SERMON-AN INVITATION FROM GOD
Matthew 22:1-14
July 23, 2023

Peace Lutheran, Selah, WA

Some past weeks ago we took note of the 246th Anniversary and the start of the 247th year of the Declaration of Independence in America. We celebrated that event in various ways. It was originally made by people who were called to rise up from their pathways of life to change and follow the Lord's direction in their lives for a cause that was important at that time and still affects us today.

So, today we want to review some of the people whose lives were changed and seemed to be “called by God” in a sort of new Revolution in their day and age and may be true for us today.

On May 10, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted a resolution calling for the separation from England. A formal declaration was needed. A committee of five men led by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia was appointed to prepare the formal declaration. What Jefferson produced was a brilliant political manifesto whose words still awaken in people a yearning to live in freedom and to preserve the fruit of their experience of freedom. Jefferson challenged people to live by the idea that there was something greater than government to which they owed their ultimate allegiance, namely the self evident, divine truth that ail are created equal.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Though artistice in their tenor and prophetic in their energy, the words of the Declaration of Independence were nevertheless fighting words. They were the opening salvo in a fight for freedom. Not only does Thomas Jefferson put forth a philosophy of human freedom in the Declaration of Independence, he also inspires his fellow Americans to take up the sword to defend what they perceived were tyrannical abuses. However, to inspire a people to change their society in fundamental ways, it is not enough to cast a broad vision with words.

In order to create their own nation, Americans needed both the pen of Thomas Jefferson and the sword of George Washington.

A casual reading of the history of revolutions would produce the axiom that long before people take up arms to change their society, the war in their hearts and minds must have already been waged and won. There can be no fighting without the heart having been enlisted and engaged in the realm of ideas. Giuseppe Mazzini, 19th century Italian philosopher and politician said, “Great revolutions are the work rather of principles than of bayonets, and they are achieved first in the moral and afterwards in the material sphere.”

The revolution wrought by Jesus of Nazareth indeed would qualify as one of the great revolutions of human history, though it was never waged for the spoils of economics, history, or politics. The teaching of a poor man, born of a poor woman in a land in political and economic subjugation, captured the hearts and minds of many in the Greco-Roman world. Eventually they toppled the most powerful empire of the then-known world without lifting a sword. This could not have happened had the disciples of Jesus not been inspired to speak. Before they could even speak, however, they had to listen. They had to pay attention to the Beloved on whom the Holy Spirit descended in the Jordan River.

Six days after Peter made the confession that Jesus was the Son of God, revealed to him by the Father in Heaven, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain. And there Jesus lite up like the brightness of His glory in conversations with Moses and Elijah. It was an inspiring experience for Peter, James and John. An experience that changed their lives forever. And is still influencing us today. It was like a “Revolutionary" experience in their lives.

In another experience, He was born to a pious German woman and her Lutheran pastor husband in 1875, Raised in a Christian environment by educated parents, it was not unexpected when he began to study theology and philosophy at the university. He was a brilliant student and achieved doctorates in both disciplines by the time he had reached his early 20s. As an academic he was well known, especially in his immediate range of colleagues. In 1910, however, he wrote a book titled, The Quest for the Historical Jesus. This was an effort to apply historical criticism to the gospel narratives. The book made him an international celebrity in theology almost overnight.

He was at the top of his field, so it surprised many when he changed careers. But he felt that God called him to do something different, to dedicate himself to music. As a young man he had toyed with the idea of being a professional musician. Now, as he approaches the age of 40, he began to tour the major European cities as a concert organist. His interpretation of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, both on the concert stage and on some of the first phonographic recordings, was unequaled in his day.

After conquering two different disciplines, theology and musical performance, he again felt called by God to change directions. This time the shift was more radical; He became a medical missionary in Africa. The challenge would be great, but he went with confidence that all would be provided. French Equatorial Africa had only been “opened” by Christian missionaries a few decades previously. In the 1920s, he established a hospital on the Gonge River in the nation of Gabon. The facility served two functions: as a hospital for the local area, and as a leper sanitarium for the greater geographic area.

After laboring for more than 30 years in Africa as a doctor, the world officially recognized the contribution of this man. His name was Albert Schweitzer. In 1952 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The inscription read, “Granted on behalf of the brotherhood of nations.”

If God invites you, are you ready to accept? This challenging question is posed by today’s scripture reading. In the parable of the invitation to the wedding feast, we hear of God’s call, its rejection, and the need to always be ready. In the original setting of the parable, the first call to the banquet probably symbolized the invitation to the Jewish people to the Jewish people to welcome Christ. The second call, to those on the streets, symbolized the invitation to the Gentile world.

However, in reading the parable in our setting today, we can think of it this way: “God’s call, the invitation to the banquet, is universal. God has called all people. And it doesn’t just take a historic event like a Revolution to get God’s

people excited and moving. There are those who are initially invited, and there are those who reject the call. There are those who are on the highways and Page 4 Sermon: An Invitation From God

along the byroads. We also hear that the call is not a one-time opportunity. Rather, if we at first do not accept God’s call, then we can be sure that the call will be extended again and again, for God’s call is always present. Some people accept God’s call; others reject it. Whether we accept or reject the call to the banquet, however, God’s invitation and work will always be present. Just like with Albert Schweitzer, who accepted the call later in his life, we too still accept the call no matter what times of our lives it may be. But we can miss it however.

It still states that God’s call requires our readiness. The one who was invited late and was not properly dressed was dismissed, cast out into the darkness.

This might seem rather harsh, but herein lies a fundamental message on preparedness. The moral of the story is clear; When God calls with an opportunity, we should respond. We might lose this opportunity forever.

God’s call may require us to change, and that can involve some risk. The farmer in the parable was asked to change, but would not. The businessman was also unwilling to respond. Each lived at a level of comfort that generated complacency. Thus, when asked to change, to respond to the need, they were not willing to answer the call. If we were to read this parable alone then we, too, might be hesitant to respond. After all, even some of the invited are rejected.

So, is God unfair in judging our response, does God ask too much of us?

God’s word is filled with hope and the ever-abiding presence of God. We may think that the risk is too great, that we cannot take the chance of change. But St. Paul, in writing to the Christian community at Philippi, says that all that is necessary will be provided by God in magnificent ways; “My God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Paul knew what it was like to have an abundance, and he knew what it was like to be in need. Before conversion, Paul was a Pharisee and, therefore, most likely lived in comfort, and certainly ran in the high circles of Hebrew society.

Yet, later he suffered the poverty of rejection and the hardships of shipwreck, stoning, beatings, and many other persecutions. Paul believed that Jesus 

provide the strength he needed to endure and carry out his vocation, namely to be the apostle to the Gentiles.

If we should ever wonder what the providence of God will be for those of us who take the risk, and answer the call, we need to look no further than the beautiful metaphors offered by Isaiah, when he wrote to the kingdom of Judah before the exile. “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away, from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.”

If we can be ready, if we can take the risk and accept the invitation of God—in other words, if we can allow God to guide all our decisions—just like the patriots of the early American Revolution and for Albert Schweigtzer, the disciples who were fishermen and left their boats to follow Jesus, then we will be provided with a richness that God alone can supply.

God’s call, the opportunities given to us by God, as no one is ever too young or too old, God directs and shapes our lives to prepare us for the calling. Are we ready to accept the invitation and trust in God? There is a generic call to participate in the life of God, which is the mystical Body of Christ. Many of us have accepted this invitation, to a lesser or greater extent. Our presence in, and participation with the Christian community, is evidence of that. I am evidence of that in my minor role of the calling. There is also, however, a more specific, a more personal call, which goes out to each person in different ways each day.

How is God calling you this day? Possibly God’s invitation is in the form of a new responsibility—at work, at school, in the community or in the church.

Maybe God’s call is to a relationship, whether it be friendship, a social connection, or a renewed relationship with God himself. Possibly the call from

God is to change, to delete something from our every-busy schedule, and to add something new. And if it should be that God is calling us to change, we may Page 6 Sermon: An Invitation From God

need to ask ourselves, “What am I willing to take off my slate of things, so as to make room for the work of God?” After all, if we are too busy for God’s work, our priorities are not clear, nor are they straight!

There are opportunities within the Lutheran Church organizations where there is a need and opportunities to be involved with our God given talents, like in the LWML, the Lutheran Hour Ministries, ministries of youth camps in our District, overseas short term medical teams or service building teams, the Shoebox ministry, or The Orphans Grain Train gathering supplies for overseas missions and orphanages, or even supporting those churches with building supplies like with the new church projects in Kenya and the “Lutherans In Africa” seminary like when Rev. Tim Rossow who was here to speak to us a couple of months ago. There are many ministry opportunities that God is opening us for us to be involved in. It gives us a chance to share God’s love with other fellow Christians and let them know that together we are members of the “same family. The Family of Jesus Christ,” whether it be around here or in a foreign nation like in Africa.

God’s call requires our readiness and willingness; it requires some risk and an openness to change. We can respond, however, confident of God’s presence and providence. What we need is the mindset of a young child, who stands on the edge of a pool, ready to jump into the deep end for the first time. The child has total confidence that mom or dad, or their big brother or sister will be there with arms outstretched to catch her, so that no harm will come to her. God says to all of us, “Take the risk; jump in. I’m waiting with outstretched arms to hold you so that no harm will come your way.” God's invitation is always present; and we must find the courage to accept it.

So, what is God’s call for you on this day? We can not always go to a foreign mission field or even some projects in the U.S. But we can be a member and support those programs. Each person must answer this question in the privacy of his or her daily walk and conversation with the Lord in prayer. Albert Schweitzer was called to do many things. Each invitation required his readiness,

and a willingness to risk. He responded, however, confident that God’s providence would provide all that was needed and necessary.

And so, whether it is a new Revolution or an opportunity in your lives, let the Almighty lead you in the paths 

Sermon By Glenn Stocker.