Daily Readings - Thu Aug 23 2018
Ezekiel
23I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.24"'For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.26I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.27And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.28You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.
Matthew
1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:2"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.4"Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'5"But they paid no attention and went off--one to his field, another to his business.6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.8"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.9Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.'10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.11"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.12'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless.13"Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'14"For many are invited, but few are chosen."
Sermon
The readings today offer a powerful message about God’s invitation, transformation, and our response to His call. In the first reading from Ezekiel, we hear of God’s promise to restore His people. He vows to pour clean water over them, cleansing them from their sins and idols, and to give them a new heart and a new spirit. This is not merely a physical cleansing but a spiritual transformation, enabling them to live according to His will. Ezekiel’s prophecy speaks to a people in exile, separated from their homeland and their covenant with God. Yet, God’s mercy and faithfulness shine through, as He promises to gather them back and renew their relationship with Him.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the wedding feast, where a king invites guests to celebrate his son’s wedding. Despite the king’s generous invitation, the guests refuse to come, some even mistreating and killing the servants sent to call them. The king’s patience is met with ingratitude, leading to judgment. Yet, the feast is not canceled; instead, the king opens it to anyone who will come, both good and bad. However, when the king enters, he notices a guest without a wedding garment—a symbol of the spiritual preparation and reverence required to truly participate in the feast. This guest is cast out, reminding us that responding to God’s invitation requires more than just presence; it demands a willingness to be transformed and to live in accordance with His will.
Together, these readings remind us that God’s invitation to us is both gracious and urgent. Ezekiel emphasizes the transformative power of God’s Spirit, which cleanses and renews us. The Gospel, on the other hand, highlights the need for a proper response to this invitation—a response marked by repentance, gratitude, and a commitment to living as children of God. In our daily lives, we are called to accept God’s invitation with humility and openness, allowing His Spirit to transform us. Let us not take His mercy for granted, but rather, let us strive to live in a way that reflects our identity as His people, clothed in the garments of faith, love, and obedience.