Day 229 - (Today’s Bible readings: 2 Kings 16; Psalm 47; Matthew 23:1-22)
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come... 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...
“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’... ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (Matthew 22:2-13 ESV)
While this account clearly uses the imagery of a wedding feast, my thoughts went to an event that occurs before most weddings. Most couples want to be prepared for their big day, so a rehearsal is usually planned for the night before their big day. After all, it is the beginning of the rest of their lives.
The point of the parable is for us to take seriously Christ’s call to follow Him.As a wedding rehearsal enables a couple and their wedding party are ready for their big day, so regular worship and attendance at the Lord’s Table helps us to follow Jesus and be ready for THE big day, Judgment Day. But the poor soul who was not allowed into the wedding banquet, was not prepared. He did not have a wedding garment.
♬ Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.
Bold shall I stand in that great day,
Cleansed and redeemed, no debt to pay;
Fully absolved through these I am
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.
(Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness, The Lutheran Service Book, CPH, 2006, #563, stanzas 1&2)
Heavenly Father, thank You for covering me with the righteousness of Jesus and providing the covering of saving faith so that I will dwell with You in heaven. Please bless my weekly “eternal wedding rehearsals” so that my faith remains firm in Christ. In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.
“See” you at the Communion table this morning!
Pastor David Paape
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), is the theme for this three-year journey through the entire Old Testament once (the Psalms - twice yearly), and the New Testament twice. There will be daily readings from the O.T., Psalms and the N.T. Special days on the church calendar will be highlighted with appropriate readings. This calendar has been compiled by representatives of the Lutheran Church of Canada, the North American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Please click this link for the daily reading calendar:
https://blogs.lcms.org/2017/lcms-lcc-and-nalc-compile-three-year-schedule-of-daily-bible-readings
Then scroll down to 2019 Bible Reading Calendar and download it if you so wish. The “assigned” daily readings will appear on a daily basis in this blog. May the Lord bless your meditation upon His precious life-giving Word!
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