All this week this phrase from the end of the parable has been rolling around in my brain, “Many are invited, but few are chosen.” As we know from Pastor Carla’s message this Sunday, the whole parable uses a wedding analogy to explain the Kingdom of God. Personally, I love going to weddings. I love to get dressed up, to celebrate, not to mention the free food; what’s not to love? As I was reading through this parable, I was immediately struck with why don’t they WANT to go to the wedding. Don’t they know that the caterer is dope? Don’t they know that the take-home favour is priceless (spoiler alert, it’s eternal life)!? Who wouldn’t want that? Instead, they are too busy, going to their fields, going about their business. How often do we allow our lives and our plans to hijack God’s will?
How often are we too busy to listen for God’s voice and direction? We should JUMP at the chance to get an invitation to the wedding; we should be telling all our friends and family about it. We should be spreading the news to everyone who will listen; it’s the wedding of the season. We should be adding as many plus ones as possible because the parable says MANY ARE INVITED. It says that the Bridegroom notices a man without the wedding clothes and throws him out.
I loved Pastor Carla’s message this Sunday; it’s not just about accepting the invitation; you also take on the new identity in Christ. We can go to the wedding, but we’re not really attending if we don’t accept the wedding clothes. It’s not just enough to be at the wedding; are we allowing the truths of God to permeate our being? Are we allowing Christ to change us through His blood? My conviction this week is: am I allowing God to choose me? I’m at the wedding, but am I allowing God to radically change me and taking on HIS identity for me rather than what I want and what is comfortable. I want to be not just invited but chosen.
