Excerpts from "Excuses to Avoid a Wedding"
Matthew 22: 1-14 (Luke 14:15-24)
10/12/08

A part of the nature of life is that we occasionally make up flimsy excuses, We often make flimsy excuses for something that we want to get out of, That is the nature of the human race, From time immemorial, people have made flimsy excuses in order to get out of things, That was true in the past about human beings and it is just as true toda.

You have your flimsy excuse stories, I have my flimsy excuse story, To begin this sermon, I would like to tell you one of mine.

If you are a young man, you often need courage to ask a young woman for a first date, A guy is normally nervous when asking a young lady out for a date for the first time, For example, I remember so many years ago when I was going to ask out this young, blue eyed beauty for a date-who later became my wife. It's funny, Ann was one of the first people I met on campus and eight months later I finally asked her out. I first sent my roomate to approach Ann and let her know that I was a nice guy, the kind of guy that she may want to date, We were freshman in college, all of eighteen years old, and I can still see the first time I approached her there in front of her dormitory.

"Hello, Ann, would you like to go to the Knotty Pine for coffee after the lecture this afternoon?"

She said, "I have another cornmitment."

I said "oh, O.k." and got out of there as fast as I could because I don't like rejection and a "no" sounded like rejection to me, So the next time I phoned her from my dorm saying, "Hey Ann, this is Art, Larry Norman is in concert in Columbus this weekend and I'd like to know if you would want to go see it with me."

She said, "I am going home this weekend,"

I thought, "Home? Get real." I thought it felt like a flimsy excuse and my feelings were hurt, but not hurt enough not to telephone her a third time, I said, "Want to go to the student center tonight and watch a movie?"

She said, "I have a test in the morning and I can't."

I thought, "Hmm", who said persistence pays off?" Flimsy excuses, from my point of view, but perhaps not hers, Time went on, Pretty soon things started to reverse themselves and pretty soon she asked me out and later she asked me to marry her. OK, so it didn't happen that way, But we all experience flimsy excuses, Flimsy excuses are part of life.

My dorm room one year was right next to the floor phones and my roommate and I heard many an excuse from people making and receiving calls in regards to dating. It was so entertaining on Friday evenings that we would pull a chair outside our door and just listen, Flimsy excuses; "No, I can't go, My gerbil died," "I have to clean my fish tank," "I have to do my laundry." "I have to do my hair." "Car won't start," Flimsy excuses.

Sometimes we want to make up flimsy excuses to get out of a wedding, We all remember those beautiful perfect Saturday afternoons, and the last thing you want to do is dress up in some fancy clothes and go to a wedding. You would rather be golfing or fishing, working in the yard or puttering around with a hobby. So you say to your husband or wife, "Can't we figure out some kind of excuse so we can get out of this wedding?" I would guess that all of us have fabricated an excuse or two during our lives. This is true about human nature. From the dawn of time, human beings have always fabricated excuses to get out of doing something that we didn't want to do. Knowing human nature, Jesus told the following story.

But first, we need to get the setting. This particular story about the wedding feast is told in the Gospel of Matthew, and the Gospel of Luke. They are similar, but the authors make different points. This morning I am going to relate them as one story.

Jesus had been invited over to the home of one of the Pharisees who was a ruler of the biggest outfit in town. This Pharisee had big money and he owned one of the big houses high on the hills of Jerusalem with all the other big shots. He was the president of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Senate, and so he was one of the towns most important people and one of the biggest politicians of Jerusalem. All the other big shots of town had been invited to this party in order to meet Jesus, the new celebrity in town. Jesus walked into the Pharisee's house and Jesus noticed how all the important people of town were trying to impress one another with their importance.

Jesus was blunt when he said to the rich leaders, "I notice that all of you are trying to impress one but it would be wise of you, when you come into this home, that you would be seated in the least prestigious chair at the far end of the table away from the host. Seeing you far away from the head chair, you could be invited up to sit near the head of the table .... Whoever exalts himself in this life will be humbled and whoever humbles himself in this life will be exalted." And then Jesus bluntly said to the owner of the house, the Pharisee, "And when you throw a feast or banquet, you shouldn't simply invite all these upper middle class people to your party because they will just invite you back. Instead, go out to the alleys and off the beaten path of life and invite the poor, the maimed, the blind and the lame into the feast."

Now, when one of them heard Jesus say this, he felt nervous and so he offered some inane comment, "Jesus, at the final banquet in heaven, it will be nice when all of us break bread together in heaven." Knowing that this man's heart was not close to God, Jesus then told the following parable to the man and all the muckymucks and big shots from town.

There was a king who had a son. This king was waiting for the day that this son would find the right woman to be married to. Time passed, and the king's son found the right woman. Everyone knew that this was going to be some fabulous 2 wedding. The text says that they killed the fattened cattle and prepared fine prime rib. They roasted fine racks of oxen. They brought out the finest wine. They had planned this wedding for a long time and now came the day of the actual wedding banquet. The food was being prepared. The roast beast was slowly turning on a homemade rotisserary over the coals. The rack of oxen was being basted with sauces. The wine jugs were unsealed. The feast was about ready to be served, and the king sent his servant out into the neighboring villages to tell everybody that the feast was now ready....

The servant went up to the first person and said, "The wedding banquet is all prepared and we are ready to serve. The rotisserary of beast is done; the rack of ox is perfect; the wine carafes are ready to be poured; and the feast is ready to go." The first person said, "I can't come." "You can't come?" "I can't come because I have a field where the rocks need to be picked up and hauled way and I need to build a fence around my field. I have a lot of work planned for today." The servant said, "Don't you realize that it is the king who is inviting you? The king. Hello?" The man replied, "I am busy."

The servant went to the second person and said, "The banquet is ready to go. The roast is done perfectly. The rack of ox smells delicious. The bouquets of wine are wonderful." The man says, "I can't come." "You can't come?" "I have to get new yokes for my oxen. I have a new team of oxen and they need to have new harnesses made for them and be trained to work with each other. Today, right now, I have work to do I don't have time to come to the party." The servant says, "Don't you get it? It is the king who is inviting you." "I understand it is the king, but I am busy, I wish his son the best."

The servant went to the third person and said, "The roast is ready. The rack of ox is perfect. The wine is sumptuous. And the feast is ready, you are invited." The man replied, "I just got married. We have to put all the dishes in the cupboards. The furniture needs to be moved in. The pictures hung on the walls. We just got married." "Don't you know who is inviting you? It is the king." ... So the servant went back to the king and said, "I hate to tell you this, but they aren't coming to your banquet." The king was angry and irate and said in a terse voice, "None of those people are going to join my wedding feast."

The king then said to the servant, "Go back to the alleys and back streets and I want you to bring in the poor, the maimed, the blind and the lame to my party. I want you to find the poorest people on the streets and bring them to the party." The servant went to the alleys and the back streets and invited all the people he saw and those folks were glad for an invitation. They all came to the feast. The servant came back to the king and said, "I invited all of those people but there is still room for more people." The king said, "Go back and compel all the people to come so that my house will be filled." ...

Jesus finished the parable and looked at the Pharisees and asked, "Do you get it?" Crickets. The Pharisees didn't get it. Do you get it? Do I get it?

For the past number of days, I have had the pleasure of sleeping with this text in my dreams, living with it, having it soak into me. I have read some books and done some thinking and I would like to share some of what I have surmised. There are obvious and striking types and pictures, one being that the banquet is a picture of the marriage supper of the Lamb.

But what if the purpose of this text for us is to be aware that to be a Christian is like being invited to a wedding feast. It is like being invited to a party where you will have a great time. That is what it is like to be a Christian. (Personal experience with wedding ceremonies, in laws vs. out laws, more people show up to the reception that the ceremony, etc... ) Personally, I have experienced one wedding of enormous importance in my life. Some twenty-seven years ago, Ann and I had a wonderful wedding. It was such a blast that day. I still can see all my family, my aunts and uncles, my friends, having quite a party. It was a great and happy moment; it was one of the happiest moments of my life. We all danced and laughed that night.

There will be another wedding of importance in our family in the not to distant future I'm thinking. What a grand moment that will be. That is what it is to be a Christian. There is a groundswell to being a Christian, the joy of knowing that you are loved by God. The joy of knowing that God knows your name. The joy of seeing his family continue to expand, another plate setting at the banquet table. The joy of knowing that you are going to be with God forever. There is a rich happiness to being a Christian. Being a Christian is not like being invited to a wake or a funeral. Being a Christian means we have accepted God's invitation to live in him.

Some Christians asked me how I could have such a mood of happiness and joy. I spent some time with one this week. All around me people are losing their savings, their 401 k's are tanking, their retirement fund has swindled. Homes are foreclosed, banks are bailed out. Newsweek says that capitalism is dead. The entire world's banking systems are on the verge of collapse. I just told them that oil is down to just over eighty dollars a barrel. When there is so much uncertainty in the world, how can you be filled with joy?

I think of the hymn, "This Is My Father's World" and the great words to that hymn. "This is my father's world, a let me ne'r forget. That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my father's world, a let my heart by glad, for the Lord is king, let the heavens ring. God reigns, let the earth be glad."

Yes, in this world there is suffering, starvation, and secularism-but it is also a banquet. Joy, in the middle of suffering, is at the core of being a Christian. What are the fruits of the Holy Spirit? Love, joy, peace, patience... Often in the Bible, immediately after the word, love, you hear the word, "joy." The word, "joy," is the second highest on the list of Christian gifts.

Talking about this God centered joy and happiness has nothing to do with being a middle class American. It has nothing to do with owning a car or two, or three. Or a house with a three car garage. It has nothing to do with owning appliances, a computer or a HD TV.

I haven't traveled out of the country much, but one time, I was privileged to spend ten days with a missionary in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There was immense poverty, but great joy. I saw smiles that came from way within the hearts of Christians. I had never seen such happiness on people and I was wondering where it came from. There is immense joy in the plywood shack towns of San Juan, but this joy has nothing to do with being a middle class person. This happiness has nothing to do with the accumulation of middle class possessions. It has nothing to do with the buying of houses, cars and HD TV's. This joy has to do with knowing God, knowing that our hearts belong to God, knowing that you and I will be with God forever.

But then the text goes on to talk about people always making excuses.

• People are always making excuses why they do not want to take part of God's invitation.
• People are always making excuses why they do not have time to pray.
• People are always making excuses why they don't want to be part of the church.
• People are always making excuses for why they do not want to help make the world a better place.

Let me amplify. We have a thousand and one excuses, and the excuses are so old, but Jesus' illustrations are so contemporary. What are the excuses that people gave Jesus? They bought a field. How contemporary. How modern. How appropriate for today's world. "I got myself a house. I got myself a business. I got a cabin. I am busy taking care of my property. Or the example in the parable about the five oxen. Again, how contemporary. That is, I bought a trUCk. I got a new car. I got a new camper. I need to keep this thing going. Oxen take maintenance; cars take maintenance. Or the excuse in the parable that I just got married. We're young. I've got this new job. The new car. The new house. The new kids. I have to put my time into this, it's important. People always have one thousand and one legitimate excuses of why they do not have time for God, for his family, or to help the world become a better place. The excuses that we use today seem identical to the ones that Jesus gave.

Excuses have to do with God. At the heart of this parable is that we are invited to be in fellowship with God. You and I are inherently spiritual. We are designed in such a way that we are to be in fellowship with God. We are not blobs of protoplasm. We are not insignificant. We are not first cousins to an ape which woke up one day and finally learns to shave, or type. We are human beings. And how are we different than the animals? We are designed for a relationship with God. We have been created in the image of God. We are made for fellowship with God. We are made for prayer. The other animals are not. We are designed to walk with God, talk with God.

And we say, "We don't have time. We don't have time. We are too busy, God. I've got a job. A family. I am tired. I don't have time for you." And Jesus said, "Don't you know? It is the king who has invited you. It is the king who wants you to be there and be part of his life. You and I are designed for spiritual relationships and life is best when we are having that spiritual relationship with God.

We need help. We need help in our spiritual relationships, and that is the purpose of the church. You cannot be a spiritual person without spiritual people around you. I will say it again: you cannot be a spiritual person without spiritual people around you, helping you to grow in the spirit. You can hole up in a monastery, you can shut yourself up in your prayer closet, you can even digest all kinds of studies and books. But we need to be in community. That is the purpose of the church. The church is simply spiritual people who help each other grow in the Spirit of Christ. You help me grow, I help you grow.

And some people offer their excuses against the church, "0h, I don't have time. I don't like the church at all. The church is filled with a bunch of hypocrites. They act so pious, or they aren't spiritual enough, or all they want is money. I "got burned" by the church. I am so busy with living life: my home, my family, my work, my recreation. I don't have any more time available. I have a thousand and one excuses as to why I am not involved in the church."

Further, we are designed in such a way that we are to make the world a better place. I was taught that, we are to put our shoulders linked to God's and through his Spirit work together to make this world a better place. People around us are hurting and hungry, and we are to help in making their world a better place. We are not to give up and say, 'I give up helping. I abdicate. I quit helping others."

Augustine, one our early church fathers, writing in about the year four hundred, comments about the wedding garments that the bride and groom wear for the wedding, the wedding garment that all people are to wear is charitable love. Charitable love for your neighbor. No, not just family love for your spouse and children. Augustine, in his sermon on this text, says that even the sparrows love their own family. That is no big deal. You love your family? Big deal. So did the sparrows. But you are not a sparrow. You are a human being. You are made in the image of God. You are made to make this world a better place.

And you have all kinds of excuses not to do this: "I can't. I am busy. Taking care of my family. Taking care of my job. Taking care of my home. I have a thousand and one excuses so as to avoid helping the world be a better place." Jesus said sharply, "None of those people will be part of my kingdom."

Let's summarize. The first part of the parable is an invitation to a wedding, and being a Christian is filled with the happiness, joy and celebration of being at a wedding party. The second part of the parable for today are the excuses people make. People have excuses why they don't have time for God; people have excuses why they don't have time for the religious community; people have excuses why they don't have time to make the world a better place.

The third part of the parable is that God gets frustrated that people have so many excuses why they can't come to his banquet, to accept his invitation, and so God sends out his servants to the alleys and back streets of life, to the poor, the blind, the maimed, and the lame, people from the gutters and side walks of life and bring them into the wedding feast. The servant does this and comes back to report to God that there is still room in the wedding banquet for more people, and so the king orders the servant to go again and compel the people to come that my house may be full.

God wants his house filled ... with the poor, maimed, blind and lame.

A question is: How do we as individuals and a congregation start reaching out to outsiders in our neighborhoods and begin drawing them into our banquet, into our lives, into our worship services and youth ministries? What's your excuse? What's mine?