All In - A Sermon for Sunday October 15 2023

GOSPEL: Matthew 22:1-14

The holy gospel according to Matthew.

Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus tells a parable indicating that the blessings of God’s kingdom are available to all, but the invitation is not to be taken lightly.

1Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ 5But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 10Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

 11“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. 13Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14For many are called, but few are chosen.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

You may know that I spent a week at Camp Kuriakos

this past summer.

One of the highlights of the youth camp

was a masquerade ball.

Youth who had attended the camp before

knew to pack something special for the ball,

a gown,

a suit jacket or tie,

and those who didn’t know about the masquerade

could still access the costumes

and they could find a glamorous outfit.

Everyone had the opportunity to make a mask.

But not everyone made a mask.

not everyone took time to go into the costumes

and find a special outfit.

Everyone was still invited to the dance,

the masquerade ball,

but you could tell it wasn’t the same experience

for the youth who didn’t dress up.

They weren’t completely in it.

Some chose not to attend.

Those who dressed up,

and made their masks,

got the most out of the masquerade.

Dressed up or not - everyone was still invited.

It sounds not unlike Jesus’ parables

of the wedding banquet

for the king’s son,

and the one fellow

who did not wear the wedding robe.

I don’t like this parable.

It’s difficult to reconcile.

Jesus is teaching it to the Pharisees,

and it is a dire warning,

but it also feels like Jesus is talking to me.

Yet I was reminded again this week

that you and I do not get to pick and choose

which stories and parables of Jesus

we get to listen to or not.

We cannot glance over this.

We cannot run away from the things

Jesus said or did

that we find troublesome.

Parables are supposed to broaden our horizons

and question our assumptions.

Parables are supposed to make us uncomfortable.

But maybe it’s okay to not like this parable.

Maybe it is okay to be uncomfortable

and confused

while being stretched and challenged.

20 years ago, in 2003,

an unknown accountant,

aptly named Chris Moneymaker,

won an online poker tournament

and with it an invitation to play in

the World Series of Poker.

In his first ever appearance,

Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker.

He was no longer just some accountant;

overnight he became a professional poker player

after winning the biggest tournament of the year,

it’s coveted bracelet,

and the $2.5 million dollar prize.

With Moneymaker’s win,

the world changed:

now anyone could be a poker star.

Anyone can earn a seat at the table.

Some said that

Moneymaker didn’t really belong at that table

with all the poker pros:

but he was invited.

He bluffed and raised so well

that the dark horse won.

He didn’t take his seat for granted,

he took it seriously.

When it comes to poker,

imposters in the game are quickly revealed.

Wearing sunglasses and covering your face

only gets you so far.

If you’re not willing to go all in at some point,

If you’re not willing to

put all your chips in the middle

you’re never going to win at poker.

You might find yourself with beginner’s luck,

but if you don’t take the game seriously,

if you don’t learn the game,

you’re going to lose,

and you might not find yourself invited again

down the road.

"How did you get in here without a wedding robe?”

the king in the parable

demands of his newly invited guest.

I’m sure this person was wondering

how he got in there in the first place.

One minute he’s hanging out on the street corner,

the next things he knows

he is invited into a wedding feast

for the king’s son,

and then being tossed out by the king

for wearing the wrong clothes.

Maybe he didn’t have time to go home

and put on a wedding garment.

Maybe he didn’t own one.

I don’t know.

It feels like a trick, or a test.

I feel for him.

Sometimes I feel like I am him.

Remember, when it comes to salvation,

to the saving work of our God,

there are no tricks,

it’s not some kind of test.

Silly Christian, tricks are for kids.

We ought to presume

that the king in the parable

is not trying to trick this man.

The king invited him to banquet.

We should presume that he had time to prepare,

that he could have gone home

and worn the appropriate gown

for the wedding of the king’s son.

I mean, this isn’t just any wedding banquet:

this is the heir to the throne,

the prince’s wedding,

invited by the king himself!

This is a big deal,

not some kind of trick.

So here’s where I think this person messed up:

he didn’t take the invitation seriously.

If you are invited to a wedding,

you wear a wedding garment.

You wouldn’t show up to a wedding

in blue jeans and T-shirt!

Well, some people do nowadays,

but definitely not then.

This person didn’t even argue with his host,

not one little word.

The imposter at the table was revealed,

and, like a game of high stakes poker,

the imposter was quickly removed

from the table,

and he lost everything.

It’s a hard parable,

it’s meant for the Pharisees,

the religious elite,

it’s a warning.

It’s hard to reconcile this consequence

with the eclectic invitation of the king.

Remember, this is one parable among many.

No one parable can encompass the depth and breadth

of Kingdom of Heaven,

the kingdom of God in our midst.

This parable offers one banquet image among many.

So I got to thinking,

maybe this parable isn’t all that different

from the banquet in the deserted place

when Jesus fed 5000.

If you recall that story,

there was a lack of food,

it was getting late,

Jesus invited the people to sit down,

Jesus took the meagre 5 loaves and 2 fish

and there was an abundance for everyone.

Everyone who sat down was fed,

women and children and men,

the good and the bad:

all 5000 plus of them;

but not everyone continued to follow Jesus.

In today’s parable,

all were invited to the wedding banquet:

First the invited guests,

and then the good and the bad

from all over the city.

Everyone who sat down at the table was fed,

save one…

You may recall

Jesus shared the parable of the unforgiving servant,

which came with its own dire warning.

We learned that God is a reckless forgiver;

forgiving unimaginable debts.

At the same time,

God becomes angry when

forgiveness is not offered to others in return.

The Bread of Life is given for everyone,

Forgiveness is given abundantly without prerequisite

God invites any and everyone to the banquet,

but perhaps God is angered

and outraged

when God’s grace is rejected,

or not taken seriously.

We ought to take that warning seriously,

even if we do not completely understand it.

God’s grace is too great,

the invitation to God’s banquet is too important

to be taken lightly.

Another warning:

The parable says to me that

even Christians gathering for the banquet

are not omitted from God’s judgment.

Take that warning seriously.

You are invited,

you are welcomed,

you are fed,

but we will all face God’s judgment.

Yet rejoice and give thanks:

The good and the bad are invited,

the good and the bad are fed,

the good and the bad are judged;

the good and the bad are forgiven.

Jesus said: Many are called but few are chosen.

Give thanks that you are on God’s invitation list.

Don’t skip the banquet.

Don’t take God’s invitation for granted.

Like a Camp Kuriakos masquerade,

it’s more fun,

you get more out of it

when you get dressed up.

Don’t be afraid to prepare,

to make your mask

and select your gown:

Put on Christ,

put on the garment of salvation,

put on baptism,

God spreads a lavish banquet for us,

much more lavish than the appearance of

just a loaf and a cup;

there is an abundance for everyone.

Yet we know many people do not come,

invited guests are busy these days,

many guests go uninvited.

The good and the bad have other things to do:

Some make light of God’s banquet

and have gone away,

some are at their farms,

others at their businesses.

There are so many other options

that people choose instead

of the banquet for God’s Son.

Invite your neighbours to the banquet anyways.

Give thanks that we are the servants of the King

who are called and chosen

to invite the good and the bad.

In this time of hunger

- not so much hunger for food,

but hunger for meaning in our lives,

for purpose,

for acceptance,

a hunger for love,

a hunger for welcome,

a hunger for truth,

a hunger for forgiveness:

invite people to the banquet.

Don’t presume they’ll just say no,

give them the opportunity to say yes,

Give thanks that you are invited to the banquet.

Take your place,

and take it seriously.

Like that one person without a wedding robe,

we are all on our knees at our Master’s mercy.

Like Moneymaker, the poker champion,

others might say you don’t belong,

you might even feel like an imposter

at the table,

but you are invited,

so why not go all in?

Remember, there are no tricks.

You can’t rely on the ace up your sleeve.

No wild card will save you.

The joker is worthless.

In the poker game of life

At some point, 

you’ve got to put all your chips in the middle

trusting that the King of Hearts

knows you

and will see you through.

And while we can take the warning seriously,

Trust that you are already wearing the wedding robe,

for you are the baptized,

and in your baptism you have put on Christ:

you are marked

with the sign of the cross forever.

In your baptism

you are promised a place at the table,

and you are promised that

you will not find yourself out on the curb

cast away from

the presence of the King.

You are no imposter,

you belong at the banquet.

On the cross,

your King has put all the chips in the middle.

In your Baptism,

God has already gone all in for you.

Thanks be to God. Amen.