Jack Hardaway
Weddings are perilous occasions. At least in the parable we hear today.
The kingdom of heaven is like a really dangerous wedding where at first no one shows up, people are killed and the city is burned down and then everyone shows up, invited in from off the street, and some are tied up and thrown into the gnashing, weeping, outer darkness.
Definitely a wedding to be remembered!
It puts reality TV to shame!
What is it about weddings that they draw so much attention? Not just theologically, and politically, but culturally, all the movies and stories that involve weddings and the crazy things that happen at them. So much of the life of families takes place around weddings and the occasions that they bring.
What is it about weddings?
So much of life is filled with endings, with things and people and relationships being broken apart.
Weddings are these moments of coming together, a chance to witness and celebrate that in this life that is so full of endings, they are reminders that life is also full of the miracle of beginnings, of coming together, of love being lifted up and witnessed.
We should not take this for granted.
That is the lesson of the parable, don’t take each other for granted, don’t take the miracles that God fills life with for granted, don’t take God for granted, don’t take Jesus for granted.
When we take each other for granted creation flies apart like a dangerous wedding.
The miracle of love, of coming together, of connection, it is something we don’t want to miss or take lightly.
The kingdom of heaven is like a parable where relationships matter so much that all creation and all eternity hang in the balance. Have you heard that crazy wedding story?
We all have crazy wedding stories, some maybe even dangerous.
There are so many endings.
In Jesus all those endings are bound back together and set right.
Jesus is the connection of heaven and earth, he is where all things hang in the balance, where love really matters.
Jesus is the crazy wedding where the human and the divine are joined together. That means that all people and all relationships are now literally filled with the glory of God.
That miracle surrounds us, inviting us off the street, to attend, and rejoice, where ever there is love God is there. We are witnesses of the occasion.
Dearly beloved: We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless. Be the witness. Bring the blessing.