Being Prepared To Attend The Wedding Feast

Speaker: Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines

October 17, 2023

in Spritual Growth

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Readings: Isaiah 25:1-9
Philippians 4: 4-13
Matthew 22:1-14
21st Sunday of Ordinary Time

Christ teaches us again in parables. They are spoken to meet the needs of the times. Today’s parable was not only meant for biblical times but for the future to come and even for now. In the setting here, we see a king preparing a big feast for his son who was getting married. It was a long, tedious period of preparation because these things take time. After quite a while, when the servants got everything ready, the King sends them out to tell the people who were invited that they could now attend the celebration. But these people who were invited could no longer attend the party. They had other things in mind. They had these other excuses and reasons. Some went into business. Some of them even killed the servants. The King was enraged that they could not attend and sends out his army to kill those who had murdered the servants. Then he instructs his servants to go out into the streets to invite whoever was available, good or bad. The symbolism of this parable is that the first batch who were invited were the Jews who rejected Christ. Then, the other guests would be the gentiles. When the wedding venue was filled with people, the King found one who was not in proper clothing. He asked him, “friend, how did you get in without the proper clothes.” The man was speechless and could offer no answer. The King calls his servants and tells them to bind him and take him out into the darkness, to a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus has prepared a feast for us. He has taken and wiped away our sins. He has given us healing and a new life. All is ready. The King has also given us enough time to prepare. Unfortunately, many of us are too busy. We are rejecting what God has given us. The Kingdom of the world will be destroyed if the invitation is rejected. We’ve been given the truth, the garment of righteousness. He has given us assurance, not fear and anxiety. He gives to us this helmet of salvation so that we would not doubt but be confident in who we are, being cleansed by Him. We need to put on the things of God that we can manifest His goodness and glory, and the love for things He has blessed us with. We have to have the humility and stop judging others. Faith keeps us from falling and failing. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. We may not see the answers yet but we need to put on confidence that it will surely come. Trusting and putting our faith in God that He indeed is real, and we need to be aware that the stripes He bore was for our healing.

The challenge for us is to prepare ourselves. If we have been invited to partake of the feast, then we must be prepared. Living out the life He has already provided for us. Christ has given us the garments of righteousness so that we are ready to meet Him. The Kingdom of God is at hand. When the time comes, we must be ready. He shall take priority in our lives. Be prepared to meet Him.