PARABLE OF THE PARTY

Sermon Summary, “Parables of Jesus: “Parable of the Party” Mt 21:1-14; Col 3:10;12;14, Aug 14, 2016

A few years ago, the DS asked that I give the message at the District Conference.  I asked that I preach on Evangelism.  The  selected passage for that Sunday was ours for today which includes “Go out onto the highways and byways, the streets and the lanes and invite everyone you can find to the wedding.”  I told him that we were going to South Dakota but that we would be back for the Conference.  I didn’t tell him the purpose of the trip.  We were going to see Justin.  Justin had not received an invitation.  He had found life too difficult and had taken his own life.  No one had invited him to the party.

Have you every been invited to a party and “just didn’t have anything to wear?”  So you skipped and found it had been a great party?  Can you imagine God throwing a party and we choose to not go?  That’s the story.  God sends so many a personal invitation and we find excuses.  We’ve bought a vacation home and need to visit it.  We’ve bought a new car or motorcycle and we need to try it out.  Or maybe we’re are just not ready.  (Jesus told a story about that too, the 10 virgins only five of whom had oil for their lamps.  The other five weren’t ready.)

Do you have of Justin’s and Justine’s in your lives who need invitation?  Might their lives be different if a kind person, one who strived to build them up came along side of them, who just wanted a relationship with them because of whom they are?  Might their story be different?

Luke ends his version of the story there with an invitation on the streets and the lanes that filled the hall with both good and bad.  Matthew continues with the King finding a guest without a wedding garment and casts him out.  What is this garment?  I believe it is and active faith.  When we put on an active faith, we dress up like Christ.  We may not have all the garment, all the faith.  But if we start with new shoes for walking, new gloves for holding on, and we stick with it, soon we will find ourselves fully dressed.

Dressing up, putting on clothing is a common biblical theme.  Paul in Colossians 3 tells us to cloth ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  And above all put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  So clothed, we can walk along side those who need lifting up, who need to know they are persons of worth, of value.  And when the day comes when their needs cannot be satisfied with things, that they need more, you, so clothed, can come along side them and make all the difference in their lives.  Amen.