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Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Y'All Come
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Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23; Matthew 22:1-14
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We aim to be a "come as you are" church.
No dress code. No secret code words. No secret handshake known only by the initiated elite.
We even had a Bible reader one Sunday morning who wore some totally unstylish shorts. Know what? The ceiling didn't fall in! Nobody ran for the doors in panic, either!
Now, most of us do tend to spit-shine our shoes, and some our hair, on the way to worship. Folks used to talk about "Sunday-go-to-meeting" duds. But it'd be a sin and a shame if anyone stayed away because they worried about their looks.
In Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus tells a story about a king throwing a huge banquet to honor his son's wedding day. But the people he invited stiffed him! "Thanks, but no thanks. I've got work to do. I'm really very busy." To the king they said this! Duh.
Next thing, he sends messengers out to beat the bushes, inviting anyone who's halfway interested to come and party. "The bad and the good," they showed up in droves. The prince and his princess had a royal blast. Each guest got a special robe to wear, so nobody cared what their street clothes looked like.
But the king, working the crowd, found one guy out of uniform. A wedding crasher. He yelled, "Who let you in here?" And he had him tossed out.
So maybe God wants dress codes after all?
I don't think so.
The wedding robes are symbolic. (Remember, parables are earthly stories with a heavenly meaning. Visible everyday things stand for invisible spiritual truth.) The apostle Paul writes more than once about "putting on Christ," meaning: Let Christ's spirit transform you from the inside out, so that others will recognize Jesus when they meet you.
So -- not only was the guy rude, but he absolutely contradicted the party's spirit of honor and celebration. No wonder he got 86ed.
I guess the point is: When you accept God's invitation to come as you are, make sure you come as you really are! God throws the doors wide open, warmly welcoming "whosoever will." Once inside, if our hearts are equally open, we do our best to say "Thank you, God" every which way we can.
I'll say it again. We want to be a "come as you are" church. Please, when you can, come visit us just as you really are!
posted by Jack Buckley at
4:03 PM
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