Trinity 20 Sermon

TEXT: Matthew 22:1-14
And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

The third commandment: “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.” What does this mean? “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and his word but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.”

I remember the first time I realized that my pastor was a sinner. I was shocked and utterly amazed. It wasn’t that he had committed some horrible sin that was laid bare before the congregation for all to see. No, I can’t remember a single thing that he had ever done that would leave a black mark on him. He was a nice fellow. He had a long tenure at my home congregation. He was generally well-liked… although there were some who didn’t care for him… even some who left the church to find someone they liked better.

There was no sinfully embarrassing moment that happened that caused me to realize my pastor was a sinner. And really, the only thing I can point to that brought me to the realization that Pastor was a “sinner” was his own preaching. Pastor preached to me that he was a sinner.

And when I came to the realization that he was a sinner, I had a problem. How can a sinner preach the inspired, inerrant word of God? How can a sinner preach a message that will do me any good? How can a sinner preach a message that will create faith in people who spiritually blind, dead and enemies of God, yes, even unborn little babies? How can a sinner preach a message that keeps me with Jesus Christ in the one true Christian faith? He’s a sinner. He’s not God. Why should I have to listen to him? Why can’t I despise preaching? Why sit through a Sunday sermon? Why go to Bible class? Why attend Confirmation class? It’s all a scandal. Don’t you know there’s a sinner in there who is preaching?

My problem with my sinful pastor’s preaching was little different from those in the parable of the Wedding Feast who had been invited but wouldn’t come. They paid no attention to the servants whom the King had sent. They refused to come. “Why should I listen to the King’s servants?” they thought. Some were too busy with a new wife and a young family. “Maybe, when I’m old and gray, then I’ll stop refusing the King’s invitation.” Some were too busy working… trying to make a living. They thought, “What does the king think? I don’t have time to accept His invitation. I’ve got work to do.” Some got mad at the servants. They turned the gracious gift of the invitation to the Feast into a law, “How dare the King expect me to come to His banquet and to eat for free, without price.” But the king only wanted to give them free gifts. He expected nothing in return. Nevertheless, these became angry with the servants of the king. They belittled the servants, made fun of them, ignored them, argued with them, did everything possible to ruin their reputation and complain about them.

The problem today is this: we too often refuse to believe that God calls out to us to receive His gifts through simple, ordinary, sinful men. That’s not the way we want God to come to us. “Send me somebody who is believable Lord. Send a nice, good-looking man. Send a preacher with charisma. Send a good story teller. Send someone with a perfect family. Lord please don’t send a poor miserable sinner to preach your Holy Law, to preach to me that I’m a sinner, to tell me about a Savior that loves me in spite of myself. I don’t have time for that. Lord, don’t plan on me giving any attention to him. I’m telling you now, I’ll refuse to come.”

Believe it. Believe that God in his mercy is so ridiculously simple, so ridiculously personal, and stoops so ridiculously to your level that he sends His lowly messengers to preach a message to you that simply says, “Come. Come to the banquet Feast. Come to the Divine Service… God has gifts for you there.” No, He doesn’t expect anything in return. He doesn’t even require that you praise Him or worship Him. “Come for free gifts.” No, there is no catch, no small print that requires something of you. “Come and hear the Word of the Lord in the Sermon.” For faith comes by hearing, hearing the word of Christ in the sermon. “Come and eat and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus, the Lord Himself will be present to feed you with the medicine of immortality. Come to Private Confession and Absolution.” God wishes to forgive your sins there. ”

God hides Himself, even in sinful preachers. He hides the message of the Gospel in the voice of unworthy servants. There in that voice is where Christ and Him crucified is proclaimed. In that simple voice the Holy Spirit is busy calling, gathering, and enlightening the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In that voice the saying is true: “Faith comes by hearing. Hearing the word of Christ.”

Today, as always, I bid you… I beg you, “Come eat and drink without price. God wishes to give you gifts. Come to the banquet. Receive His Body and Blood. The Feast is ready.”

In Jesus’ Name. AMEN.