After a weekend spent looking at silk flowers for weddings and other preparations for weddings, it was quite ironic to find Dave’s sermon this morning was on the topic of ‘the man without wedding clothes’, looking at Matt 22:1-14! God’s word is given to us to warn, teach, encourage and train us in righteousness, but so often, we find we listen half-heartedly, not really applying His word to our own lives. Jesus told this parable towards the end of his life, once again addressing the Pharisees with their acute sense of self-confidence and self-righteousness and showing how we are entirely dependent on God’s mercy and favour.
Wedding banquets are celebrations, times of rejoicing. In order for us to have this kind of joy in our everyday lives, we need to clothe ourselves with the wedding clothes God provides. The king invited everyone, even those who would not normally expect to receive such an invitation, and provided clothing for all who were invited. God provides robes of righteousness and garments of salvation for us to wear, but the invitation in itself is not enough. We have to actually put these garments on and wear faith if we are to be received into the celebration!
In order to live with the kind of joy which characterises such celebrations, we need to apply Paul’s teaching from Phil 4:4-9. We have to rejoice in the Lord always because we know He is near to us, no matter how we feel. We have to let go of anxiety and fear, asking God for the help we need, being thankful for His presence with us and allowing the peace of God to shine in our lives. Next, we have to set our minds on all that is good, pure and wholesome, concentrating on all that is positive in God. Finally, Paul urged the Philippians to put into practice all they had seen in him. Having good role models is essential; we have to fill our lives with good things and follow good examples in order to experience the fullness of life and joy which God promises.