Homily 668 – 27 APE
Holy Transfiguration, Ames, Iowa
December 14, 2025
Epistle:  (257) Colossians 3:4-11
Gospel:  (76) Luke 14:16-24

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God.

The Gospel this morning may give us an unexpected answer to a very common question.

The question is straightforward.  What do I need to do to be saved?  It’s a very common question.  I will admit, it is my least favorite question, for a number of reasons.  Primarily, this question to me implies minimum effort.

What is the least I can do to save myself?  Many of you have heard me rail against that attitude before, so I won’t rehash it all here, only to say that question wouldn’t go over well if I asked Matushka “What is the least I can do so that you won’t leave me?”

If we take the question seriously for a moment, I do believe today’s gospel reading answers that question, albeit in an unexpected way.

We find the lord, the local ruler, preparing a great banquet.  In Matthew’s gospel it is called a wedding banquet.  But in any event, a great leader and benefactor, the one who gives life and protection and life.  Think feudal.  A lord who takes care of his people, who invites people to a hugely significant event.

And as we have heard, the people have a variety of excuses, they have a business to run or a new spouse, or whatever.  Things that are important to us, but are of zero importance of the lord and master.

So the lord replaces the ones who beg off.  And there was still room, and the lord hated an empty room.  He deserved better – deserved more.  The lord didn’t care.  He had one priority – his people.  That’s really all he wanted.

And still, the people didn’t show up.  They didn’t care, really.

They had their own lives to lead, right?  They couldn’t necessarily drop everything, even though they had known about this dinner, this party, for ages.

So while these people lived under the benefit of the lord’s protection, and the lord’s benevolence, they didn’t see the need to attend that party.  They didn’t see the need to attend to the relationship.

After all – you know – the party was outside the normal time of audiences with the lord.  They already gave enough time to the fellowship and communion with the lord.  They didn’t feel it necessary.

OK, I think you get the point.

If we circle back to what I said a moment ago, this narrative answers a question.  What does attending a dinner, attending a lord’s dinner, have to do with salvation?

Well, let me tell you.  The dinner in fact is our salvation.  The dinner is our healing.  The dinner is the only meal we truly need.  The dinner is communion with our lord – not just any lord, but our Lord and creator.  The wedding, as the dinner is called in Matthew, is in fact our wedding.  We aren’t the witnesses, we aren’t the guests.  We are the bride.  Christ is the Son of God, our bridegroom.

But we have other things on our mind.  Our businesses, our reputations, our relationships.  Important things, right?  Very important, serious things.

Not the most important thing, though.  All of us – each and every one of us – is invited to this feast.  And the only way to not attend, is to not go.  We have the invitation, but we’re distracted.  And we miss the one thing we need.  We are Martha, worried about serving guests, and not Mary who sits at her Lord’s feet.

So the only way we won’t be saved is if we choose not to be.  We decide if we will be saved.  We decide if we will be healed.

If we decide, for whatever reason, that we don’t want that, God won’t force us.  He’ll invite someone else.  He invited Israel, and Israel rejected Him.  He invites us – the new Israel, the Church.  What will we do?

Can we take our eyes off ourselves, and our own desires and wants, which are so paltry in comparison to the Kingdom we are being invited to join.  Will we also reject our bridegroom, our one chance for happiness and healing and joy and fulfillment?

Over what – a business deal?  A real estate closing?

I have a hard time expressing how short sighted that is.  We should – we must – be willing and ready to drop absolutely everything and pursue the feast, the wedding, to which we are invited and are indeed the bride.  And Our Lord, who invited us to this feast, is telling us the feast is ready and now is.  The time is now.

We have to drop all of our other priorities.  God will provide the food.  God will provide the shelter.  The host will give us everything.

What is a team of oxen when we inherit all of creation together?  What is land when we inherit all of the land, and the sea, the mountains and the beaches?  Why would we settle for a spouse of power, of status, of wealth – when we can have a spouse who is the actual and real source of life, the source of everything?

Somethings take priority over everything and this, my brothers and sisters, this invitation is it.  This is the most important invitation ever contemplated.  All we have to do to accept it is to show up.

That’s it.  Nothing more.  Show up.  Lose anything that will distract us.  Set aside anything that diverts our attention away from this one thing.  And show up.

In Matthew’s account, there is one guest at the party who shows up, but isn’t dressed appropriately.  There has been a lot of speculation about what these “wedding garments” were for guests.  Some have speculated that it is a garment provided by the king, but we have no record of that ever being done.  There are references to court garments worn in the king’s presence.

There may be a more modern analogy, though.  This person shows up with their cell phone.  This person, in the midst of the party, is still transacting business, watching their investments, keeping up with the news.  They are bodily there, but they aren’t paying attention at all.  Instead, they are still focused on themselves.

And like the ones who never showed up, this one will also not inherit the kingdom.  Don’t be like this person.  I beg you.  Show up.  Give full attention.  Let go now of the attachments you have.

So that you can enjoy the eternal banquet with our Lord, our Bridegroom, in the Kingdom.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God.  Glory to Jesus Christ!