A woman and her fiancé booked a meal for their wedding celebration in the Hyatt Hotel (see photo) in the city centre of Boston. However, after a few weeks the future husband called the wedding off. The woman could lose the deposit of $5200 or go ahead with the meal. She then decided to treat the street dwellers of Boston to a night they would never forget. And so it happened that in June 1990 the luxurious Hyatt Hotel hosted a party such as it had never seen before. Hyatt waiters in tuxedos served tramps, addicts, and women of the streets, who took one night off from the hard life outside on the sidewalks. They sipped champagne, ate chocolate wedding cake, and danced to big-band melodies late into the night (Boston Globe, June1990).
Once Jesus told a story to teach people about the kingdom of heaven: “Once there was a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son. He sent his servants to tell the invited guests to come to the feast, but they did not want to come… Then he called his servants and said to them, ‘My wedding feast is ready, but the people I invited did not deserve it. Now go to the main streets and invite to the feast as many people as you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, good and bad alike; and the wedding hall was filled with people” (Matt. 22:2 – 10)
In both cases the people were invited to a feast they did not in the least deserve. For the people in the Hyatt Hotel the feast was for only one night, in the kingdom of heaven the feast lasts for ever.
In this story Jesus tells us that everyone, good and bad alike, was invited to the feast. God’s grace is for everyone. We are invited to accept Jesus as our Saviour no matter who we are or what we have done. Everyone may choose to go or not. There is a beautiful Dutch song (freely translated): Listen, Jesus invites you, come to the feast. Come, everything is ready. A place has been prepared for the poor and the rich, get dressed in your wedding clothes now. Everyone who wants to, may come, right into the King’s hall. To you who are weak and tired, there is place at the wedding table. Listen, Jesus invites you, come to the feast, the light is beckoning you from afar. A place of honour is prepared for everyone cleansed by Jesus’ blood. Everyone who wants to, may come, right into the King’s hall. To you who are weak and tired, there is place at the wedding table. Listen, Jesus invites you, come to the feast. Come, poor sinner, don’t delay. The Father welcomes you. Come to a firm decision right now. Everyone who wants to, may come, …
God, I thank You that I am also invited to the feast in your kingdom. Amen.
