The Invitation
We are in a summer season of invitation. I wonder what the best invitation is you have had? And I wonder what’s the worst invitation you’ve had?
For an invitation to be accepted, it has to be attractive. We consider the pros and cons of the invitation and weigh it up.
We are hardly going to accept an invitation to something we are going to hate in a place that holds no attraction for us with people that we dislike or have nothing in common with. We are going to make our excuses and avoid it like the plague if we get that kind of invitation.
If on the other hand, we get an invitation to a joyous occasion in a great place with people we love and who love us back, we are probably going to accept the invite. It will be something to look forward to.
I had 4 weddings to officiate at in July. One of them was the daughter of a family friend so we went to the whole wedding. It was a very enjoyable occasion and I think it’s the part of the job I love most.
Sometimes we don’t quite know what we’ve been invited to and we have to take a bit of a chance on it.
My first invitation to church fell into that category and I didn’t know what I was letting myself in for. I was pleasantly surprised and I felt drawn to the message being preached. I seemed to connect with it. That said, I certainly didn’t expect to find myself standing in a pulpit 10 years later. But when something feels right you just have to go with it. If I hadn’t accepted that invitation, I wonder what I would be doing now.
Jesus told a story in the Gospel of Matthew about a king who threw a banquet and invited the great and the good but they failed to respond to his invitation. The King sent out his messengers with another invitation and explained; everything was ready for the guests.
A wonderful banquet had been prepared but the guests said they were busy with everyday stuff. One went to his farm; another went to his work. Not only that but the messengers were set upon, mistreated and killed. The King got angry and sent his army to destroy those who had abused his messengers.
Then invitation went out to everyone the King's messengers could find, the good and the bad. Those you wouldn’t expect to see at the King's banquet came and the wedding hall was filled. The King came out to see the guests and spotted one person without wedding clothes and had him thrown out of the feast into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt 22:13) These words describe eternal damnation.
In that culture, the wedding clothes were provided by the host. They were of fine linen which symbolised the righteous acts of God's holy people. The man might have looked ok on the outside but the King (Jesus) saw that he didn’t belong and was there under false pretences.
If you turn up to a big sporting event with a forged ticket you will get turned away. Far better to have a genuine ticket from a reputable source.
We are made right by Jesus. When we accept him, we put his righteousness on like a garment. When we repent and believe in him we are saved and we are suitably attired for the great feast.
The point of the parable is given is V 14, Many are invited but few are chosen.
Common usage of the word many is ‘all’. We have all been given an invitation to the wedding banquet, described in Revelation chapter 19 as the marriage supper of the lamb. But then we are told soberingly that few are chosen. Those that accept the invitation are the ones that will be there and those that don’t accept the invitation are not chosen because they rejected the invitation.
We had some visitors earlier this summer from the Church of Scotland Presbytery Mission Planning Review Group (PMPRG) to have a look at the mission of the High Church to the town of Stornoway and beyond. We produced a video clip to give PMPRG and others a flavour of what we do as a church. There were short interviews with several of those engaged with the mission and service to our community. You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/vkrCLR9YPmU
The group left with a favourable impression of a church actively engaged in mission and service to the community it is part of. One of the PMPRG members said they would like to bottle what they found at Stornoway High Church and share it with congregations elsewhere in Scotland.
So the Invite goes out to all, to come and join us as we continue to build a community of believers with a heart for people and a heart for Jesus. We offer you an invitation to worship with us but far more importantly Christ sends out his invite for all to come to the marriage supper of the lamb. The celebration where Christ comes back for his bride, his church.
I think that is an invite we should all accept. RSVP TBC!
