I find it hard to read this parable of the wedding banquet and not think of half-empty churches. In the story, the King has prepared a beautiful wedding feast for his son and invited all the people who used to come to his house… and now none of them will. Enraged, he says to his servants,
“The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.”
As Jesus tells the story, given how he’s been talking to the religious leaders, and how he’s been known to interact with the not-good-enough of his society – the lame, the lepers, the extortioners and “loose women” - it seems pretty obvious that that’s who the people found on the streets represent. These people are seemingly found, herded onto the king’s buses and brought back to populate his banquet hall. The servants aren’t choosy – they just bring everybody in.
What would it look like if we sent buses around shelters and parks on Sunday mornings and invited people to come to our feasts? Would we be prepared to deal with strangers, people’s disappointment and addictions, with the chips on their shoulders? Would we be prepared to see them not as wounded strangers but as gifts, with assets and strengths we need in our congregations?
What would it look like if we took church out to them instead of asking them into our buildings? For a time, my congregation did this in a “tougher” section of town. We went from bringing sandwiches and healing prayer to my telling Jesus stories (aka, preaching) on the curb as people sat their in their lawn chairs with their bottles. It was amazing - until gentrification struck and the people who hung out there dispersed, and it all faded away.
The poor and the lame are not the only people God wants at the feast. God also wants the stressed over-achievers, the multi-tasking moms, the doubters and questioners. This parable suggests that God wants everybody at God’s table. Who are we not inviting?
That is today’s suggested spiritual task: make a list of everyone your congregation does not seem to be extending an invitation to.
The ones who are being invited are by and large not coming. Who else are we to invite?
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