Preparing For the Feast

Revelation 19:9-10

Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” At this, I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” 

A recurring image in the Bible points to being invited and, in response, being prepared for a joyous event. Today's lectionary passage points to those who are blessed to be invited to the wedding supper of the bride (the church) being united with Christ. Another example is in Matthew 25. Jesus narrates the parable of the ten virgins - all ten were thrilled to be a part of meeting the bridegroom, but only five were prepared with extra oil. The ones who didn't have enough completely missed his arrival and were shut out of the wedding feast. Finally, Jesus tells a parable of the great banquet. The host sends his servant to the streets, alleys, and country lanes to find guests to come in when the invited guests only had excuses and no time to come (Luke 14:15-23).

Weddings are meant to be a joyous celebration, but they don't come without some stress, tears, and hours of preparation. Just like a couple prepares for their upcoming wedding day, so we as Christians prepare ourselves for Christ's coming. "He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live" (Ecclesiastes 3:11-12). We know in our hearts God's invitation is for us; we all long for something more than this world, but while we are here on earth, we are getting ready for the day we meet the Lord. 

We've been invited to the celebration and welcomed in; now we are called to act like His chosen ones and faithfully worship and serve Him. As our longing and thankful hearts reach out to God, it changes us to live in a way that reflects our joy and gratitude for God's invitation to salvation. When opportunities come our way, we give of our time and talents instead of giving excuses. We forgive our brother and sister in Christ instead of holding onto bitterness and anger. We deliberately carve out time to read the Bible, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, instead of too often picking up our phones to check our texts and scroll through the latest posts. We grow in our relationship with God through stress, tears, and difficult times as he sanctifies us and prepares us for the wedding supper.

Thanks be to God that we are not saved by doing good deeds, but our good deeds come out of our love and appreciation for the gift of Jesus and God's grace. The apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:8-10 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Grace saves us but also propels us to act, to be ready, to heed the call to the feast, and to come prepared. 

As the invited guests who are preparing for the feast, God doesn't expect perfection from us, but he does expect a faithful heart that seeks him first. I hope you click this link and enjoy listening to a favorite worship song, "Find Us Faithful." Find Us Faithful - Steve Green [With Lyrics]