The dress code for the wedding
Today’s parable falls easily into two parts. The first part goes like this.
The King has a son who is getting married and this is going to be a cause for serious celebration. Many oxen, cattle and turkeys are understandably nervous when they hear the news of the wedding. The silver is polished, the champagne is chilled, the linen napkins are artistically folded and the gilt-edged invitations are sent out in crisp beige envelopes. And yes the livestock’s fears were well-founded.
Now you would have thought that the folk would come flocking to the social event of the year, but that’s not how the parable goes.
“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.”
And it gets worse. The poor old couriers and posties whose job it is to deliver the glitzy invitations get a rough time of it.
‘The rest of the guests seized the king's servants, mistreated and killed them.’
The king is understandably grumpy and destroys the ungrateful guests and then for good measure burns down their city. Hoomph!
So at one level, the parable is a warning. Don’t ignore the invitation or you’ll miss out on the party.
Perhaps the original point was that those who were invited did intend to come, but only after first taking care of their fields and business. In this case, the parable would be addressed to those who would like to be present when the kingdom of God comes, but don’t realise that it has already begun. Is this us? Is this our party?
Now look at the second half of the story. The intended guests haven’t shown up, so the King sends his servants to gather every Tom, Mildred, and Francis they can find.
‘The bad as well as the good,’
Now we’re talking. This is an image and idea that I can easily identify with and I hope that you can too. Here we are, a motley collection having been dragged in unprepared, sometimes not quite knowing why we’re here and sometimes wishing that God had left us alone to go about our daily lives. It would have been so much simpler then wouldn’t it?
But then there is a twist in the story. You see there is this guy who has come at the last minute, and he hasn’t got the right attire on. I felt a bit sorry for him because it wasn’t his fault that he only got a last-minute invitation and didn’t have time to hire a 3 piece morning suit with a top hat and tails.
But what I think the Master was saying is that coming to the wedding party requires a new mode of existence. We are to put on the new clothes of Christianity and discipleship. And these garments are something we consciously choose to put on every day of our life and sometimes we have to choose several times a day. We are to equip ourselves for this party because it is a great party and the company. At the same time, it can be challenging, can also be exhilarating and quirky, intriguing and sustaining and utterly and thoroughly enjoyable.
The clothes are simple enough and they are uncomplicated things like saying our prayers. So how’s your prayer life, lousy? So is mine but let’s see how together we might do something about that.
And we read our bible which can be puzzling and daunting and yet inspiring and challenging. Again let's learn from each other and we will discover more and more about the one who calls and invites us.
And finally, whenever we can we gather at the table we savour the briefest foretaste of The party. We slip through that other dimension and we understand again, that the party is already in full swing.
The good news is that every aspect of our lives is part of the festivities. Think about the things you are good at and things you enjoy doing. Can you set up for Mass? greet the folk, play some music, pour a cuppa, listen attentively to someone in a compassionate way in aisle number 7 of the supermarket? These are the gifts that you bring to the party. These are the streamers and balloons of the party. These are the things that the whole worshipping community enjoys. A gathering around your table, a gathering around this table, a gathering around His table. This is where God chooses to throw His extravagant party. With simple, but mysterious food. With the good and the bad alike, with Big-ticket saints and with little saints. These are the people who sit down with us and together we should operate as a single body, a community, yes even as a Church.
But the challenge is not just to participate but to grow into your wedding suit. To learn, to wrestle, to understand afresh, to relearn, to sigh with frustration and to whoop with delight. To be transformed. Or as Charles Wesley put it.
‘Changed from glory into glory, till heaven we see his face, till we take our throne beside Him, lost in wonder, love and praise’.