Preparation for Worship
While worshipping at home, set aside a time each week for worship and designate a place. Light two candles to begin worship: one to represent Christ’s humanity and the other to represent Christ’s divinity. If you would like to celebrate communion have something to eat and drink for everyone. The type of food and drink does not matter for they are merely symbols which help us celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Amid the peaceful setting of Psalm 23, Matthew 22:1–14 is jarring. The passage comes across as if people who do not dress right are the ones whom God punishes. But remember, this is a parable, and parables speak in symbol and irony. What might the clothing signify? Perhaps, our spiritual preparedness for what God provides; or maybe justice and equality; or perhaps community. Then we have to ask, when are we so busy or fearful or distracted that we forget to clothe ourselves in the values of God?
May the following serve as a guide in your worship of God.
The Worship of God
Lighting Two Candles
We begin worship by lighting candles to remind ourselves that the One whom we worship, Jesus, is the light of the world. We light two candles to remind us that Jesus is God and lived alongside us as a human being.
Passing the Peace
Say to one another, “May the peace of Christ be with you.”
And reply, “And, also with you.”
Invitation to Worship
Do you remember who first invited you to worship?
We come in praise for those who brought us here.
Do you remember the first community of faithful ones you joined?
A nursery class who welcomed you with care and open arms?
A youth group who accompanied you with energy and open minds?
A congregation, large or small, rural or urban, quiet folk or rowdy ones?
We come in praise for those who meet and receive us here.
Do you remember the God you have come to worship?
The One who delivered Israel from Egypt;
the Maker of earth and sky;
the Ground of all being.
We come to worship God in remembrance that leads to hope.
Opening Prayer
Great God, the beauty of creation reminds us of the beauty of your way. Your teachings bind us together as pilgrims, on a common path towards abundant life for all. Your laws are sweeter than honey in a honeycomb. Guide us towards your path, God, and lead us away from dangerous roads, so our words, and the meditations of our hearts may always be acceptable to you, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Hymn of Praise
When, in Our Music, God is Glorified
Tune: ENGELBERG (Stanford)
Author: Fred Pratt Green
1. When in our music God is glorified,
and adoration leaves no room for pride,
it is as though the whole creation cried,
Hallelujah!
2. How often, making music, we have found
a new dimension in the world of sound,
as worship moved us to a more profound
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
3. So has the church, in liturgy and song,
in faith and love, through centuries of wrong,
borne witness to the truth in every tongue:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
4. And did not Jesus sing a Psalm that night
when utmost evil strove against the Light?
Then let us sing, for whom he won the fight:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
5. Let every instrument be tuned for praise!
Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise!
And may God give us faith to sing always:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Psalm Reading
Psalm 23 / Common English Bible
The Lord is my shepherd.
I lack nothing.
He lets me rest in grassy meadows;
he leads me to restful waters;
he keeps me alive.
He guides me in proper paths
for the sake of his good name.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff—
they protect me.
You set a table for me
right in front of my enemies.
You bathe my head in oil;
my cup is so full it spills over!
Yes, goodness and faithful love
will pursue me all the days of my life,
and I will live in the Lord’s house
as long as I live.
Prayer for Others
Pause after each paragraph to give voice to prayers as prompted.
[Additionally, if you would like our church family to pray for someone or something in particular, email the request to tonya@cullowheebaptist.com or call the church office at 293-9024.]
Let us pray:
Merciful God, who shelters us and guides us,
we give you thanks for….
God who comforts,
receive those who are fearful and lonely….
God whose love is steadfast,
be refuge for the ill, the dying, and those who care about them.…
God of righteousness,
we ask for your wisdom and ways of justice to prevail in our community, this nation, your world….
God who seeks our trust,
grow us and guide us in your ways that are life-giving in your world.
Amen.
Choral Anthem
The Lord’s My Shepherd
Tune: Brother James’ Air
Author: Roger Price
The Lord is my Shepherd,
I’ll not want.
He makes me down to lie
in pastures of green; He leadeth me
the quiet waters by.
My soul He doth restore again,
and in His love abide.
Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale,
yet will I fear no ill;
For Thou art with me; and Thy rod
and staff my comfort still.
My table Thou hast furnished,
my cup Thou overfills.
Goodness and mercy, all my life
shall surely follow me;
And in God’s house forevermore
my dwelling place shall be.
And in God’s house forevermore
my dwelling place shall be.
Celebrating Communion
Communion celebrates our unity–our unity with God and with one another. At Cullowhee Baptist Church we practice an open communion which means anyone seeking to live the Way of Jesus Christ is invited to share in communion with us. Although we are not able to meet together, our bond still remains with one another and God through Jesus Christ.
Imagine Jesus setting a table for us, a place where we may come together and share a meal. Before we “come to the table,” let us set our hearts aright and seek the Lord’s forgiveness for our shortcomings.
Prayer for Forgiveness
We would never refuse an invitation to feast at Christ’s table, would we?
What could possibly be more important?
- Mom and dad, don’t forget my soccer game –I know it’s Sunday, but you promised you’d come and watch.
- My best friend is coming over today with a new video game. –I know it’s Sunday, but the game is new.
- I have to go shopping today. –I know it’s Sunday, but I’ve been too busy all week and I need a new outfit for the wedding.
- I’ve had to bring some work home this weekend. –I know it’s Sunday, but I’ve got to get work done.
- The weather is finally better. No more rain. –I know it’s Sunday, but the garden is so important and the weather is perfect for planting!
Jesus criticized those who said “Yes” to him with their lips but denied him with their deeds.
Forgive us, O God,
when we use feeble excuses
to evade following in Christ’s footsteps.
The invitation to us is an invitation of grace – those who eventually sat down at the banquet could never have expected such an invitation.
Forgive us, O God,
when we trivialize the gracious invitation to share your life in Christ –
when we expect you to be there for us –
but fail to respond to your call on our lives.
Help us to empty ourselves
of all that hinders a ready response to the call to follow Jesus,
even when that means putting our personal agendas on hold.
Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
2 Corinthians 5:17-18a, Common English Bible
If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, to whom we have been reconciled through Christ.
Invitation to Communion
The table has been prepared as Jesus requested,
and we have been invited to the meal.
Come to the heart of Christ, where all are one:
which alone expects nothing in return;
Through the boundless hospitality of the Spirit.
In this communion, find healing, rest, and release;
In one another, find love for body, mind, and spirit;
Come to the table of God and be at peace.
Share the Meal
Share what you have to eat and before eating, have someone say, “This food represents the body of Christ. As we eat, we remember Jesus.”
Share what you have to drink and before drinking, have someone say, “This drink represents the covenant Christ made with us that our sins will be forgiven. As we drink, we remember Jesus.”
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Dear God, thank you for your abounding compassionate love. Thank you for guiding and leading us through these difficult times. Thank you for always being with us. Amen.
Song of Faith
Amazing Grace
Tune: NEW BRITAIN (from the Virginia Harmony, 1831)
Author: John Newton
‘Mazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wrench like me.
I once was lost, but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I see.
The Gospel Lesson
Matthew 22:1-14, Common English Bible
Dr. Jeffrey Vickery
Jesus responded by speaking again in parables: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding party for his son. He sent his servants to call those invited to the wedding party. But they didn’t want to come. Again he sent other servants and said to them, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look, the meal is all prepared. I’ve butchered the oxen and the fattened cattle. Now everything’s ready. Come to the wedding party!”’ But they paid no attention and went away—some to their fields, others to their businesses. The rest of them grabbed his servants, abused them, and killed them.
“The king was angry. He sent his soldiers to destroy those murderers and set their city on fire. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding party is prepared, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. Therefore, go to the roads on the edge of town and invite everyone you find to the wedding party.’
“Then those servants went to the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding party was full of guests. Now when the king came in and saw the guests, he spotted a man who wasn’t wearing wedding clothes. He said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he was speechless. Then the king said to his servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet and throw him out into the farthest darkness. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.’
“Many people are invited, but few people are chosen.”
It’s ironic that this sermon text is today’s gospel reading because our family has spent a good bit of time this week planning a wedding feast for Ally and AJ. Nevertheless I refuse to read too much into the parallel circumstances. The wedding plans we’re making are real and not a part of the symbolic meaning of Jesus’ parable. But I do understand the context in which Jesus frames his story. Invitations, guests, meal plans, appropriate wedding clothes – it’s a big part of our family’s life right now.
So it’s not hard to put the plot of the story into order. The prince is getting married and the day has come and the king sends for the guests. Yet the guests are uninterested, or maybe self-interested, and simply find something else to do. They display by their choices that the wedding is unimportant to them personally. Then, just for sport it seems, some of the presumptive guests abuse and kill the king’s servants. It’s no wonder that the king is angry and protests against them in their cities. The banquet is ready, however, and the wedding list changes and the feast of the king has now become a place for people from the streets, or better anyone willing to come. As the king surveys the feasting crowd, he spies out a man who is not wearing a wedding robe and asks him some hard questions. Where is his robe? How did he get here without one? The man didn’t know what to say but the king knew what to do. The man was bound and tossed out of the banquet. Jesus ends the parable with the part we’re supposed to remember the most: “Many people are invited, but few people are chosen.”
This story is both a mirror and a flashlight. As a mirror, we find ourselves in the story and examine what we see in our own reflection. Which guest list are we on? How did we come to the party? Are we properly dressed? As a flashlight, we see around us with honesty and wisdom. Look at how many others are here! Consider what that one is doing and saying? The point of both the mirror and the flashlight is to consider our lives of faith in regard to Jesus’ conclusion: “many people are invited but few people are chosen.”
Let’s think a little more about the parable and its teaching.
I am under the impression that nearly every one of us are on the king’s first invitation list. That is, my name is on the Baptist-since-birth list of wedding guests. I’m part of the royal family since my parents were Christian. By the numbers, a majority of the American population (69%) claims to be Christian, and our culture presumes Christianity as normative. In this regard, social pressures often compel people to claim Christianity for their faith. It is also true that some of us come to Christianity to help ourselves, or to fit someone’s expectation, or to calm our fears of death. When people are on the guest list but don’t bother showing up to the feast, it is often the case that they find the name “Christian” quite comfortable but give priority to some other “feast.”
Statistically in the United States we know that only 36% of Americans attend religious worship regularly. That’s not a very impressive finding. This means that the number of Christians in the US that are members of a church but don’t attend regularly is larger than the number of members who do attend. (Yes, these are pre-COVID numbers.) In the parable, maybe the guests who were on the first list and didn’t bother to come to the wedding were not being disrespectful but rather were self-absorbed. They did not really care about the king or the son. These guests had better things to do. Important tasks demanded their attention. They are friends or family of the prince but they would rather help themselves then celebrate someone else. To the extent that this is true of me then I’m left hearing Jesus’ conclusion and wondering if I’m one of the invited many but not one of the chosen few. It’s my desires and choices and priorities that will let me know if I’m invited but not participating.
The second entry point to this parable involves the man without the proper wedding robe. In the parable, he is part of the “all y’all come” invitation. When the first guests refuse to participate and the feast for the few turns into a banquet for the bunches, the inclusion and welcome of all people takes center stage. Anyone can become a Christian. God’s feast is open to all. No one can say that God does not want them, or that they are not deserving to be at God’s party. I love this part of the parable. And I celebrate that Cullowhee Baptist Church exemplifies this openness willingly and fully.
Inclusion and embrace is not, however, the last point Jesus makes in the parable. For the king does not overlook the actions of the man improperly dressed. Instead the king dismisses him forcefully from the feast. It sounds harsh, but remember, this parable is symbolic and not literal. God does not bind people by hands and feet and throw them out. And of course this parable isn’t really about wearing nice clothes to church, or dressing the proper way. That image, too, is symbolic. It’s a metaphor for the manner in which we practice our faith. I remember as a youth memorizing Colossians 3:12 as part of the Disciple Youth classes. It reads in part, “as God’s chosen people, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Even if I am part of the second invitation to the party, I’m still required to act proper. Christians who do not display any Christian virtue in the way they live are as willfully disobedient to God as those who are invited but just don’t care enough to come. It matters what we say and do when we are dancing at God’s party. If I’m at God’s house I should reflect God’s ways. God is too honest to let the unrighteous offer a public display of sin while at God’s wedding feast. Yes, wearing the wrong wedding clothes in this parable symbolizes tolerating or even celebrating sin in my life. The proper attire for the wedding feast is living the Way of Jesus. Maybe Jesus wanted to call to mind other places in the Bible where living righteously was metaphorically like wearing clothes. For example, Job said to his friends, “I put on justice, and it clothed me; righteousness as my coat and turban” (Job 23:14). And Isaiah celebrates that “God has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me with a robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10).
I read the parable like this: do you want to know what makes God mad enough to spit? Say you are a Christian and act like it didn’t change you at all. Go to church and act as though the teachings of Jesus do not apply. Say you love God but act like you can’t stand anyone else. Expect everyone else to be generous but believe your own excuses that you don’t have enough to share. Ask for prayer because you pulled a muscle cutting the grass but complain about how the global pandemic is no big deal and thus dismiss the death of 214,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19 related illnesses. Wear a hat that says “John 3:16” with a t-shirt showing an assault rifle and the flag that says “God, Guns, Beer, Bacon, America.” (Yes, that t-shirt is for sale online!). These will cause the king to call you to account and promptly escort you out of the building. Or to make Jesus’ point, these choices and actions and directions in life help determine if I am among the many who were called but not the few who were chosen.
In plain language, don’t claim to be a Christian and act in ways that are unlike Jesus. No one is expected to be a great Christian when we first profess our faith. But everyone is obligated to try to be like Jesus more and more every day. By saying we are Christian, we represent God in this world. And when we misrepresent God’s love as hate, we are no longer welcome to take the name “Christian.” Sure, everyone is invited to faith. Yes, anyone can become a Christian. No, we don’t give up hope that anyone from our best friend to our enemy will turn to follow Jesus if they are not already doing so. While God has no restrictions on who can have faith, God’s demands for obedience to the Gospel will not be diluted.
Welcome to God’s feast dear sister and brother. God has laid the table with rich food and refined wine. Together we are deserving guests at God’s celebration of life and love and salvation. And by our faithfulness to the Gospel, we will be counted in the company of those who are chosen.
Questions for Reflection
What are the temptations that sometimes compete with our faith?
What is the damage done when Christians publicly do and say things that are inconsistent with the Gospel?
What does the phrase “many are invited but few are chosen” mean to you?
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Thank you, God for constant love. Please help our church family grow deeper and deeper in your love. Amen.
Song of Faith
The Kingdom of God is Justice and Joy
Author: Byrn A. Rees
Tune: LYONS (Robert Grant) [Think, O Worship the King.]
1 The kingdom of God is justice and joy;
For Jesus restores what sin would destroy.
God’s power and glory in Jesus we know;
And here and hereafter the kingdom shall grow.
2 The kingdom of God is mercy and grace;
The captives are freed, the sinners find place,
The outcast are welcomed God’s banquet to share;
And hope is awakened in place of despair.
3 The kingdom of God is challenge and choice:
Believe the good news, repent and rejoice!
God’s love for us sinners brought Christ to his cross:
Our crisis of judgement for gain or for loss.
4 God’s kingdom is come, the gift and the goal;
In Jesus begun, in heaven made whole.
The heirs of the kingdom shall answer his call;
And all things cry ‘Glory!’ to God all in all.
Sending Out
May the blessing and peace of God uphold you,
May the compassion and love of Christ enfold you,
and may the vitality and power of the Holy Spirit embolden you,
today and always.
Amen.
Closing Song
Blest Be the Tie
Tune: DENNIS (Nageli)
Author: John Fawcett
Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.
The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. Amen.
Acknowledgements: The Invitation and Opening Prayer come from Seasons of the Spirit™ SeasonsFUSION Season of Creation • Pentecost 2 2020. Copyright © Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2019. The Prayer for Forgiveness and Invitation to Communion were written by Moira Laidlaw. The anthem was sung by Mindy, Tonya, Kendall, Ally, and Elizabeth. Tonya played the piano and Mindy sang the hymns. Aidan played the piano for Amazing Grace. Permission to podcast / stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with license #A-724755. All rights reserved. All writings have been used by permission from the posting sites or authors.
Leave a Reply