THE INVITATION IS A GIFT
Dear Parishioners,
These past Sundays, we have been reflecting on the parables that Jesus gives us in the Gospel of Matthew: the parable of the two sons and the parable of the vineyard. Through these dramatic and passionate stories, Jesus conveys to us the true meaning of the new Kingdom and what is expected of those who are called to share in it.
Jesus beautifully reshapes old views that are not compatible with who God truly is. He expands our understanding of Scripture, opens our eyes to see what God is asking of us, and teaches us how to worship Him. We can all relate very well to what these parables portray. They touch our lives, challenge us, and make a profound demand upon what we truly believe. They inspire us to seek eternal truth—to seek God and His Kingdom.
In a masterful way, Jesus invites His audience to consider what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. He compares it to a king who hosted a wedding feast for his son. Yet, to the king’s great disappointment, the invited guests refused to attend. Some neglected the invitation, others offered excuses, and still others responded with hostility and aggression. The king, angered by their rejection and insult, punished those who had so contemptuously refused his invitation.
This parable speaks powerfully about those who refused to welcome Jesus. His own people had long been prepared for the coming of the Messiah. They had been invited by God to be His chosen people, and yet, when God’s Son finally came into the world, many rejected Him. As a result, the invitation of God went out to the highways and byways—to those who had not expected to be invited at all: the sinners, the Gentiles, and the outsiders. We are now among the beneficiaries of that gracious invitation.
It is important to note that the consequences of refusing God’s invitation can be terrible. Since the invitation is compared to a wedding feast, refusal means exclusion from the joy associated with the celebration. The Kingdom of God is a joyful reality. It is a place of fellowship, peace, contentment, and communion with God. His invitation is meant to inspire joy, not sadness; hope, not despair; and communion, not isolation. It is a transformative invitation to share in the life of God. And when someone refuses that invitation, he ultimately excludes himself from the joy that God desires to give.
The invited guests may have had what appeared to be good excuses for not attending the wedding. But we must be careful not to allow the daily activities and concerns of life to choke out God’s invitation. The ups and downs of life, when not properly ordered, can suffocate our spiritual lives. The world, with all its temporary attractions and demands, can deceive and pressure us into ignoring God’s invitation to a life of grace and holiness.
As one reflection beautifully puts it, “The tragedy of life is that it is so often the second bests which shut out the bests; that is, it is things which are good in themselves which shut out the things that are supreme.”
How often do we allow things that are good in themselves—our work, our responsibilities, our possessions, our ambitions, our plans, and even our relationships—to take the place of what is truly supreme? There is nothing wrong with these things when they are properly ordered. But when they become more important than God, they can quietly take us away from the wedding feast to which we have been invited. Those strangers who were gathered from the highways and byways had no claim upon the king. They did not earn their place at the feast. They were there because of the king’s open-hearted and generous hospitality. In other words, it was grace that offered the invitation, and it was grace that gathered every one of us.
We, too, have been invited—not because we are worthy in ourselves, but because God is generous and merciful. The invitation is a gift. The Kingdom is a gift. God’s grace is a gift.
Let us, therefore, never take this invitation for granted. Let us not allow the distractions and demands of this world to make us forget the eternal banquet to which Christ calls us. Instead, let us respond to God’s invitation with grateful hearts, faithful lives, and joyful obedience.
May we always be ready to accept the invitation of the King. May our lives become a living response to His grace, and may we one day share fully in the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb, where joy, peace, and communion with God will have no end.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Vitalis Anyanike, Pastor
