God’s radically inclusive banquet. All are invited.

We must be cautious of our intentions, and our

responses. Any excuses made are excuses in vain.

S – Canberra banquet

It’s 6:30am, and the temperature is in the single digits. I’m sitting on a

picnic blanket on the lawns of Parliament House. To the left of me are

two sisters and a friend who have travelled there from Adelaide. Next

to them, a native Hawaiian who now lives in Sydney. Someone from

Canberra. A couple from Newcastle. Behind me is a man recently

arrived from Syria. And on the other side of the group, another man

who originates from the Congo but arrived only last week into Australia

from a refugee camp in Burundi. Prior to today, I had only met these

people the night before as we watched the budget and shared in

prayer and worship. Yet today, these people, from varied backgrounds

and faith traditions, today we are family. We meet together to learn

from scripture, and to be a voice for the unheard.

Over to our right, the news crews stand in readiness, ready to

interview a range of politicians as they discuss this latest budget. And

in front of us, a banquet table, jam packed full of goodies to illustrate

how the blessings of our abundance means that we have plenty to

share with all who need it.

This is why I was in Canberra this week. Flowing out of our recent focus

on Self Denial to provide for mission and development overseas, I

joined in with an event organised by Micah Australia. We met to be a

voice for the voiceless, the world’s poor. Whenever a government

needs to save money, world aid and development is always the first to

go – because the people it benefits the most don’t have a vote.

Similarly, foreign aid doesn’t always give a tangible benefit back to

Australia.

P – we aren’t generous

As humans, we aren’t naturally generous people. One of the common

objections to foreign aid is that we have the poor amongst us, we have

people here in our own communities that are struggling to put food on

the table. Why should we care about those in other countries?

And that is a very valid point. Yet, we didn’t see anything that would

support our own poor in the budget. And even when a discussion is
held around these issues, such as raising the Newstart allowance, you

get terms such as “dole bludgers” thrown about, and questions as to

why we should be giving them a handout.

Yes, we aren’t naturally generous. And we generally don’t want to do

something unless we expect to get something in return.

And this is where Jesus starts from in our reading today. He is dealing

with a people who are living in a society where you don’t do something

unless you know they can return the favour. So when a family would

throw a banquet, they would only invite those who they knew would

invite them back.

Now, putting on a banquet isn’t exactly a cheap affair. You’re spending

a lot of money for just one meal, and you don’t want to be seen

scrimping and saving, and cutting corners on this highly social

Occasion.you wouldn’t invite the poor, because you knew they

wouldn’t be able to hold a banquet of their own, so you wouldn’t get

repaid.

But Jesus says not to do this. Jesus says that when you give a banquet,

give the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. These are the types
of people that would generally have been ostracised in society. They

were thought to have been in situations born out of sin in their lives,

and therefore the sin needed to be removed from society in order for

normal worship to continue. So these people would be pushed to the

fringes, excluded from normal life and not treated well.

In choosing to invite these to the banquet, you break out of the system

where you give in order to get. Where you invite someone in order to

be invited yourself. Where you give a gift in order to be given a gift.

Jesus says that we need to break out of this system that – either

actively or passively – excludes people.

O – Jesus shows us how to be generous

However, Jesus shows us how to be generous. He tells us to invite the

excluded. To set a place at the table for them, without expecting

anything in return.

The reality for us is that we have been abundantly blessed. And we

need to be generous to those that are in need, and those that have

been excluded. That means giving generously for our self denial appeal,
and we thank you for your generosity through this year’s appeal. It

means giving generously through our Red Shield Appeal and supporting

those in our own communities. It means advocating to our elected

representatives to encourage them to better care for those in need

both overseas and in Australia. But it also means looking at our own

lives and seeing how we can be generous to those that are around us.

R – we invite many to the table, and allow their lives to be changed

As I reflect on the morning, it’s interesting to note the progression that

we had, in terms of the photo opportunities. When Bill Shorten came

over, there were just the few chosen to sit at the table – a wonderful

eclectic selection of people from wide and varied backgrounds. But as

the day went on, we added more and more people into the photos,

until eventually everyone who was there was involved in the photo.

And it may have been unconscious at the time. But it goes to show a

general concept that we should always display – that it’s always better

to set another place at the table, than to turn someone away. That it’s
better to make a bigger table, than turn someone away. And this is

what Christ is showing in this second parable.

There is someone giving a great banquet, and invites many. But they all

come up with poor excuses. For example, who would buy some land

without inspecting it first? Who would buy oxen without having tested

them out first?

So the master, angry at having been insulted, tells his servants to go

and bring in those people who were normally excluded – the poor, the

crippled, the blind and the lame. And he brings them in and there’s still

room. And more and more are brought in, because it is better to have

people come, and for them to be transformed by the radical inclusivity

that is found in God’s kingdom.

Because that is the setting of this parable. A dinner guest – having seen

the healing of a man with dropsy, having heard the teaching of Jesus

that it was better to care for the poor than to look after your own

reputation – this guest says “Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in

the kingdom of God!”

The invitation to God’s kingdom is extended to everyone. It is an open

invitation – we are always willing to set up a new table or a new setting

because we want to see you here. We aren’t instructed to set up any

conditions for their entry, only to invite them and let them in. Once

they come, the radical inclusivity and generosity of Jesus will start to

work in their lives and transform their lives.

T – go out into the streets and lanes, and compel people to come in

So where are you today? Are you someone who has been feeling

excluded – either from church, or from society. Are you someone who

has made poor excuses, or has not yet accepted that invitation to come

to the banquet? The invitation is open, come and be part of the

banquet.

Or maybe, you are the servant. You have been serving the master, and

you have been going out and inviting some people. Is God challenging

you on who you invite? Is God telling you to “Go out into the roads and

lanes, and compel people to come in so that my house may be filled”

As you reflect on that, we’re going to sing this wonderful hymn that

speaks of this call for us to go and proclaim God’s wonderous love on

the highways and the byways. If you’ve never accepted this invitation

to be part of God’s kingdom, then I invite you to come, take your place

at the table and be transformed by God’s radical inclusive love. If

you’re in need of prayer, then come and pray and see how God wants

to use you. If you need strength and encouragement as you head out

to the highways and byways and try to compel people to come in, then

come forward for prayer.

For God’s mission, make us holy, for God’s glory, make us thine.

Sanctify each moment fully, fill my life with love divine.