The year is 1961. The threat of nuclear war is rising. I can remember going through our kitchen junk drawer and finding a civil defense brochure describing what to do in case of a nuclear attack. Naively people were told what to do based on where they were. If in a car, you were to get up under the dashboard. All of the so-called tornado drills we had practiced in school were suddenly revealed to me for what they were. These were the times when we were marched into the hallways of the school and told to crouch down and put our heads on our knees. They weren't tornado drills….in New Jersey?? They were actually nuclear attack drills. The booklet was written seriously, as if any of these measures would be protection in the event of a direct nuclear attack. Into that milieu John Fitgerald Kennedy is elected as the 35th President of the United States. It was clear that the American people, and the world wanted him to solve their problems. They had high hopes that he would do so, and in many ways as President he lived up to their hopes. But he also challenged the world. In his inaugural address he told the those listening that the world lived on the brink of being able to save itself; but also on the brink of being able to destroy itself. In the best known lines of that speech he said: "And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country." He went on to challenge the world: "My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of (man). During a time when the temptation was for people to give in to complaining and despair, Kennedy offered, instead of a quick fix, an invitation to the American people and to the world to take responsibility for the world's problems.
The lectionary reading from Exodus this morning is about responsibility. Once again the Israelites find themselves in a difficult place. Moses had gone up the mountain to speak with God, but was gone a long time. His brother Aaron is the next best thing they've got, so they go to him and beg him to provide some gods for them that will be effective. Aaron is unable to give responsible leadership and caves in to the demands of the people. He gathers their gold, forms a calf, then throws a party. Bad news.
Jump thousands of years ahead to another party. This one described in one of the parables on the kingdom of heaven. Jesus tells this story on his last visit to the temple as he enjoins the Pharisees in their last confrontation. Up to the ending it is a comforting story for those of us who gather today. Jesus confronts the taboos f his day. The king is throwing a great wedding feast, and all the proper guests have been invited. The protocol of the time is that guests are invited and respond months in advance. As the time approaches messengers are sent to remind the guests of the party. Backing out would be seen as an insult…beating and killing the king's messengers as in this story is unthinkable. Surprisingly the king doesn't cancel the feast. He does the absurd. Everything has been prepared, there is still a party to be had. So he reissues his invitation to any one who would come. He sends his messengers out to bring people off the streets…the good and the bad. We like this part of the story because of the hospitality found. It is a good image for the church and our openness. We can give ourselves a pat on the back here.
But then the end of the story comes, and we're not so sure. "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."
In some form or another we have all had the following dream: You show up for work or school, or whatever…take off your coat only to find that you forgot to change out of your pajamas. Or you show up to class and find you forgot to do the assignment, or study for the test. It is our worry, or panic at not being prepared in life. I can imagine the improperly dressed wedding guest feeling the reality of those panicked dreams we sometimes have. And this is the part of the story we're not so comfortable with…how can the poor guy be thrown out. After all it was a last minute invitation, he didn't know he was going to a wedding feast that day. And maybe we're uncomfortable because we wonder if we could find ourselves in his place.
The improperly dressed guest begs the question: Will we be ready? This morning we celebrate the sacrament of baptism and welcome new members. As United Methodists our membership vows say that we will support the church with our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service. In other words, our church membership is not a kind of identification card we keep in our pockets to whip out in times of need and transition; or to use as some kind of "proof" we belong. Church membership is a lifestyle and brings responsibility with it. To be sure the invitation is made to all. Jesus expands the table all throughout the gospel stories to include the broken and the lost and the otherwise left out people. But once invited in, there is a response required. And what does that response look like? The Pharisees in Jesus' time would have liked it to be the careful following of every dot and tittle of the Law. They could point proudly to themselves in that regard. Perhaps we too would like to be judged by similar criteria. Right belief, right dress, proper behavior…only that's not what Jesus offers us.
Renowned Baptist minister, Tony Campolo, in preaching to a gather of United Methodists writes: "The only description Jesus gives of the judgment day is in terms of how we have responded to the poor and the needy. I wish it was otherwise because I'm an evangelical. I believe in the four spiritual laws. I believe in the Bible. I believe that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, and I know that I would have all the right answers if God would just ask the right questions: What was the proper form of baptism? Do you believe in the virgin birth? Do you believe in the second coming? Do you believe in the Apostles Creed? But these are not the questions that are asked. On that day we will be asked: I was hungry, did you feed me? I was naked; did you clothe me? I was sick, did you care for me? I was in prison, did you visit me? If you did it to the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me. And if you fail to do it to the least of my brothers and sisters, you failed to do it to me." I don't like that kind of criteria for judgment. I want it to be theological, but the Bible is quite clear. This commitment to the poor, this commitment to the hungry is at the very basis of what it means to be a Christian. If we are to be followers of Jesus, this is the evidence that we are filled with the Holy Spirit." (Christian Social Action Sept/Oct 2002)
The texts for today might not be the words of comfort we want to hear. Barbara Brown Taylor says in "Tales of Terror, Times of Wonder," that "the Bible offers us more than just consolation and encouragement. Its pages are filled with terror, violence, and the knowledge that we are ultimately in God's hands." What makes scripture terrifying is that it points to a Sovereign God who is radically different than us, whose mind we can't read, whose decisions we can't predict, and whose actions we can't control. As the people invited to God's party we can never simply rest in the fact of the invitation. We must also show up at the party ready to live out our invitation, bearing witness with our lives that we are fulfilling those responsibilities. Simply showing up is not enough! May you find yourself properly dress, and celebrating life in God's kingdom with your prayers, your presence, your gifts and your service!