Jesus was a wonderful story teller.  He loved to talk and teach through stories, especially the parable.  Let’s listen to the parable of the wedding banquet.  This version is by Eugene Peterson.

Jesus responded by telling still more stories.  “God’s Kingdom,” he said, “is like a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent out servants to call in all the invited guests.  And they wouldn’t come!  He sent out another round of servants, instructing them to tell the guests, ‘Look, everything is on the table, the prime rib is ready for carving.  Come to the feast!’  They only shrugged their shoulders and went off, one to weed his garden, another to work in his shop.  The rest, with nothing better to do . . .

This story is telling us about a party.  A king invited his guest to his son’s wedding party.  But they were busy and said no.  Actually, they were busy finding excuses.  How could they reject the King’s invitation for their daily job?  What if you were invited to the Christmas party from the White house, would you say no because you had to mow your lawn, wash your car, or shop at Woodfield mall?

We have a special invitation from God.  God wants us to come and join His party.  I am not just telling you that you need to come to church on Sunday morning (I wish).  Remember this is a parable of the Kingdom of God.  The Kingdom of God is not just a church.  It’s bigger than church.

God’s Kingdom is invisible but exists.  It is not a building but a movement.  The Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s Power.

This is the invitation we have.  I want our church to accept this invitation to be a part of the Kingdom movement.  I want our church to be a place to taste genuine love and joy through our fellowship.  I want us to experience God’s presence and liberating power through our worship.  I want our church to go out to serve our neighbors and invite them to come and join this Kingdom party.

Come to the party.

Rev. Eunbae Doh