Before mass, someone said, I just want to tell say you’ve become a really good preacher. You were always good, but lately you’ve gotten better.
I considered
this during the first and second readings. I remembered my first homilies I
tried so hard to get right. God would put a message on my heart and I would
change it to get it just right. But, I noticed the less I edited the
more it touched them people.
God supplies all we need.
He
did this week. Friday, at 2:00 p.m., I was on the phone with a customer who did
not want to end our conversation. Finally, I said "I need to go, I am preaching this weekend and need to read scripture and
pray."
My friend said, I think God is calling me to ministry; but, I been
too bad. I not good enough. And, I am definitely not smart enough.
Then he continues. My
wife and I were raised Pentecostal but now attend a small Baptist
Church. I was asked to be an usher and on the first Sunday when I went to take up the collection, the minister asked me to lead the offertory prayer. .
I
had never prayed in public. I stammered, stuttered, and am sure offered the
worst prayer. After service, I asked the preacher to please not call on me
again. He did, the next Sunday; but then quietly added "Brother Bob, pray from your
heart."
One Sunday the preacher came to me and
asked "Brother would you consider being a youth minister?"
I
had excuses. “I'm too bad, I not good or holy enough. I'm definitely not smart enough. I’ve never been to seminary. I don’t know
the bible well enough. ”
The
preacher said, “I don’t either. I am
just a country the boy the Lord called to preach the gospel.” Then he added, “I
think he is calling you. If not the youth minister please consider teaching youth
Sunday school classes with your wife.”
The
Sunday school classes had been taught by an elderly couple for many years. My friend said he explained he would not be comfortable
taking Brother Billy’s class. The kids loved him and he loved them. Since his
wife’s death the kids were all he had.
The
preacher said, just help. The next Sunday, Brother Billy’s class was wonderful,
well taught, and full of love. Afterwards, the old man came up to us and said “Thank
you for your help, I have been praying God would provide.”
He
continued, “I have needed help for this class. My wife helped me for years. She
would teach me the lesson, because I cannot read or write.”
My
friend said God humbled him at that moment.
Isaiah
wrote, God will provide for the needs of his people.
Jesus
taught us to pray “Thy Kingdom Come. Thy will be done. ”Every day, it’s prayed
hundreds of thousands of times. Hopefully, hundreds of millions of times - Christianity
is l the most widely practice religion in the world.
Ideally
2.4 billion people daily will pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” That is a lot of
people praying for an invitation to the wedding feast.
So
when the invitation goes out, we will see how many will come.
The
invitation is something special. The Prophet Isaiah calls it feast of
salvation. He writes: The LORD God will destroy death, wipe away the tears from every face; the
reproach of his people he will remove.
Jesus
parable is about the promise of salvation. It was a message meant for the
Pharisees, elders, and all the Jewish people. It is a warning for Christians
today.
Our salvation depends on us making the correct response to
God’s invitation. So, Jesus tells the parable with two parts.
The
first is about those who seem to be worthy, the favored ones. However, they
insult the King and his heir by declining the invitation. They put their own
interests first. Something is more
important to them than their salvation.
The
second part of the story focuses on those who would never have considered
getting an invitation. The rest of us, the bad and good, those who don’t think they’re worthy to receive
the Kings invitation.
Jesus
tells us that God wishes salvation for all since He makes the invitation to
everyone. If we sincerely accept that invitation it will change us. That change
is our wedding garment.
There
is warning for those who don't get it right. They will be cast out into the
darkness where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Think
about what that means. Although we want everyone to be in heaven - Hell is real
and we must take it seriously. Hell is not filled by the ones that God rejects
but by those who reject God.
Like
the invited guests who spurned the king’s
invitation, they will never know the heavenly banquet because they unknowingly
chose hell.
Friends,
the truth is God invites us to this wedding feast every day; all of us, bad and
good alike. None of us are worthy. The invitation of salvation is for all. It
is an undeserved, unmerited grace that comes to us in God’s lovingkindness. It
is God’s will that is to provide for all his people’s need.
Believers
pray, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done”. Hopefully millions and millions
times a day.
Be
good, be holy and preach the gospel everyday by the way you live your life and
love one another. Amen
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