Coming to the party?

Sermon planned for Sunday, October 9th, 2011

Texts: Matthew 22:1-14; Isaiah 25:1-9

I invite you to join me in the book of Isaiah, chapter twenty five. This morning we're going to look at the bible's portrayal of God as one who loves to party. That's right, you heard me: God loves to party! But before we go any further, please join me in prayer:
Loving Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we're here to have our eyes opened,
our ears unplugged.
In our worship we declare our allegiance to you, our King;
but our lives frequently suggest that we are enslaved to sin.
Are we free in Christ?
Then why are our hearts troubled,
and our minds clouded?
We turn to your Word, and trust in your Spirit,
knowing your transforming power to free us for discipleship and service.
For the only freedom we want is the freedom to worship and serve you, Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. Amen

The Word of God frees us. That's right, you and I are free in Jesus Christ. But what does that mean? What is the content of that freedom? What does it look like? The story that we have gathered to celebrate this morning is the story of a God who loves to throw party – and it's at this party that we come to fully see and experience freedom like never before! Still can't adjust to the idea that God loves parties? Maybe you were raised on the notion that God is all business and no play! Well, that's not my fault, and I'm definitely not gonna blame the bible for that! After all, God went to work six days, creating our world, and then he did what? He rested! He relaxed!

Not only does God like to take it easy once in a while – God loves celebrations; and since we're created in His image, God demands that His people learn how to loosen-up a bit, relax, rest, Sabbath... and party! God commanded the Israelites to keep a whole variety of 'feasts'; to eat, drink, dance, and sing! When Jesus ministered in Palestine, the gospel of John records that his very first miracle was when he turned water into wine. Just as the wedding celebration was coming to a halt, because they ran out of wine, Jesus came to the rescue and created the best and most potent wine of the party. Even further, in the gospel of John, we also read about five separate feasts that Jesus attended. And so you can see why rumours went around, about Jesus, that he liked to party.

But even more important than the feasts and weddings, the food and the wine, is the vision of the party that God is going to throw for us at the end of time. The image of the heavenly banquet is found both in the Old and New Testaments . This morning we're going to look at what this vision of the heavenly banquet can mean for us today, and how we live our lives.

But before we dig into Isaiah's prophecy, I want to quickly share with you a bit of my own experience with parties. In high school my classmates never invited me to their parties. I guess I wasn't popular enough. That's actually quite alright, though, for if my memory serves me these parties were mostly about getting drunk and laid – not the kind of thing a young Christian man should participate in anyways. It was when I went to Bible College that I was invited to my first ever 'party'.

It was then that I understood that what's more crucial than whether or not you ever go to a party is who you party with. The parties that I went to were with genuine Christian folks who would spend most of their evening discussing what we were learning in our Christian theology classes. We held people accountable when they were going offside. We shared in each other's joys, and wept with each other when things fell apart. But I've also been to parties where I later realized that those were not the kinds of people that I'd celebrate with ever again.

This morning we're going to learn about the kind of party that God's going to throw for us at the end – about the heavenly banquet. It's a party with the strangest kinds of folks you can imagine. God's party has the oddest house-rules you've ever heard of. The question at the end of it all, for us, is: do we dare to join God's party? Or, would you dare to miss out on it?

First of all, let's look at the prophecy of Isaiah, chapter twenty-five. The people of Israel led a miserable life, politically speaking. They were the chosen people of God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, yet their political existence was, and has been for most of history, a pathetic existence. They have been enslaved, killed-off by the millions, bullied around, tormented and teased. And so you wonder why the prophet's words begin with a word of worship and praise. Even when he was surrounded by his enemies, the prophet proclaimed his allegiance to Yahweh.

Why this note of trust? Because the prophet knows that nothing can happen to Israel, and nothing can save Israel unless it comes from the hand of God. The prophet then moves on to declare that God is going to set things right. The great rebellious city will become a heap of ruins. He's probably referring to Babylon; but ultimately the prophet is speaking of a much broader reality than the historical city of Babylon. He's talking about all of Creation that lives in active rebellion against God and His people. That's verse two. In verse three, the prophet goes back to describing God's protection over his people. Even in their exile and persecution, God has been there to offer shelter and refuge, a 'dry place' in the midst of the storm.

In verse six, the prophet describes the feast that God is going to provide for 'all peoples'. That's right, the prophet is talking about a party that everyone's invited to! Who? Well, just look at the one who's throwing the party. Verse 4 answers that question. Who's throwing the party? The same one who has been a refuge to the poor, a safe place for the needy. So who gets invited to the party is very much dependent on the one who does the inviting. Like I said earlier, it's not that relevant whether or not you like to party – but who you like to party with. When you party with Yahweh, its a much different scene then the parties I wasn't invited to in high-school – it's an entirely different crowd. With Yahweh, it's the least of these. Are you sure that's the kind of party you want to go to?

When will this heavenly banquet take place? The prophet doesn't give a date and time, but the timing is clear nonetheless – this will take place on the day of salvation. What will happen? God will prepare a feast for all peoples – a feast of rich food and of well-aged wines (the good stuff).

Verses 7-9 further clarify about the kind of party it will be – because it's not just about the food and drink... It's always primarily about the table fellowship. And what happens at the Lord's table fellowship? The shroud of mourning is destroyed. When people in those days would grieve or lament, they would often wear sackcloth and sit in ashes, and they would wear something over their heads... a mourning shroud.

In their exile, Israel was in mourning, grieving a broken relationship with God. This mourning was going to come to an end – that's the promise Isaiah held before the people. In other words, God's party is one in which the things that cause us grief are taken away – done away with, destroyed, resolved, reconciled. The prophet writes that God will wipe away every tear, even death itself will be put to death. God will be our comforter. Now that's a party!

I remember, on Mondays, hearing my high-school classmates talking about the parties they went to on the weekend. The things that the guys and the girls bragged about are not worth repeating. And to think that many Christian young adults get sucked into this kind of party lifestyle is disturbing; especially since there is a much better party that we're invited to be a part of. Another word for it is the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God plays an absolutely central role in Jesus' ministry.

If you listen to many Christian radio preachers explain the gospel you'd think that the very first thing that Jesus should have done, when he started his ministry, is that he should have started some personal relationships with people. In fact, Jesus did something quite a bit different. After his baptism and temptation in the wilderness, Jesus moved to Capernaum and from there he began his ministry, and he did it by proclaiming these words: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” Every relationship Jesus formed with people of his time, and every relationship that Jesus forms with us personally today, is a relationship formed in the context of this bigger picture: the Kingdom of God is just around the corner!!! Repent! Turn your life around and get yourself on board with the Kingdom of God!

Jesus taught the people, in a whole variety of ways – through parables, through sermons, and through works of power – that a new reality was breaking into this world. The Kingdom of God is near! Turn your life around and come along for the ride! We heard one of those parables earlier – the parable of the wedding banquet. Again we have another metaphor of celebration, a party.

But this time the purpose of the parable is to illustrate something crucial about this Kingdom party! Namely, there are those who are just itching to join God's party, and then there are those who are too busy, too bored, or too embarrassed to come. When they received the invitation to God's steak dinner, they “made light of it and went away”. Why would they do that? This parable doesn't say anything about that, but I wonder if it's partly because they know who's doing the inviting. They know that Yahweh invites the strangest of people to his party – the weak, the outcast, the stranger in town... he lets the last go first... he allows a young boy with fish and bread to provide the main course... Some people would rather not go to that kind of party.

Some would rather not go to a party hosted by the likes of Yahweh, whose economic policies included: setting slaves free, forgiving financial debts, and helping out widows and orphans. There are those who wouldn't be caught dead at Yahweh's parties; after all, Yahweh's policies on justice include visiting and releasing prisoners, overturning death-sentences, and forgiving and loving our enemies, turning the other cheek. The folks in Jesus' parable are just obeying their high-class prescriptions – and so they make light of the invitation. In the parable, these folks who refuse the King's invitation – well, lets just say they don't ever get to another party... With these fools out of the way, the King, in the parable, moves on to invite the real guests: all the 'regular folk'.

The King is insistent – the party must go on; and so, if the people originally invited don't want to party... others must come in and join the celebration. Unlike us, who would rather cancel a party than invite people off the streets, God's Kingdom is barrelling its way into our world and the party is coming, whether you and I are on board or not.

The peace and justice of God's Kingdom is on its way: are you running towards it or away from it? A time is coming where everyone will live in peace with each other, reconciled through Jesus – are you getting dressed for the occasion, or are you still wearing bitterness, refusing to forgive? A time is coming where everyone will have enough to eat and drink, and enough clothes to wear – are you still dancing to the beat of selfish consumerism, or are you learning the new steps of God's Jubilee? The party is coming, will you be there?

Now I have some good news for you this morning. There are free dance lessons for this coming Kingdom. There's stuff you can do now already to get prepared for that party, so you won't look too much like a goof; after all, the parable suggests you don't want to be caught without the proper gear. So how do you prepare? Well, Yahweh, our host, likes it when prisoners are comforted, visited. In the bulletin, you'll notice some contact information about how you can get your feet wet, for God's coming Kingdom party. Go visit some prisoners. Yahweh likes it when the hungry get their bellies filled. That bulletin insert also has some contact information about where you can go and get some practice feeding those who are hungry.

There's a whole bunch of things we can do now already to anticipate the Kingdom of God; the most crucial of which is that we, as a Church, gather as reconciled brothers and sisters. By getting together to give our praise and allegiance to Jesus, we are being a foretaste of the peace God has planned for all people on the day of salvation.

One of the main dance tracks, at God's parties, is a song where peace and justice kiss each other! The lyrics can be found in Psalm 85 - Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. 10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; justice and peace will kiss each other.” Do you know the melody by heart? Has the peace of Christ filled your heart? Are we unlearning the ugly dance of redemptive violence?

Today is thanksgiving, and there's so much to be thankful for in life. We can be thankful for the things that we have, for our families, or for health. But this morning we're also invited to give thanks and praise, like the prophet Isaiah, for the great thing that God is about to do. We are invited to give thanks and praise for the party that's just around the corner – a celebration where God's Will is done on earth as it is in heaven. You and I can celebrate, this morning, that God's Kingdom is already breaking-through into our world, cracking the hard-concrete of the old world and its value systems. We can celebrate when people forgive one another, because it anticipates the day when we will all be reconciled to one another in Christ. We can party, now already, when we see parents choosing to love their children because it's a foretaste of the Father's love for us.

May you learn the rhythm of God's grace and sing the melody of His Kingdom. May your words and your actions witness to the good news we've heard about Jesus – that he died and rose again! Tell your neighbours that God's party has more than enough room for them. After all, our God invites the strangest kinds of folks to his celebrations... a good thing too, that way you and I will fit right in. Amen.