The Rev. Carol S. Wedell
October 12, 2008

I'm a wife and a mom.  So I know that somewhere in my job description are the words, "proper attire enforcer."  Following two boys, when Jessica was born I was thrilled to get to put her in cute little girl clothes. (By the way, I have explicit permission to share these stories!)  Obviously, that didn't last very long!  With two boys who were not heavily into style, and a daughter who vastly preferred her brothers' hand-me-downs to almost anything else, I really haven't had the clothing challenges that many of you have faced.

In some ways, clothes are important.  You can tell when someone is wearing clothing that doesn't feel right for them.  You can also tell when they are wearing clothes that are a true expression of who they are.  They give a genuine impression of how one views him or herself.

I haven't had to deal with jeans that came no where close to covering underwear or with tops that left nothing to the imagination. I haven't had to deal with a pre-schooler who would only wear Dalmatian clothes, as my sister-in-law did, or a rebellious teen who wanted to wear t-shirts printed with less than appropriate words.  All three of my children simply wanted comfortable, relatively plain clothing - in all cases from the boys department.  None of them have cared about brand names, or particular trends in clothing - which has definitely helped the pocket book! 

That doesn't mean, however, that we haven't had "discussions" about what they were wearing.  For a long time, I had my kids wear "church clothes" - meaning a little dressier than what they might wear to school.  I actually had Jessica in a dress until about 5 years ago!  I remember when one of my friends at Church of the Covenant commented, as she looked at her jean and t-shirt clad boys, "I'm just glad they're here." 

I would echo her comments now.   I'm just glad they go to church.  As long as the clothes don't have holes in them and are clean, they pass.  But I have been known to comment on why a particular pair of shoes was being worn, why hair wasn't combed or wonder about the stain on a shirt, or what seemed like a mismatched outfit to me.  Mark will confirm that he is not immune from these comments either!  But recently a refrain that I've heard for years has begun to sink in.  "No one cares but you, Mom." (My kids are definitely smarter than me). 

Well, I'm guessing that there are some other people who at least notice what they're wearing, but if they really care about how my children dress, that's their problem, not mine - and certainly not my kids.  They are dressing in a way that is authentic and genuine for them, and is no way offensive to others.  That should be good enough. So let's just say I'm working on this one!

Then we come to this parable in Matthew that seems to imply that the kingdom of heaven has dress codes!  Do other people care besides me?  Is clothing something God actually worries about?  Oh please, don't send us back to the day of hats and gloves for women! 

At first glance we think we know this story.  It was a parable that circulated around in a variety of forms for many years.  Luke includes it, as does the much talked about Gospel of Thomas (which is not in the Biblical canon, for the curious among you.).  I'm guessing that at least a few of you - surely Betsy Quinn - know the chorus of the Christian camp song, "I cannot come to the banquet, don't trouble me now, I have married a wife, I have bought me a cow.  I have fields and commitments that cost a pretty sum. Please hold me excused I cannot come."  Fun, bouncy, grace-filled.   The song correlates very nicely to Luke's version of the parable.

But remember that each author added their own stamp and interpretation to their gospels.  They had particular people and situations in mind. Matthew is unique in allegorizing the punishment of the refusing guests into the destruction of Jerusalem ("burnt their city") and adding the expulsion of the man without the wedding garment. .  In this case, Matthew's version should probably be rated "R" - for mature audiences only. (Although after watching Ironman last night, PG-13 might be enough!) I even wondered if we should have the kids in church.  This is nasty, scary stuff:  murder, torture, thrown into "outer darkness" where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth?  This is supposed to be good news?  You don't know how tempting it was to gloss over all of that.  But eventually, an honest preacher has to face up to these texts that drive us nuts.

Let's go back to the parable as Matthew gives it to us.  "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to..."  OK, right away, we are given important information - this is a parable, an allegory.  It's not how things are literally, but it is giving us important information about what the reign of God will look like. 

The king is giving a wedding banquet for his son.  Weddings in every culture and century are an occasion to collect and connect community and family.  In ancient times, this was also an opportunity for the king to demonstrate his power and influence. 

The income gap was obscene in Christ's culture. Wealthy eastern kings would throw lavish parties that would last for weeks. A wedding feast such as this one could cost millions in contemporary dollars. Yet hospitality was a sign of a king's power. Such gatherings were not merely social events-but strategic diplomatic events with an opportunity for the host to show just how powerful he was to his guests. He wanted those guests to leave so impressed that they would never consider returning with an army in tow.

For an ancient society predicated upon honor and shame, nothing could bestow more honor (to oneself and, by extension, to one's family) than attending a royal wedding, particularly the wedding of the king's own son. This is the kind of event for which you make room in your calendar. Circle the date. Put it in your blackberry. Don't forget. Be there at all costs.

Indeed, choosing not to respond to a King's invitation would be considered not just arrogant but defiant-even an act of war. Groups of people would travel great distances to show their allegiance and respect to the king. With weeks or more of travel behind them, the host would be expected to accommodate guests for lengthy stays. Not only was food and housing given, but guests would also receive the finest clothing and even servants to make their stay comfortable.  Sounds pretty good to me!

Written invitations were sent well in advance and acknowledgement was accepted.   Then, as the big day approached there was a reminder - which is what the first group of slaves probably were doing -issuing a standard reminder that the wedding festivities were about to begin.

Except this time, when the servants go out to remind the guests, the guests decide not to come.  No lengthy explanations as in Luke's version.  In fact, no excuses at all.  After accepting the invitation a long time ago, they just decide that they would rather do something else that day.

Given all of the above, it's beyond me why the guests wouldn't show up.  But they don't.  End of story.  Except that its not.  The host is hurt, upset.  Here he has prepared a huge feast for this event and no one is coming.  So he sends his servants out again and has them remind people of all that they are missing.  Even now, the food is simmering, smelling wonderful!

And here is where Matthew gets disturbing.  For the guests not only refuse to come, but they kill the King's servants.  The king understands this as a declaration of war, and sends his troops to destroy the murderers and the city.  (which from Matthew's retrospective viewpoint, may point to the destruction of the Temple shortly before his writing.)

At this point, the King has had it.  He tells some other servants to go out wherever they need to go and find some people to come to his party.  He doesn't care who they are, or where they're from - just get some people here!   So, as Matthew tells us, the good and the bad come, in what I have to imagine was a quite an interesting group of folks.  Definitely these were not the elite, and quite possibly folks whose reputations were more than a little suspect.

The banquet begins and the king is mulling about with his guests when he notices that one of them is not properly attired.  It reminds me of a time when I went with a friend of mine to a fancy New York restaurant for dessert.  When we got there, we found out that jackets were required for the men.  To accommodate those who may not have brought one, they had a rack of black blazers.  But there was just one small problem.  The largest size they had was about a 40 or 42.  I have no idea what size Al really wore, but at approximately 6'4" and pushing 300 pounds, may I assure you this jacket didn't exactly fit.  In fact, in order not to tear it, he just laid it over his shoulders.  It demonstrated the lunacy of the situation.  He was not officially "following the rules" and looked like a total fool.  It did, however, create a lasting memory!

But the guest that the king notices has no such luck.  He is "shown the way to the door," as we might say in polite company.  But that's not all.  He's thrown into the outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth.  More violence and harsh judgment.  I told you this was a challenging text.

Some interpreters have said that the host was supposed to supply the wedding garment for the guests.  I don't think that's the point.  Because we're not talking about literal clothes here.  Remember this is a parable - an allegory, that is trying to give us important information about our relationship to God and what the Kingdom that Christ is bringing be like.

Many contemporary preachers in mainline churches, me included, probably spend 90% of our time or more, preaching about God's grace, about God's acceptance of all, of God's inclusion of those ordinarily left out.  And that's a good thing to preach and hear, because we keep thinking that we can either do it without God, or that we can somehow earn enough brownie points for God to love us. 

Unquestionably, this parable is primarily about grace; about a feast where God has prepared everything. We don't have to roll up our sleeves to peel the potatoes or save up enough money to afford such a four-star gourmet banquet. No, it's all finished for us by God.  All we have to do is show up hungry.

What we preachers fail to do too often, unlike our colleagues of past centuries, is to acknowledge the sin and evil in the world, indeed, the need for God's judgment upon all that is bad and world.  Barbara Brown Taylor has put it this way:  "Judgment, violence, rejection, death--these are present in our world and our lives. And there is some crazy kind of consolation in the fact that they are present in the Bible as well. They remind us that the Bible is not all lambs and rainbows. If it were, it would not be our book."

From this parable it seems apparent that everyone is invited to the great Banquet, but not everyone responds.  They are caught up in other matters, or haven't figured out that serving this Master requires some "new clothes" - clothes that fit us perfectly and say clearly who we are and what we're about, that show what's important to us.  In early Christianity the new clothing of conversion was a white baptismal robe that announced their identity and priorities to all.

One who follows Christ should wear the clothes of Christ, as is so often emphasized in the New Testament. "As God's holy ones, chosen and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, meekness and patience." (Col 3:12) Our reading from Philippians this morning encourages us, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing...think about these things." (Phil. 4:8)

So my kids are right.  Clothes don't matter.  God could care less if we show up in tuxedo or in rags.  What God cares about is that who we are is looking more and more like Jesus, more and more transformed into the person that God wants us to be.   Grace requires a response.  Our gratitude for that grace should begin to overflow our lives in such a way that our "clothes" begin to take on a new look - that we begin to stand out a bit, or stand back a bit, depending upon who we are, clothes that are a true expression of who we are as followers of Christ. Brothers and sisters we are called to joy and hope.  Not ignoring the real evil that exists.  But knowing that in all of it, we are embraced by the love of God who invites us, loves us, and wants to transform us.  We just have to say yes.