"Come, Everything is Ready!" (Luke 14:1, 12-24)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 One man said at the dining table with Jesus: “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God” (Luke 14:15).

 

Yes, it is true that everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God is blessed. But it is also increasingly obvious that not everyone really regards God’s salvation banquet as something so wonderful.

 

In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus is where we would not expect Him to be. He is dining at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees. He is certainly in a place we would not expect, but Jesus invites everyone to the kingdom of God, including those unbelieving Pharisees. But what happens at this dining experience is expected: they are watching Jesus carefully to see if He will again break another Sabbath rule.

 

So, while Jesus accepts this invitation to dine with leading rabbis, He also invites them to His great banquet, so to speak.

 

So, Jesus tells them about a man who prepared a great banquet. This was a banquet prepared with no leftovers, not with paper plates, and not with warm pop, but with the finest of food, the richest of wine, the juiciest of steaks, with a host who spared no expense. It was a meal of pure gift. And since the banquet hall was ready, his call went out through his servant: “Come, for everything is now ready!” (Luke 14:17).

 

In today’s world, we often send out “Save the Date” notices. This is what this servant is doing. He is sending out these “Save the Date” notices, but not for the future. He is saying, “Today is the date! Come, everything is ready!”

 

The date is set! The banquet hall is ready! The supper of rich food and well-aged wine is ready! (Isaiah 25:6). The supper is lavish! Come, everything is ready!

 

But they all began to make excuses. One bought a field. Another bought five yoke of oxen. Another just got married. They each said, “Please have me excused” (Luke 14:18, 19). Hey, at least they were polite about it. Well, for maybe the exception of the third who just said, “I cannot come.”

Now, at least two of the excuses matched legitimate reasons from the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 20:6-7, God’s Word proclaims: “And is there any man who has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy its fruit. And is there any man who has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.” So, the guy who bought the field and the guy who had recently gotten married may have good reasons. However, did you catch the caveat? They could only refrain from military service. So, their excuses fall flat. They weren’t going off to war. They just didn’t want to go.

 

So, under their veneer of civility and polite excuses was a cold-hearted rejection.

 

Before we get into the Parable of the Great Banquet even more, it is essential to understand the custom of first century banquets. In the Mideast, an unexpected invitation must be refused, especially when one is a foreigner or outcast. So, who would be expected? The rich, the wealthy, the well-to-do. Who would be unexpected? The poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame, the Gentile. So, it is odd that the expected refuse to come and the unexpected later are compelled to come.

 

Back to the parable. The supper is ready, and no one wants to come. Instead, they make excuses. The first pleads necessity. The second pleads inconvenience. The third pleads pleasure. So, the servant returns and reports these things to his master.

 

But guess what, today’s parable is not about proper etiquette or first-century manners. It is about the Gospel. It is about the Divine Service. It is about you and me – and the dangerous foolishness of justifying why we refuse the Lord’s gracious invitation.

 

You see, the Divine Service is a banquet. Yes, today, we are sitting outside, and it looks more like a picnic, but believe me, the Divine Service is a banquet. It isn’t work where you must clock in, or a work that you must perform. It is a banquet. The Divine Service is a feast of grace. This is where God teaches us and where He serves us His grace. He serves us. He gives. And He does not give us table scraps. He gives us His very body and blood. He gives us forgiveness of sins, which begets life and salvation to you as His guests.

 

As poor, miserable sinners, we don’t often see the Divine Service this way. Yours and my Old Adam often looks at each Sunday morning and mutters: “Do I have to?”

But the problem isn’t with the Divine Service. The problem is with you and me. The problem is with our hearts.

You see, if you view the Divine Service as an obligation, you are already down the path of making excuses. And these excuses are not neutral. They are efforts to justify yourself. Each excuse is saying to God: “God, I’m not the problem here, it’s just that I have more important things to do.”

 

We are all experts at coming up with excuses. We are all great at justifying ourselves. We are all great at playing the victim. We are all too much like Goldilocks who says, “It’s too hot. It’s too cold.”

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us not justify ourselves by avoiding God’s gifts. That is to say; when we make excuses to justify an absence, we are not only being dishonest – we are insulting the banquet and despising the Host. We are saying, “I have better things to do than to be in the presence of Jesus.” We are saying: “This gift is no gift at all.” We are saying: “The Divine Service is a burden.”

 

So, when we make excuses like this, it is not because of a scheduling conflict. To be perfectly honest, it’s idolatry. So, when you say, “I’d love to be at church, but …” we are putting God’s gifts on a scale and weighing them against our desires.

 

And when we do such a thing, we are exchanging the grace of God for the fleeting pleasures of the fallen world.

 

So, the message of today’s parable is clear: repent. Repent for all those times you have justified your absence from the Divine Service with excuses. Repent for treating the Divine Service like a burden. Repent for despising preaching and His Word. Repent for your apathy and excuses.

 

But be sure at this: not all excuses are the same. Yes, there are those excuses born of pride, but there are other excuses that are born of sorrow. So, there is a time when “I couldn’t come” is the right thing to say. Perhaps you are sick. Perhaps your work demanded it. Perhaps you are shut-in. Perhaps you didn’t have the strength – then come and contact me. So, you said, “I wanted to be at the Divine Service. I longed to receive Christ’s forgiveness, but I could not.” Now, that is not justification. That is a lament.

 

You see, a lament says, “Lord, I missed the feast, and I am hungry.” “Lord, I long for Your Word, for Your altar, for Your forgiveness.” You see, a lament is a cry of the soul. It doesn’t justify. It grieves. 

 

So, let there be no confusion. An excuse offered in lament is not a sin, but the groaning of a repentant heart. Justifying excuses despise the gift. Lamenting excuses desire the gift.

 

So, what is the Master’s response to justifying excuses? He says to His servant, “Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame” (Luke 14:21). He fills the banquet hall with the desperate and hungry. He fills the banquet hall with those who responded positively to the preaching of Jesus. But still there is room for more. The Master sends His servant to the rural areas, into the country lanes and roads not often traveled. The servant calls in people from the far corners of the earth.

 

Those who were first invited missed their chance. The door is locked, and they will not taste of the great banquet. They refused to hear the preaching of Jesus and now they find themselves excluded.

 

But thanks be to God that the door is still open, but one day the door will close. Right now, everything is ready. And He invites you to His banquet week after week – not to perform or impress – but to receive. And He does not grow tired of inviting. Sunday after Sunday, Monday after Monday, His call rings out: “Come, for everything is now ready!”

 

And when you miss a Divine Service in sorrow, He will not rebuke you. He welcomes your lament, and He strengthens your faith through His Word and Sacraments. So, when you are absent from the Divine Service, ask yourself: was my excuse a justification or a lament? If it was a justification, repent, and receive God’s forgiveness won for you on the cross. If it was a lament, bring that sorrow to the Lord.

 

Here, in the Divine Service, either inside or outside, God gives His best to you – Christ crucified for sinners, risen for your justification, coming in Word and Sacrament for you. So, receive what only Christ can give: forgiveness, life, and salvation. These are His gifts to you. Come, everything is ready! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Lorna Nemitz Funeral Sermon: "Forever Joy! Forever Life!" (John 6:27-40)

Sermon Audio

Terry, John, Nancy, and Janey, family and friends of Lorna: 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

A host of angels their voices did raise
In loud hallelujahs of glory and praise
For the little Lord Jesus who on Christmas
Was born
To save all us sinners and all the forlorn.

The magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense
and myrrh
But the gift of Jesus is a joy forever.

 

The gift of Jesus is both forever joy and forever life! As many of you may know, Lorna was a poet. She may not be nationally or worldly known, but her poetry was indeed published from time to time. In fact, that rhyme I just spoke were her very words. Lorna, indeed, lived her life not just knowing of Jesus, but holding onto Him, since in Him was the gift of joy and life. She firmly trusted that Jesus rescued her from her sins. Just as she knew Jesus in her earthly life, she now is in His presence as on Tuesday, June 25^th, her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ led her from death to life as He welcomed her into the Church Triumphant.

 

When I served First Lutheran Church as the associate pastor, I welcomed the opportunity to meet our many homebound members. Each homebound member became my family. Many had not set foot inside First Lutheran Church in years, but I – as their pastor – served as their lifeline to Christ’s Means of Grace, His Word and Sacraments, so they would be sure of their forgiveness, life, and salvation in Christ.

 

Oddly enough, my first visit with Lorna back on July 27^th, 2017, was a little rocky. I was fresh out of seminary as I was still trying to figure out what it meant to be a pastor. I was nervous. Rightfully so. As everything was new. On that first visit with Lorna, I introduced myself and she to me. But then I began the Communion Liturgy from my Pastoral Care Companion. I began praying, “Gracious Father, You have assured us that we shall receive strength every day of our lives. Grant your servant Lorna, who is homebound…”

 

Suddenly Lorna interrupted the prayer and said, “I am not homebound.” I was startled. I immediately thought, “Uh oh.” I didn’t know what to say. Eventually I said something, but that “I am not homebound” stuck with me. In fact, those words are still underlined in my Pastoral Care Companion.

Now, for any of our shut-in members, they know that I never said that phrase in that prayer again. I thought that prayer would be perfectly fine without that phrase. So, I have left it out ever since.

 

As much as I thought I may have offended Lorna that day, she still answered my phone call to schedule our next visit that next month and every month since until I accepted the Divine Call to Prince of Peace Lutheran in West Salem, Wisconsin. And yes, I even visited Lorna during the dreaded Covid pandemic.

 

Each time we met, I learned more about her, and she learned more about me and my family. She shared stories about herself, Orville and her kids as they trekked all about Minnesota, first beginning in Glencoe, then to Cokato, then to Hutchinson, to Darwin, and then back again to Glencoe. Her family albums would come out on various occasions.

 

Then usually sitting on a recliner was her cat, Katie. According to Lorna, most of the time, Katie would hide from her guests, but not from me. Maybe Katie just knew that my family would one day adopt her. That day would come when Lorna moved to Grand Meadows in 2020. For Terry and John, they will never forget adoption day and how such a mellow cat turned into a wild beast. But ironically enough, Katie would return to her house when Melissa and I purchased Lorna’s house. Katie also taught our other cat Gigi a thing or two, especially how to beg for water from the bathtub spout.

 

But what I will remember most about Lorna was her talent for poetry. I did say that she was published. But there were times when the Senior Perspective newspaper would forget to publish her latest poem. I did hear about those moments. They always assured Lorna that it would be published in an upcoming issue.

 

Poetry was one of her God-given talents. She rhymed about God’s creative acts, His redemptive acts, and His sanctifying acts. She rhymed telling of her sure and certain faith in Jesus Christ as her Redeemer and Lord, who was crucified and died for the forgiveness of her sins and yours and my sins, which begets eternal life and salvation, and how He rose from the dead three days later for our justification. This gift we receive by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

 

Today, Lorna is resting from her labors as she has received the promise of eternal life. In her later years, Lorna certainly struggled with the effects of sin that we all daily face, including especially back spasms, macular degeneration, and strokes, but now she no longer suffers the effects of sin as she has joined the Church Triumphant with all the saints in heaven!

 

At the same time, today, all of us are experiencing the loss of Lorna. With any loss, we mourn. Some mourn publicly, while others mourn privately. We mourn because every human being has inherited that dreadful disease known as the original sin of Adam and Eve and has died because of it. Were it not for sin, there would not be death. So, we long for the day when Christ comes again to finally defeat death.

 

Until that day, we mourn, but mourning is a good and godly work. Remember, Jesus wept at the death of His friend Lazarus. Jesus wept, because He loved His friend, so weeping and mourning the death of our loved ones is a good and godly work.

 

We mourn because of the reality of death. We mourn because we were all intended to live forever. But we do not mourn as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). So, we mourn, but our mourning is mixed with certain hope. Our tears are mixed with faith. Our sadness is mixed with joy, because one day in the future “we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed … [as] this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51b-52, 53b).

 

As I began our sermon, I said that the gift of Jesus is both forever joy and forever life. That is what Lorna believed and confessed. 

 

Jesus says in our Gospel reading, “I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Each time Lorna received Christ’s Body and Blood under the bread and wine for the forgiveness of her sins and to strengthen her faith, she received the Medicine of Immortality, which is the antidote to eternal death, that bestows eternal life in Jesus Christ. 

 

Jesus’ own mission and work is the Giver of Life. For just as simple bread satisfies hunger for a time, Jesus gives eternal life. As the Bread of Life, Jesus is the source of life and the very content and substance of life. So, eternal life is possessed when Jesus is possessed.

 

Jesus as the Bread of Life leads us to the Messianic Banquet that we heard about in our reading from Isaiah 25: “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And He will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 25:6-8).

 

Until that day, everyone who clings to Jesus has the Bread of Life. So, what does it mean to have the Bread of Life now? Well, it means that we cling to Jesus as our Teacher. It means that we are committed to Him and trust Him. You see, only when we adhere to Jesus, we have eternal life. This adherence which is of faith is true and salvific. And this adherence is only made possible by Christ and His Means of Grace: Word and Sacrament. So, if you would like the same eternal life as Lorna, follow her example by receiving Christ’s Means of Grace through His Word, which we gladly hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest, and through His Sacrament at the Lord’s Table as He serves forgiveness, life, and salvation!

 

Today, Lorna has come out of this great tribulation of our life now and is now clothed in Christ’s Robe of Righteousness as she is before the throne of God where she hungers no more, neither thirsts anymore as she is in the presence of her Lord Jesus Christ. But as much as we may believe that heaven is the end, it isn’t. For all the faithful in heaven, there is still something more on the horizon. St. Paul writes, “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

 

Death does not have the final say. Life has the final say! Since Christ has been raised from the dead, we too, will also be raised! So, Lorna’s grave will be as empty as the grave of Jesus! The body buried will be the body raised on that glorious resurrection day!

 

I would like to leave you with some thoughts on one of Lorna’s favorite hymns, “Just as I Am.” Each stanza of that hymn begins with the same phrase “Just as I am.” That simple word “just” warrants our attention. That word “just” is not a coincidence. It is on purpose. It is speaking of the doctrine of justification, which is the doctrine by which the Church stands or falls. Justification is the grace that all have received when Christ took upon Himself our dirty rags of sin and gave us forgiveness, life, and salvation in return, so that just as we are poor, wretched, and blind, Christ’s cross has pardoned and cleansed us. His immeasurable love has set aside every barrier, and the believer is His alone by grace through faith, just as I am. This is why this hymn was beloved by Lorna and so many of us.

 

May you also receive the same forever joy and life that Lorna knew on earth and is now fully revealed in the Church Triumphant with the angels and archangels and her fellow saints in the Church Triumphant! Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Lorna Nemitz's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/lorna-nemitz/

Sermon for Pentecost 20: "Come to the Wedding Feast!" (Matthew 22:1-14)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

To the chief priests, elders of the people, and to everyone else in attendance, Jesus spoke: “Tell those who are invited … Come to the wedding feast” (Matthew 22:4).

 

It is amazing how much teaching Jesus did in a single day. Again, for the third week in a row, we are hearing Jesus teach from the temple grounds on the Tuesday before His death on the cross. We are nearing the end of His earthly ministry. Tensions are mounting; hate is increasing. It is clear that the Jewish religious leaders of God’s own people have rejected Jesus as the Messiah. They have not only rejected Jesus, but they are actively plotting how to arrest Him, and ultimately put Him to death.

 

But Jesus isn’t finished yet. His time of salvation would not be until Friday. So, Jesus tells a parable about the Kingdom of Heaven – it’s not only about eternity, but God’s Kingdom now as it exists already here on earth. It is as if Jesus were speaking from the perspective of Judgment Day and looking back over the history of God’s people. 

 

In the Parable of the Wedding Feast, Jesus likens this feast to a King – God the Father, who prepared a wedding banquet, which is eternal life in heaven. And God’s Kingdom on earth is compared to all that happens in between. The King sends His servants to those who had been invited to the banquet – the Jews, His Old Testament people – to tell them that all was ready and that they should now come.

 

But they refused. These called people were just like the wicked tenants in the vineyard from the proceeding parable. Those wicked tenants refused to give the Owner His share of the crop. Instead, they beat, murdered, and stoned each servant who came for the Owner’s share of the crop, including the murder of the Owner’s Son in hopes of gaining the inheritance of the vineyard.

 

In today’s parable, the King sends His servants to invite His called people to the wedding feast of His Son. Now, this invitation should not have been a surprise. The King wasn’t inviting His guests out of the blue with only a couple hours of preparation. You see, those who were invited had been already called.

 

But at first, those called paid no attention to the King. But this King is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15), so He sent out other servants saying, “Tell those who are invited, ‘See, I have prepared My dinner, My oxen and My fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast’” (Matthew 22:4). 

 

Here, the King is giving out even more details about His gracious wedding banquet. He has prepared several of His finest cattle. He has prepared a rich food of the best beef, and the finest of wines. Everything is prepared to perfection!

 

Nevertheless, even after the second invitation, His guests continue to refuse to come. But this time, instead of complely ignoring the King’s invitation, some at least give reasons. But each reason was just being dishonest. Each reason to refuse the invitation was because they had a low opinion of the King and His Son.

 

One went to his field – representing the agricultural cares of this fallen world. Another went to his business – representing the commercial cares of this fallen world. Again, these excuses were not really excuses at all, but each displayed their opinion of the King and His Son, while at the same time showing their high opinion of earthly things, worldly things. They chose works righteousness rather than a King’s gracious banquet hall full of savory flavors and aromas of a “feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined” (Isaiah 25:6).

 

By refusing to come, these called guests insulted the dignity of the King and His Son who had counted on their attendance by graciously preparing this savory feast for them. But at least some were polite. They were wrong, but at least they were polite.

 

Still some others who were invited took a whole different direction by seizing the King’s servants, treating them shamefully, and murdering them (Matthew 22:6). Although the feast is ready, the King will not and cannot allow the murderers of His servants to go unpunished.

 

Now, God may be “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love,” but there will come a time when His mercy and grace will run out. This time is known as the Last Day – Judgment Day. At that time, there will be nothing more we can do. There will be no more time for repentance and forgiveness. For these who were called and invited and refused the invitation, this was their Judgment Day. 

Due to their hardness of heart, due to their hate toward the King and His Son, and due to the way they treated His servants, the King was enraged. So, He sent His troops, executes them, and burns the city to the ground (Matthew 22:7).

 

Just like the wicked tenants who refused to give the Owner of the vineyard His share, these who were called to the wedding feast and refused the King’s invitation were destroyed. And in a matter of years, this divine judgment would come upon Jerusalem in AD 70 with the destruction of the temple. This divine judgment came because the Jewish religious leaders have, by and large, rejected God’s Son and the reign of God present in His Words and deeds.

 

Despite their refusal to come at the King’s invitation, the King desires that His banquet hall be filled anyway. If the first to be called will not come, He will show His grace and generosity to others! So, the King turns His attention to a new group of people – which will include both believing Jews and Gentiles. The King says to His servants, “The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find”(Matthew 22:8-9).

 

Lone and behold, these invited guests actually come! And guess what, those who came were “both bad and good” (Matthew 22:10), so the wedding hall was filled with guests!

 

Everyone is called to the feast! Now, these “bad and good” represent the Church here on earth. These bad people are the hypocrites, who come to church, recite the liturgy, and sing the hymns, but refuse to believe by not living out a life of faith. They withhold forgiveness. They don’t fear God’s wrath. But in the end, God always sorts out His faithful from the unfaithful by separating the true believers from the false believers.

 

So, like Jesus said previously to the Jewish religious authorities, “The tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you” (Matthew 21:31). The tax collectors and prostitutes enter the kingdom of God before the Jewish authorities only because they admit they are sinners in need of forgiveness. They enter because they are penitent sinners who desire to be in the presence of the King and His Son. They enter because they need to be saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

 

Now, the banquet hall is filled! But the parable is not over. “When the King came in to look at the guests, He saw there a man who had no wedding garment” (Matthew 22:11). Sternly and politely, the King asked this man, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?” (Matthew 22:12). The man was speechless.

 

Now, the banquet is the King’s, and the hospitality is His. He has the authority to receive and the authority to reject. So, when He sees a man who is not dressed in the “garment of a wedding,” He naturally confronts that man, and asks how it was possible for him to gain entrance.

 

For so much of my life, I have heard this “wedding garment” preached that it was custom in those days for the king to provide a wedding garment – as a sort of ticket to get into the wedding banquet. I’m sure you have heard that preached. In fact, I have preached that in the past. But I have since come to understand another way on interpreting this wedding garment. You see, according to Concordia Seminary Professor Jeff Gibbs, we really don’t know too much about Jewish First Century wedding customs.

 

But what do we know? Well, this “wedding garment” likely refers to “a normal, clean, festive garment.” We might say, “Church clothes” or your “Sunday Best.” So, a wedding garment is just your best outfit. So, a wedding garment could be a tux, a polo, plaid shirt, a gown. It could be wearing slacks or blue jeans. But what matters is that the garment is clean.

 

So, there is not just one type of garment here. But this person, who is without a wedding garment, is apparently dressed in dirty clothing. In other words, this man has shamed the King. This man is not treating this like a wedding feast. He flat out doesn’t care. He’s like the others who refused to come.

 

And when asked about it, this man has nothing to say. He doesn’t say that he’s sorry. He doesn’t say, “Please forgive me.” He just has nothing to say. He’s speechless. So, what should this man have said? What if he had said: “Please forgive me, since I snuck in under false pretenses.” Maybe, then, the King would have welcomed him.

 

So, to be without a wedding garment is to be without true faith. It is to insult the King and His Son. To be without a wedding garment means to oppose the claims of the Son of God as the Lamb of God who has come to take all sins upon Himself. This is what brought God’s Son to Jerusalem to be rejected, to suffer, to be crucified, and to rise from the dead.

Then the King said to His attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 22:13). To this Jesus concludes: “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14).

 

You see, called is to be invited, but not all those called end up believing.

 

The Parable of the Wedding Feast ends on a grim note. We cannot ignore that. So, by rejecting the King and His Son, this is what happens. So, we can’t treat His wedding feast like it’s going to McDonald’s or Burger King, but as a dress rehearsal for heaven when death is swallowed up forever (Isaiah 25:8).

 

Jesus is speaking this parable not only to the Jewish religious leaders of Israel, but also to you and me. So, this parable serves as a warning to us, since sham religiousness is an ever-present danger for every believer. Each Sunday morning or Monday evening, the King calls you to His banquet, but how often do you choose earthly things rather than experience a foretaste of His heavenly feast to come? At each Divine Service, the King invites you to rest, reflect on His Word and receive His forgiveness in order to strengthen your faith in Him and His Son.

 

How many of you have heard or even said, “I believe in God! I am a Christian!”? And yet, these same people often want to fit into the society of this fallen sinful world and in doing so, reject the King’s invitation. Just think about all those who claim to be followers of Christ, and yet support the evil of elective abortion by denying God’s command to be fruitful and multiply or those who deny how God created mankind as male and female. The fallen world – led by its prince Satan – wants us to focus on your sinful wants and your sinful desires, rather than God’s will for you and me.

 

This parable challenges us to ask ourselves, “Have I put on the wedding garment? Am I here on my own terms or God’s terms? Am I seeking to have a share in God’s banquet in the way He wants – by grace through faith in Christ alone who died for my sins – or on my own?

 

This is the question. And this is a life and death question – for the Lord will ultimately destroy those who reject Him.

 

There is only one way to be found at the eternal banquet hall and it is to heed His invitation. This way is to cling to Jesus and Him crucified for your sins. Upon that cross, He won for you His robe of righteousness, which He first gave to you in Holy Baptism. In Baptism, Jesus covered you with His righteousness. So, all your materialism, your earthly mindedness, all your sins – they are all paid for and covered by Christ and His righteousness.

 

Until that Last Day, God’s mercy continues. Today, He continues to urgently invite you and all people to His banquet hall. Through the preaching and teaching of His Holy Word, by the mouths of His messengers through the ministry of His Church, He invites you to trust in Him for your salvation! 

 

Today, He invites you to experience a foretaste of His eternal banquet in heaven as you come to His Table. For Jesus is the heavenly Bridegroom, and you – the Church – is His Bride. Today and each Divine Service is but a rehearsal for the never-ending feast of heaven! So, come to the wedding feast! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.   

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 10: "Come! Everyone!" (Isaiah 55:1-5)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God the Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Imagine yourself walking through a marketplace. You hear tenants shouting from each booth about all the staples of life: “Fresh baked bread – two dollars!” “Ice Cold Milk – one dollar!” “Fresh berries – two dollars!” “Fine Wine – three dollars!”

 

But then you come up to a booth where you hear the unexpected: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1).

 

You think, “Everyone else is selling food and drink for money, what is with this merchant? There must be something wrong with his food and drink! Who would just give away food and drink?”

 

I don’t know about you, but I usually find it odd when a grocery store or convenience store is selling an item for cheap. Are they just trying to get rid of it? What’s wrong with it? Or, if I’m not familiar with a gas station brand and I see that it’s selling gas much cheaper than the known competition across the street, I can often see myself filling up my car with the more expensive gas. Afterall, I don’t want bad gasoline. I want my car to run.

 

So, it is rather odd hearing a merchant cry out, “Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price!”

 

So, you ask, “Why are you giving away your merchandise?” He replies, “My food and my drink has all been paid for! It is absolutely free! No strings attached! Don’t waste your money at those other booths. This here, is the richest of food and the most nourishing of drink. All those other booths offer food and drink that will never satisfy.” To this, you reply, “This has all been paid for? By whom? Who could have afforded to pay for this amazing food and drink and just give it away to others?”

 

Who could have done this, indeed. You likely have heard of those “pay-it-forward” drive though lines at Starbucks. You know, when the person in front of you pays for your bill. Sometimes it goes on nearly forever, especially in 2014 when 378 people at a Starbucks in St. Petersburg, Florida paid for the person behind them in line. 

But for each of these “pay-it-forward” occurrences, they each come to an end. You see, there is someone who would rather receive a free coffee than pay for the person behind them.

 

But at this market, no money is ever necessary. The food and drink has been paid for. And this food and drink never runs out. It’s always there, and it’s always free.

 

All it takes to eat and to drink is to respond to the word of invitation: “Come!” No one is excluded from this invitation. The old, the young, the weak, the strong, the poor, the rich. Everyone is invited to receive free food and free drink!

 

You see, this booth has been paid for by God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Jesus is the one who paid the price. Back in Isaiah 53, Isaiah prophesied what God’s Servant would do. He was inspired to write: 

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed”(Isaiah 53:3-6).

 

I’m sure this sounds familiar. This was Good Friday. He was rejected and beaten. He was whipped and bloodied. He was crushed so much that He could not carry His own cross to His own execution. He was stricken, smitten, and afflicted.

 

Jesus did all of this to give us the richest of food and the most nourishing of drink and all for free! He bore our griefs. He carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions. He has all our sin and iniquity on His shoulders. And by His stripes, we are healed. On that cross, He prepares forgiveness. He pays the price for our sins. On that Easter morning, He proclaims His victory over the powers of sin, death, and the devil as He cries out: “Come, everything is ready!”

 

Now, Jesus didn’t just pay the purchase price for small things, such as are found at a market. He paid the price for big things. Just think of a fancy banquet, but this banquet never ends.

 

Jesus tells of this banquet in Luke 14. He said, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready’” (Luke 14:16-17).

 

Like the shouting merchant, this servant is saying, “Come to the banquet, everything is ready! Here, you will receive the juiciest of meats, the tastiest of wine. Here, you will receive the best of the best! All you must do is come!” But do you remember what happened? All at once, people began to make excuses:

§  “I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.” 

§  “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.”

§  “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.” (Luke 14:18-20)

 

Here at this banquet table is an incredible spread of food: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. It’s a meal that satisfies, blesses our relationship with God and with our neighbor. But so often, we come up with excuses, and to be honest, lame excuses. Like those in the Parable of the Great Banquet, we plead necessity, we plead inconvenience, and we plead pleasure. We too, would rather be excused. But the real point of these excuses is that each excuse was dishonest. You see, the real reason they declined the invitation was that in their hearts they had a low opinion of the inviting Host. Their excuses were a cover-up for their contrary minds. They simply refused the invitation, because they were determined not to show honor to the inviting Host.

 

So, what does the Master of the banquet do? Does He just stop there and give up? No, He invites more and more and more people. He invites the unexpected, the poor and crippled, the blind and the lame. He invites sinners in need of salvation. And guess what? They come! And still there is room!

 

In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus feeds 5,000 men, plus the women and children, with just five loaves of bread and two fish. By all earthly appearances, there could not be enough food, but not with God! So, like the unending supply of food and drink at the market, the banquet hall also never runs out of room, or food, or drink. It’s an unending supply!

 

You have been invited to this great meal, because Jesus did not remain crushed and beaten. He didn’t remain dead in the grave. No, He rose! He is risen! And He didn’t just live quietly after His resurrection. No! He presented Himself alive by many proofs, appearing to His apostles for 40 days and proclaimed the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).

Jesus is inviting everyone to freely taste and drink. Again, status, power, money, fame and looks mean nothing to Him. You can’t buy your way to salvation. You can only be invited by Jesus.

 

The food is ready. The tables are set. If you ever thought the never-ending pasta bowl at Olive Garden was amazing, just sit back and imagine this banquet feast that truly never ends. Rich food full of marrow. A feast of well-aged wine (Isaiah 25:6). 

 

But guess what. Some chairs are empty. Some haven’t arrived at the meal yet. They still need to be invited. And who does the inviting? We do. God works through means. We are those means. This is our vocation. So, we are the witnesses to the people who aren’t yet at the table.

 

Just think about this, if 100 extra people suddenly showed up at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on a Sunday, we would make room for them. But what first needs to happen? They need to be invited.

 

How did the Christian Church grow from 12 apostles to billions of people? Was it through an elaborate evangelism program? No! It’s as simple as saying to your neighbor, “Come and see,” just as Philip said to Nathaniel (John 1:46). Through the working of the Holy Spirit, Nathaniel came to Jesus, and he believed. Philip just invited. The Holy Spirit did the rest!

 

Now, I am not Jesus. I am only Christ’s under shepherd. But Jesus is here. He may be hidden, but He is present in the Means of Grace – the Word and Sacraments. In the Word, we receive the milk that Isaiah mentions. So, whenever we “incline [our] ears” (Isaiah 55:3) to hear, we receive spiritual milk for our faith. In the Sacraments, we “come to the waters” (Isaiah 55:1) of Holy Baptism. We also receive forgiveness of sins in Christ’s Body and Blood under the bread and the wine that are bought without money and without price when we come to the Lord’s Table.

 

Now, there are practical ways we can help with inviting family and friends – your neighbors – to church. 

 

First, just because we can’t buy our way to salvation doesn’t mean that money isn’t important to Christ’s Church. This church building is the place we meet and receive Christ’s gifts. Our offerings also assist the church’s mission on proclaiming the saving Gospel here and abroad.

 

Second, most people who don’t attend any church end up coming because someone invited them. This could be even those members we haven’t seen in some time. 

 

Our crucified and risen Lord has invited us. He purchased us through His atoning death. There is no more debt to be paid for our salvation. He has given us the best unending meal of forgiveness, life, and salvation, including for those who haven’t yet been invited. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +