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Thursday, October 16, 2008
101 Excuses
Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23; Matthew 22:1-14
Jesus' story in last Sunday's Gospel reading was simultaneously one of the most inviting and most off-putting of all his teachings.
In the midst of a beautiful metaphor -- God's "kingdom" as an eternal wedding party! -- he twice throws in angry language about punishment, destruction, and damnation.
I wrestled long and hard with the two judgmental details, feeling for a way to preach the story positively come Sunday morning.
Here are the problem passages...
1. When the king's invitation to his son's wedding goes out, everybody has some kind of excuse why it won't work for them -- Things to do; places to go; people to see. Sorry 'bout that. And then they kill the king's messengers! The king, of course, is not pleased. He in turn sends an army out to kill those wicked people and totally destroy their city! (Verse 7)
2. Next, the king sends out a no-strings invitation to absolutely anybody who's willing to accept it. "Come to my son's wedding. Celebrate his happiness, share our joy!" And they do come, scads of them. Then, working the room during the reception dinner, the king comes upon one man who isn't wearing the official wedding robe. "How did this happen?" he asks. He then has the man thrown out of the party -- and thrown into "outer darkness" complete with weeping and gnashing of teeth! (Verse 13)
Can you say "Argh! Yikes!! and #$%^*!!!"?
How do you preach the gospel after that?
Fortunately, I was still levitating a little in the afterglow of my son Robert's wedding (see my 10/4 post) and I thought I might have a way out of this homiletical dilemma.
How did I do it? Did it work?
Listen to the GODcast!
posted by Jack Buckley at
3:41 PM
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