Judgment Day: Jonathan’s Wedding

The Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22:1-10

 

Opening Words: This is the final sermon in a four part sermon series I have called Judgment Day. We are looking at judgment parables. These are things Jesus wants you to know as we anticipate the end. To date the Master has made three important points. If you have been with us each week then you may remember them. The first point was we are saved by grace and by grace alone. There is no way to earn your salvation. The second point was we are to live in faith. Everyday you should be a little more like Jesus. Last week we talk about God, our final judge. He wants a personal relationship with you! That leads us to today. Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of God. The Master compared the Kingdom of God to a great wedding banquet. We find that story in the first ten verses of the twenty-second chapter of Matthew. Let me call the message Jonathan’s Wedding. May God give you ears to hear.

 

Matthew 22:1-10 1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4"Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' 5"But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

 

I want to be up front with you. I will not be here on July 18. I am going to take that day as a vacation day. That entire weekend is circled on my calendar because my nephew, Jonathan, is getting married on July 17. Jonathan is the youngest of my sister Susan’s three children. He is marrying a young woman who has unofficially been part of the family for years, Stacy. She will now become part of the family officially and we couldn’t be more pleased. In my family we try to impress on the youngest generation the need to do things in certain order. I know that is not necessarily the case in society but it is still important in my family. In my family you date, you get an education, you get engaged, you get a job, you get married, you live together for the first time and then you have children. I know the times have changed but that is still how we do it. That old fashioned order seems to work best. Jonathan is a Sports Therapist at the Cleveland Clinic. Stacy is a Occupational Therapist at the University Hospitals in Cleveland. My sister can’t wait for their wedding because Jonathan will finally be out of the house. Their wedding is coming and I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

 

It is not an accident that the Master used a wedding to describe the Kingdom of God. Our world has changed a great deal in the past two thousand years but the concept of marriage has remained the same. The details have changed but the general concept is constant. Marriage is one of the few things that links generations and cultures. Let us look at parable of the wedding banquet together.

 

Part of my duties is helping people get married. I am qualified to say the process has changed recently. Weddings are always getting more complex. Very few couples come to the church to get married and celebrate with a church reception. Everything seems to be bigger and more expensive. Recently, a new step has been added to the process. The new step has taken the form of a refrigerator magnet, which tells you to reserve the wedding date on your calendar. They really aren‘t a bad idea. People are busy! I have received three so far this year. Have you received one yet? Jonathan and Stacy sent me one of those refrigerator magnets. Yes, it is on my refrigerator. I look at it every few days. On the magnet are Jonathan and Stacy‘s pictures. (In one picture he is kissing the top of her head!) It gives their names and says, “We’re getting married! July 17, 2010 Invitation to follow.” The only information that is given is the date. When the formal invitation arrives you will get the exact time and location.

 

If you can understand the wedding refrigerator magnet then you can understand this morning’s parable. Jesus’ generation understood the process. The invitation had already been sent out. The people knew the couple were getting married but they didn’t know the exact time or date. They were to always be prepared. It was the job of the king’s servants to announce the details. Once given, the people were expected to come. The problem is when the announcement is made no one comes. To our generation it doesn’t sound too shocking. But to Jesus’ generation it was appalling. Their lives were hard so they normally jumped at the opportunity to go to a wedding. It wasn’t just a matter of free food and drink. It was more. Weddings were a chance of a lifetime. Perhaps, that is why Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a wedding banquet.

 

Today, I want to talk about the invitation you have received. It is not an invitation to Jonathan and Stacy’s wedding. It is an invitation to the Kingdom of God. What is the Kingdom of God? In heaven we will understand the completion of the Kingdom of God. However, the Kingdom of God can be partially experienced now. The Kingdom of God begins when you enter into a relationship with God. I hope you don’t miss it. It would be like missing a beloved family members wedding. What I want to talk about today are three reasons why you should accept your invitation to the Kingdom of God. Each one is illustrated by Jonathan’s and Stacy’s wedding. Each one is illustrated by the next wedding you are looking forward to attending. So if you are ready to begin say, “Amen!”

 

An Opportunity

Weddings are a once in a lifetime opportunity. Research tells us the chances of a marriage lasting are about 50%. If you have been marriage once and you are getting married for a second time, then your chances of a successful marriage are about 25%. If you are getting married for a third time then your chances of success are about 12.5%. If you are getting married for the forth time then your chances of success are about 6.25%. Number five means you have a 3% chance of success. The figures are not pretty and they don’t change at all if you live together before marriage. Most recent research tell us your chances of a successful marriage maybe worse. In an ideal world everyone gets married only once! On July 17 we will welcome Stacy in our family because we believe they have love that will last a lifetime. There are no second chances. I am going to their wedding because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity!

 

Between 1846-1851 the Irish Potato Famine resulted in a 30 percent drop in the population of the west of Ireland. It was during that period that my mother’s family came to America. One of the few that thrived during that period was a man by the name of John Bloomfield. On his property there was a clay deposit of high quality. So in order to make some money, he fired that clay and made fine china. It was worked into traditional Irish designs. In 1857 he built a pottery in the village of Belleek. It was an instant success. Today, Belleek fine china is sold around the world. John Bloomfield seized his opportunity.

 

The Kingdom of God is an opportunity. C.S. Lewis once said we are like children who reject a holiday at the sea because we are content making mud pies in the slum. Some believe our entire society is living in the mud. Is anyone here tired of hearing about sex scandals? (What is happening to Tiger Woods and John Edwards this week?) Is anyone here tired of drunken or high celebrities. (How many times has Charlie Sheen been in court?) Is anyone one tired of the local news being filled with stories of violence. (Who was shot last night?) Are you tired of hearing about people who are making mud pies? We can do better! The God of the universe wants to have a relationship with you! Are you seizing the opportunity. Or are you are letting that opportunity slip away? And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

A Joy

Weddings are a joyful experience. Does anyone here go to a wedding and expect to have a bad time? When I go to Jonathan’s and Stacy wedding I expect to have a good time. Weddings are designed from the very beginning to make sure people have a good time. Just think about it for a moment. A wedding reception is a party. At a wedding reception you will get something to eat. At a wedding reception you will get something to drink. (Some of you may have an adult beverage.) At a wedding reception there is a large table filled with cookies. You will get some to take home. There is a large cake with a little statue of the bride and groom on the top. There is loud music. You can always tell the young folks from the old folks because the old folks leave when the music gets too loud. The young people say, “Let’s Party!“ Everyone who stays is expected to dance. (I only dance to one song: Love Shack by the B 52s) When we go to wedding reception we expect to have a good time. They are joyful experiences.

 

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court for 30 years. His mind, wit and work earned him the unofficial title of "the greatest justice since John Marshall." At one point in his life, Justice Holmes said, "I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers."

The Kingdom of God is a joyful experience. The faith was designed to be joyful! The faith is not a mountain of rules and regulations, the faith is freedom to live in relationship with God! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

A Priority

Weddings are a priority. I am going to Jonathan’s and Stacy’s wedding not because my calendar is free that day and I want something to do. The truth is I am much like you. I have very few free days. However, I am going to their wedding because it is a priority. Have you ever noticed some don’t go to the wedding ceremony, itself. They only go to the wedding reception. When I started out in the ministry that really used to bother me. Then one day it hit me. Anyone can go to the reception to get free food and drink. Anyone can do that. The truth is the people who come to the church are the people that care the most about the happy couple. Have you ever been to a wedding and the mom or dad were absent? I have said it a million times to the bride and groom, “Those who come to the church love you more then anyone else in the world.” Wedding ceremonies are a priority.

 

The Kingdom of God is a priority. I have also said a million times, in the life of the church you can stay busy doing good things and still not have a relationship with God. What does the parable say? People didn‘t come to the banquet because they were distracted by good things. They were busy working and involved in their business. Those aren’t bad things, they are good things. But they are not the most important thing. It is the danger of being part of a busy church. You can get involved in Great Food for All. You get involved in the Helping Hand. You can sing in the choir or the TOGGLE Team. You can travel to Russia or Racine, Wisconsin on mission trips. You can get involved in all kinds of fundraiser and collections. You can go to all the worship services. You can have an passionate opinions about loud music or the long winded sermons. You can get involved in the administrative side of the church and carry that burden. You can get involved in nothing and just visit with long time friends. You can do million good things and miss the point. The Kingdom of God is not a good activities, it is about having a relationship with God. When you came to church today what is your top priority? Is it the next fundraiser or is it God? I hope you answer is God. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

Let me warn you now. I will not be here on July 18. The reason is my nephew, Jonathan, is getting married on July 17. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. What are weddings? Weddings are a once in a lifetime opportunity. Weddings are a joyful experience. Weddings are a priority. Do you know what? Jesus was right. Weddings are a lot like the Kingdom of God. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”