Weddings are a big deal — ask any bride the week of her big day. Or, maybe you shouldn’t. She probably has enough on her mind. I think that makes my point. Weddings are a big deal. So it makes sense that Jesus, in our sermon text, uses the picture of a wedding to show that what God has provided for us is a big deal.

He tells the story of a king throwing a wedding banquet for his son, sparing no expense. The king sends out the invitations to this five-star banquet, and some people refuse them. Some even mistreat the messengers who bring the invitation. That makes no sense.

Jesus’ point is that what we so often make no sense either. You see, God has invited us to a great banquet. We call it worship, or a service or church. But whatever we call it, the banquet is supreme. Look to what he says in his word we receive there: strengthening of faith through that word, his mercy — not giving us what we deserve, his personal forgiveness of all our sins to make us right with God, his help in all our times of need and his guidance for every moment of our lives. Yes, like the Psalm writer says: "Taste and see that the Lord is good."

And he’s not done. In addition he gives things like baptism, washing us clean of our sins and the Lord’s Supper, that foretaste of heaven in his body and blood for forgiveness. Think of the price he paid (his own son) to prepare this banquet for us. And now, he’s inviting you: "Come to Christ’s wedding banquet!" What are you going to do?

Will you make excuses like some in the parable? "Too busy," "Sunday is my only family time" (as if time growing in God isn’t the best possible family activity), or "gas money" or … you can fill in the blank with the last one you used.

Or… will you come to Christ’s wedding banquet? Do you realize how important feasting on what God provides in church is…each week? Look at it this way. In the past week, just once, did you get a bit anxious about this year’s presidential election? Just a little nervous about the activity on Wall Street? Just in the last seven days, has there been a family problem? A health issue? Were you tempted to doubt God, to worry? Were you tempted to try to cover up one of your weaknesses or shortcomings?

Me too. That’s why every week we need high doses of God’s law to make us get real with our sins and realize what they do to us. And every week we need even higher doses of God’s amazing Gospel to show us again our savior and what he has done for us – to carry us through our problems and really, solve them all. After all, he gave his life to earn us an invite to heaven, the ultimate banquet. And each week, here at church, we get a reminder of that. So, come to Christ’s wedding banquet. We’ll see you Sunday.