by Rev. Carole Horton-Howe
Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.
Once more Jesus spoke to the people in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again 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.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then 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.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
—Matthew 22:1-14 (NRSV)
You might be surprised to hear a story about an athlete and his coach from me rather than from Fr. Bill. But I can’t think of a better way to speak to the gospel today than to tell you about Lou Alcindor and John Wooden. You might be more familiar with the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the awarding winning superstar of the Lakers. At 7’2” tall he dominated professional basketball winning MVP honors, playing on All-Star teams, leading the team with his famous Skyhook slam to multiple NBA championships. He was a centerpiece of the Showtime era of the Lakers.
But before that, he was Lou Alcindor, a kid who grew up in the projects in New York. He was made for basketball. He was 6’8” tall in the eighth grade and dominated the local game with his skill. Everyone knew he was going to be an amazing college player. And over 200 colleges wanted him. Locals hoped he’d stay home and play for St. John’s and he almost did. Until he went on a recruiting trip to sunny Los Angeles, walked into newly built Pauley Pavilion and met UCLA Coach John Wooden. UCLA had won national championships under Wooden. So Lou accepted a scholarship to UCLA and in the fall of 1965 was ready to play, ready to learn from this incredible coach with the winning record who was already becoming a legend in coaching.
So how did their season begin? On the first day of practice, Coach Wooden told the team, “Gentleman, today we’re going to learn how to put our shoes and socks on.” Alcindor thought this was crazy. His momma taught him that. What about offense and defense? What about the X’s and O’s of fast break game they were known for?
Not so fast. Coach Wooden calmly explained that most players are benched for blisters, and the easiest way to avoid them is to prepare by paying attention to the basics. Coach would meticulously show players how to roll up their socks and tighten their laces. “I wanted it done consciously, not quickly or casually,” he said. “Otherwise we would not be doing everything possible to prepare in the best way.”
You see, all the wondrous things about playing a high profile sport at a top-tier school, all the excitement and glory and accolades weren’t going to happen for Lou Alcindor if he ended up on the bench because he didn’t consciously prepare. The gospel reading today has the same sense about it – encouraging us to prepare our hearts and minds to receive God’s invitation to us.
It’s a parable of extremes - wonderful offerings and some harsh behavior. It starts out with some imagery of celebration and excitement. But then it turns tragic. Those who were invited to the banquet apparently didn’t think much of it. Their hearts and minds were focused on their regular lives. And God seems to go crazy at their behavior.
I hope we won’t take these portions of the parable too literally and perhaps instead see them as Jesus wanting to make a very distinct point to his listeners who were the leaders of the Jewish community.
I also hope that we will not read this parable strictly with the idea that we are preparing ourselves only for the Kingdom of God coming later, the next life. Of course that’s true. But remember that Jesus declared at the onset of his earthly ministry with his very presence that the Kingdom is at hand -- right here, right now, with each other, with all of creation.
Let’s think about our own metaphor for a banquet for a moment. What would an extraordinary banquet table look like to you? What array of treats laid out in front of you would really excite you, make you absolutely awestruck at the very sight of it? Make your mouth water?
For me, it would be, front and center of any banquet, my grandmother’s sour cream chocolate sheet cake with pecan fudge icing. And a large container of vanilla ice cream. And my mother’s butterscotch pie, a New York cheesecake covered in strawberry sauce and the entire contents of a See’s Candy store. I could go on and on. What does yours look like? Maybe it’s not a table at all but a giant grill covered in filet mignon and lobster tails. Whatever it is, sit with those thoughts for a minute.
And I want to suggest to you that each of the banquet items we’ve all imagined for ourselves is just a shadow of the incredible things that God offers us. God offers us exponentially more than we can imagine in God’s son. The banquet, ready and available to each of us to feast on every minute of every day, is piled high with the gifts we see and experience in Jesus Christ: unceasing love, boundless joy, compassion as deep as a canyon, forgiveness, mercy, redemption, reconciliation and eternal life all laid out on a table of grace. Can you picture that? We feast at God’s table and we come away satisfied in every way, never ever to be hungry again. That’s what’s on offer here.
The last guest and everything about his particular story is a puzzle. What is this wedding garment that he has neglected? Why is he silent? The author of Matthew doesn’t tell us. But in early Christianity, converts found new identity in putting on a new set of clothes. In this tangible way, they understood themselves as giving up their former way of life and clothing themselves in their Christian beliefs. So the first listeners to this gospel might have understood this party-goer as someone not yet willing to give up the old ways. He has no response because he has not made preparations. His head and heart are ambivalent. His downfall comes in the moment he is asked to account for himself and he has nothing to say.
Perhaps the letter to the Colossians gives us the best idea of the way to prepare ourselves for the banquet: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience. Bear with one another… forgive each other… Above all, clothe yourselves with love which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
God will go to extraordinary lengths and seek us out in every corner of the world to extend an invitation to God’s extraordinary goodness. By clothing ourselves the same way as Paul instructs the Colossians, the outward effects of gospel choices will finally settle in our hearts. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Amen.