Friday 6 April 2007

Today the whole parable of the great dinner is before us.

One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, "Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" Then Jesus said to him, "Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 'Come; for everything is ready now. But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land, and I must go see it; please accept my regrets.' Another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.' Another said, 'I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.' (Luke 14:15-20) So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to the slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.' And the slave said, 'Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.' (Luke 14:21-22) Then the master said to the slave, 'God out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you none of those who were invited will taste my dinner. (Luke 14:23-24)

I made a goof. Maybe it was a typo...maybe a Freudian slip. But as I was typing the first part of this new section I typed "pastor" instead of "master." Interesting. The dinner would have gone on with just the few people who were invited and did indeed come. But there would have been so much more available at the dinner. The master had to draw a bigger circle and then a bigger one. It becomes so big that none are outside the bounds of those invited to share in the feast. As often as I hear pastors complain about lay people and why things do move forward in ministry, it is more than often the pastor who is not able or willing to open the doors. For if you are the one suspected of opening the doors, you are the one who has allowed "them" in. And yet, there is plenty for all. The church does not simply offer an invitation to those who are poor and sick - even though many do. The church is given the opportunity to invite/compel anyone and everyone who may be walking by. The master in the parable is taking a risk. What will the original guests think. What will the ones who "had other things to do" think. But the dinner goes on and all who come are fed. Who knows, in the process of this new dinner the whole shape of this master's feasts may change and in the mixing of the people connections are made that would never have been considered previously. Sounds like the Reign of God at hand...at the barbecue.

Connection: Open the doors...no...send folk out to invite...no...prepare a meal that will fill the lives of anyone and everyone and compel them to come and share in all of it.

When the doors of your Reign are open, O God, we find a new definition of brother and sister and friend and neighbor. In that banquet within your Reign, we are already feasting upon the expansiveness of your grace and love. Amen.