1st Michaelmas 2022, A Place for You

 

1^st Michaelmas

Matthew 22:1-14 

And Jesus continued to speak in parables to them: 

"The kingdom of the heavens [arising in human hearts]
is like a man, a king, who prepared a marriage feast for his son. And he sent out his servants to call the guests who had been invited to the marriage, but they would not come. 

"Then he again sent out other servants and said, 'Say to those who have been invited, 'Think, I have prepared my best for the banquet, the sacrificial oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered; everything is ready. Come quickly to the wedding.' 

"But they were not interested and went off, one going to his field to be his own master, another falling into the hectic pace of his own business. The rest, however, took hold of the servants, mistreated them, and killed them.

"Then the king grew angry; he sent out his army, brought the murderers to their destruction, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'Although the marriage feast is prepared, the invited guests have proved themselves unworthy. Go out, therefore, to the crossroads of destiny and invite to the wedding whoever you can find.' And the servants went into the streets and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 

"Then the king came in to see the guests, and among them, he noticed a man who was not dressed in the wedding garment [that was offered to him]. And he said to him, 'My friend, you are sharing the meal; how did you enter here not having a wedding garment?' 

"But the man was speechless. 

"Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him out into the darkness, where human beings wail and gnash their teeth. For the call goes out to many, yet only a few make themselves bearers of the higher life.' "

1^st Michaelmas

October 2, 2022

Matthew 22:1–14 

Burnand

We have probably at least once had a dream where
we showed up for an event and looked down at ourselves only to realize that we were not appropriately dressed. In the dream, we don’t know how we got that way. And we don’t know what to do — we are paralyzed. 

As human beings today, we find ourselves in a similar position. We find ourselves in horrifying situations and circumstances, not knowing how we got there or quite what to do about it. What we may not recognize is that, in fact, we are standing at the crossroads of destiny spoken of in the Gospel reading. We are all being called, invited to a wedding. Outer events have brought us to the place where the wedding is taking place. The Bridegroom is God’s Son. The Bride is the Soul of Humanity. 

Each of us is individually invited to be aware of the union of God and Humanity, to acknowledge and partake in the wedding. To begin with, we don’t have to “be good.” Whether we are good or bad seems to matter less than whether we are able at the right moment to hear the invitation, recognize its significance, and respond appropriately. We only have to respond by accepting the wedding garment offered to us and joining the process. 

One of the places, one of the portals to the wedding feast between the Divine and the Human is the Act of Consecration. An invitation goes out every time it is celebrated. To join in the celebration is to answer the invitation. And the appropriate dress, a wedding garment, is given to each of us at the beginning of the service. And what is the wedding garment? It is the reading of the Gospel. The Gospel reading itself is the festive garment in which to clothe our souls. 

The vestments the priest wears are an outer picture of what we all look like to the angels when we clothe our souls with the content of the Gospel, the good news from the realm of the angels. Each individual is asked to inwardly take it up, clothe themselves in it so that the wedding of God and Humanity can continue; so that the Son’s Father, the King, can come in and converse with us. Otherwise, we keep ourselves wailing and grinding our teeth in the outer darkness, when he would much rather nourish us with his comfort, strength, and purpose. For more than anything, he wants to call us friends, co-celebrants, as part of his kingdom. 

Having come, having clothed ourselves in the good news, having participated in the King’s service, we become the King’s people. We feel strengthened by our contact with Him and with his Son, by our conversation with them, by their words and deeds. And when it is time to leave the sacred hall when we have thanked them, we can say to them in the words of Rilke:* 

May both voices accompany me

when I am scattered again in city and fear.

They will serve me in the fury of our time

and help me to make a place for you

wherever you need to be.  

 

*Rilke’s Book of Hours—Love Poems to God, page 135.

www.thechristiancommunity.org

1st Michaelmas 2021, Clothed with Mercy

1^st Michaelmas

Matthew 22:1-14 

And Jesus continued to speak in parables to them: 

"The kingdom of the heavens [arising in human hearts] is like a man, a king, who prepared a marriage feast for his son. And he sent out his servants to call the guests who had been invited to the marriage, but they would not come. 

Botticelli

"Then he again sent out other servants and said, 'Say to those who have been invited, 'Think, I have prepared my best for the banquet, the sacrificial oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered; everything is ready. Come quickly to the wedding.' 

"But they were not interested and went off, one going to his field to be his own master, another falling into the hectic pace of his own business. The rest, however, took hold of the servants, mistreated them, and killed them. 

"Then the king grew angry; he sent out his army, brought the murderers to their destruction, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'Although the marriage feast is prepared, the invited guests have proved themselves unworthy. Go out, therefore, to the crossroads of destiny and invite to the wedding whoever you can find.' And the servants went into the streets and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 

"Then the king came in to see the guests, and among them, he noticed a man who was not dressed in the wedding garment [that was offered to him]. And he said to him, 'My friend, you are sharing the meal; how did you enter here not having a wedding garment?' 

"But the man was speechless. 

"Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him out into the darkness, where human beings wail and gnash their teeth. For the call goes out to many, yet only a few make themselves bearers of the higher life.' "

1^st Michaelmas

October 3, 2021

Matthew 22: 1-14 

Burning of cities, a good king casting out someone who can’t speak up—these elements of today’s gospel reading make us uncomfortable. What do these have to do with a divine King whom we would prefer to see as peaceable, merciful, inclusive? What is God like? 

This reading is, in fact, a picture of the relationship between God and present-day humanity. Something new and wonderful is to happen now. God has drawn near inviting us to a wedding, a celebration, a feast. The first call has gone out to a pre-selected group—those who perhaps could be expected to be close to him. But they have fallen prey to the dragons of indifference and extremes. The one wants to be his own master, set his own time, dictate how and when for himself. He refuses to respond. The second is overwhelmed by too many outer demands. He has no time to respond. And the rest are overtly hostile and destructive. Ultimately they receive back what they have sown as their own destruction. 

So now the wedding hall of the heavens is filled with guests of all types. Humankind of today, everyone, regardless of their moral state or apparent unworthiness, has been drawn into the hall of heaven. 

As was customary in those days, a king would not expect all such invited guests to possess the garments appropriate for such an event. His mercy and consideration are shown in that he provides a wedding garment for all who enter. Their mere willingness to accept and wear this mercy is all that is needed to feast in fellowship with the king. 

Who was this man who refused to wear the offered garment?  Someone who had come in through an improper entrance?  Someone who thought he ought to be acceptable just as he was? In modern terms, this would perhaps be like a wedding guest who climbs over the fence into a wedding reception in shorts. 

In this case, the man not only lacks the humility and gratitude to accept the king’s gift. He lacks that which makes us truly human—ego presence, human speech. He makes no apology, no offer to go out and come in the right way. He just sits there.  There is no interaction because he offers nothing of himself. That he is being cast out is merely the natural consequence of his own state. He lacks the strength of self to participate in a festival of the higher life. He cannot operate in that realm. So he must still spend his time in the ordinary world, limited in where he can go and what he can do, still subject to the soul’s tendency to swing between the extremes of high wailing hysteria and grinding anger.

Arild Rosenkrantz

 

Michael, whose name means “Who is like God,” helps humanity overcome the animal dragons of wailing and anger, stubbornness, and the egotistical dragon of total self-determination. He helps us rise above the dragon of haste that overwhelms and devours the self. Michael extends his sword of gleaming star iron in threat against our lower, egotistical nature. But for moments, he softens his glance, and he beckons. “Follow me,” he says. “I will lead you to the wedding feast in the kingdom of the heavens. I will lead you to your true king.” When we follow, in high earnest and courageous humility, we will be gifted with mercy.