trip.
You ask perhaps the most difficult question of all when you ask, "When should I take ‘no’ for an answer?"
Believe me, I’m not copping out when I say, "I don’t know." I can’t know because I don’t know the people you’re working with. Each is unique and needs to be treated like the individual she is. But I do know that there comes a time when we have to accept "no" as a sincere, considered response. If it comes from one obviously committed or even over-committed, there may well be what some call "a ‘yes’ behind the ‘no’." The "no" to this particular invitation may mean, "I need to concentrate my efforts in this area right now. I’d rather do two things well then ten things poorly."
From your previous letters, however, I suspect you’re talking rather about those who refuse any and all invitations to participate in the mission and ministry of the church. Tough question. Personally, I’ve found that at some point I do need to let folks know I’m disappointed; that I feel they’re depriving themselves of a tremendous joy; that I believe they need to be plugged into the life and work of the Body of Christ on earth as much as that Body needs the participation and cooperation of all its members. A body doesn’t work well if half its members are inert; indeed, the inactivity of such members has a crippling, disabling effect on the body.
At the same time, I’ve found I need to treat people as mature, rational folks who are capable of making their own choices and decisions. I can then accept the "no" - but only as a second to the last response and not an ultimate response. That is, a temporary and not a final answer. I am not God, only God’s servant; my mission is to issue the call, not stand in judgment. To accept their "no" as a final answer would be to take myself off the hook, perhaps to become self righteous and self-congratulatory by saying, "Well, at least I tried."
Pray with me, then, to discern the ight moment, the right time, to issue the invitation again; they might yet respond.
By the way, have you considered the possibility that there are others who and in the meanwhile need your ministry? If your field is temporarily barren, let it lie fallow while you plow and plant another. Who knows what the harvest might be!
In Christ
Mark
December 10
Dear Sue,
I was wondering what the long pause in our correspondence might portend. Now I know!
What a marvelous idea to invite the unchurched teens of the neighborhood to be a part of your church’s youth ministry. You had leaders. You had a structure in place. You were well equipped and all prepared. All you lacked was youth to make it come alive. And now, you say, some are taking part in catechetical classes, learning about the faith, doing odd jobs around the church, visiting the Lutheran Home, coming to worship. Some are even assuming leadership roles. Fantastic!
What a witness to have youth with names like Shareeta, Miguel and Nguyen serve as youth planners in ever-so-Swedish Augustana Church.
Of course! It was the logical - the theological and biblical - thing to do. When the young members of the church declined the invitation to the "feast", what more appropriate thing could there be to do than for you and your Faithful Four to go - literally! - to the streets and invite whoever was there, whoever would come?
We church folk and our kids are sometimes so stuffed with the junk food of pop culture, the fads and trends and programs of this world - everything from Aerobics to Zen - that when we’re invited to the "feast of victory for our God," we pat our round little bellies and say, "No, thanks. I couldn’t eat another bite." We don’t suffer from a "famine of hearing the Word of the Lord" like the Prophet Amos announced. We suffer from a kind of spiritual anorexia, a self-imposed starvation diet.
All this while others, like the youngsters you’re now reaching, have nowhere to go, nothing purposeful to do, perhaps no one even to care for them or about them.
The Kingdom of God is big enough for all of us. You know that, Sue. And while youth ministry is not identical with the Kingdom, it is certainly a way to introduce people to the love, the joy, the fellowship, and - yes! - the Lord of the Kingdom.
And consider this: Perhaps those complacent youth of the church, together with their parents and other adults who once refused to take part, will now realize what a precious birthright they’ve forfeited. Perhaps Shareeta, Miguel and Nguyen can witness to them!
Keep up the good work. Keep issuing the call to those within and without the church. Fill the King’s wedding hail with guests!
In Him, our coming King
and host of the Feast,
Mark
What a great way to retell this parable. I believe that Pastor Mark was spot on by saying : “Keep issuing the call to those within and without the church. Fill the King’s wedding hail with guests!”
Isn’t that our call today? We, meaning all of us are to be issuing the call to both people within the church. Those are the ones who list this as their church but rarely every show up. Those who show up but only sit on the sidelines. We are to be issuing the call or the invitation to those outside the church. Make use of every opportunity you get to invite someone to come to church.
What is the goal? Is it to fill this building? It would be awesome to see this building filled with people. Have you noticed all the kids and teens coming lately? How awesome is that! If I count correctly we have 14 kids and teens coming.
Vida needs all your prayers and support as she works with them during our worship time. We’ll be starting Sunday School up soon and we will need your prayers and support!
The invitation to come is open to everyone.
1 Jesus responded by speaking again in parables: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding party for his son. 3 He sent his servants to call those invited to the wedding party. But they didn’t want to come.
Who is this parable about? The King is God, the Son is Jesus and those who were initially invited were the Jews.
Weddings in Jesus time did not happen until the father deemed everything ready. So in this story that Jesus tells, the father is ready for the wedding to happen, he sends his servants out to call those who had already received their invitation that it was time for them to come. The day had finally arrived. Everything was in place, it was time for the guests to show up and help celebrate this wonderful occasion.
Jesus said that the servants went to call the invited guests, “but they didn’t want to come.”
They were invited, but they did not want to come. Jesus gives no reason why the didn’t want to come but sort of hints at it next.
4 Again he sent other servants and said to them, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look, the meal is all prepared. I’ve butchered the oxen and the fattened cattle. Now everything’s ready. Come to the wedding party!” ’ 5 But they paid no attention and went away—some to their fields, others to their businesses.
He wasn’t going to take no for an answer so he sends the servants out again with an urgent appeal. Everything is ready, the food is on the table, it is time to party. Look there in verse 5
5 But they paid no attention and went away—some to their fields, others to their businesses.
Other things were taking up their time. Their farms and their businesses were occupying their time. They did not pay any attention to the servants and the invitation to come to the party. Sadly that wasn’t the worst of it.
6 The rest of them grabbed his servants, abused them, and killed them.
This verse leaves us scratching our heads, why did they abuse and kill the servants? They were just delivering a message. I was reading a church news article this week about a Bishop in the Episcopal Church. He is probably the last remaining true Christian Bishop in that once great denomination. He faced a church trial because he has held to the biblical definition of marriage. He was found guilty and will be presumably removed from his office. This is all because he holds to the truth found in the Bible.
Jesus is talking about the Jews in these first 6 verses of this parable. God whom they presumably worshipped and followed is rejected by them. They profess to believe in God, but they do not live out that belief.
Look at how Jesus was abused and killed and many of his followers after him. Look at that Bishop, he’ll be kicked out of the church because he holds to the teachings found in Scripture.
The king was not having any of this.
7 “The king was angry. He sent his soldiers to destroy those murderers and set their city on fire.
The king was offended so he destroyed them and their city. It is time for Plan B, invite everyone from around the Kings home, in the towns and villages.
8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding party is prepared, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. 9 Therefore, go to the roads on the edge of town and invite everyone you find to the wedding party.’ 10 “Then those servants went to the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding party was full of guests.
Amazing, the invitation was opened up to everyone and the banquet hall was filled. The king enters the banquet hall at the appropriate time and he must have been pleased. It is filled with people who came to celebrate the wedding of this king’s son.
11 Now when the king came in and saw the guests, he spotted a man who wasn’t wearing wedding clothes. 12 He said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to his servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet and throw him out into the farthest darkness. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.’
The king looks out at this crowd and he spots one man there not dressed in wedding clothes. It is sort of like a reverse where’s Waldo picture. He must have stood out like a sore thumb. The king goes up to him and asks how he got in without wedding clothes, but the man was speechless.
What’s the big deal? One guy out of a huge multitude not dressed appropriately.
Most weddings, the guests dress up in their nicest clothes. They want to look good, it is an important event.
Something that stood out to me was what the king said to him “Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?” Why did that stand out? It wasn’t the guys wedding, he wouldn’t be dressed in wedding clothes, that’s for the bride and groom.
The point that I feel Jesus is making here is that we are to be dressed in wedding clothes.
Paul wrote
27 All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
14 Instead, dress yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and don’t plan to indulge your selfish desires.
When we come to the Father we are clothed with Christ.
This parable shows someone who tried to come to the King, the Father without being dressed in Christ. Do you remember the words of Jesus?
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The only way to get to the Father is through Jesus. This man was trying to get to the Father, the Wedding Banquet of Jesus his own way, not the way that God has laid out.
We are to put on Christ, it is only through the righteousness of Christ do we have any way to the Father.
What happened to him?
13 Then the king said to his servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet and throw him out into the farthest darkness. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.’
He was tossed out. Because he would not come through Christ he lost it all.
Jesus ends the parable with these words
14 “Many people are invited, but few people are chosen.”
The invitation to come into a relationship with God is open to everyone. The statement “but few people are chosen” reflects on the fact that not everyone will respond to the invitation. Not everyone will put on Christ. They want to enjoy the results of the invitation but they refuse to be obedient to the Father.
Many call themselves Christians, but they are not living up to the model of Christ. They are putting on Christ and His righteousness.
Have you put on Christ and showed up?