A wedding!
A feast for the senses!
The taste of the sumptuous food,
well-prepared,
succulent,
and delicious!
The sound of joyful music,
laughter,
happy conversations
and thanksgiving!
The smell of the food
but also the perfumes
and incense!
The feel of the warmth
energy and vibrancy,
the dancing and revelry
of the guests congratulating
the Happy Couple.
The sight
of gorgeous dresses
of the King dressed in His
most regal and elegant clothes,
of the Bride and Groom
in their finery
and clearly very much in love.
Who would refuse
an invitation to this feast?
Would you?
But there are that would.
[PAUSE]
It seems you don't have
to come if you don't want to.
You are allowed to stay away.
Parties aren't for everyone,
it's true.
For some people,
the business of socialising
is difficult and many stay away.
And that's okay.
But even then,
if it's a family friend
getting married
or an invitation from a king
or someone you really love,
then even an introvert
might be persuaded
just to put their head around the door
and enjoy just a bit of the festivities.
Who knows,
with this king
there might be a quiet room provided,
or a chance to go out
into the lavish gardens
and enjoy the feast
in beautiful surroundings
with the noise of the party
carrying on in the background.
This is a feast for everyone.
In this kingdom,
there are many mansions
prepared for those
who accept the invitation.
You can still come
even if you're
not a social animal.
And yet people
still don't want to come
and, worse, kill the people
carrying the invitations!
Who would do that?
[PAUSE]
There are clearly
those who hate the king
and yet they have been invited,
freely to enjoy
the great feast.
It's their hatred
that causes them
to reject the invitation
and even try
to stop others being invited.
There are even those
who will go to the feast
but show contempt for it
by not dressing appropriately.
They will be cast out.
They have chosen
not to participate
and they are the ones who miss out.
[PAUSE]
We always have a choice
whether to enter
the Kingdom of God
and God honours that choice.
But He honours it with justice.
We cannot expect
to enter into the wedding feast
of the Lamb
if we are dressed inappropriately.
We are given a wedding garment
to put on
this is the white robe St John
records in his Revelation.
It is the white robe
of those baptised in the name
of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
It is the white robe
that signals that we belong to Christ,
that we love Him
and seek to invite others
into His feast.
It is the white robe
of love,
of working with God's grace
in our hearts
for the good of all.
Those who try
to gatecrash the party
do not have this robe
and are cast out
because the Lord says,
"I never knew you!"
even if they say,
"Lord, Lord!"
[PAUSE]
It is clear,
that we do not have to enter
the Kingdom of God.
It is also clear
that we enter that Kingdom
accepting the terms
of the King.
If we choose
not to enter
or to try and enter
on our own terms,
then we shall be shut out
from this wonderful feast.
But we can be assured
that, should we choose
to accept the invitation,
should we choose
to put on our wedding garment,
then the door will be opened
and we shall enter a feast
that goes beyond the understanding
of what it means to be enjoyable.
That is our invitation.
That is God's promise to us.
No comments:
Post a Comment