[Jesus said] the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son…” Matthew 22:2 ESV
An Unbelievable Invitation
Imagine you are sitting at work during a very busy time when Federal Express delivers a package that requires your signature. You open it, and find this letter embossed with the royal seal of the United Kingdom. The letter reads:
Dear Sir/Madame:
The Royal Family would like to invite you and your entire family to a banquet we are holding at Buckingham Palace in honor of our son Charles, the next King. The event will begin on the evening of October 17th in the Year of Our Lord 2020. All you need to do to attend is to:
- Reserve your seat(s) using the enclosed RSVP card; and
- Take the enclosed invitation to the British Airways ticket counter at Bush Intercontinental Airport on Friday afternoon October 16th at 15:00 (that’s 3:00 pm to you Yanks).
There is no need to pack; everything you might possibly need will be provided for you. All you and your family need to do is to show up. In fact, you will not be allowed to bring any luggage with you on the plane.
Our staff at BA will provide you everything you need for your journey, including your first-class ticket(s), special UK passports and entrance visas to the UK, and all the clothing, shoes, hats and other materials that you will need for your entire journey. You’ll also be given £20,000 in cash per person in traveling money that you may use to purchase any small incidentals you might need along the way.
When your flight arrives in London, a limousine will take you to your sleeping accommodations at the Savoy hotel (https://www.thesavoylondon.com/) where you may freshen up and dress properly for the banquet. A horse-drawn carriage will be outside the Savoy take you to Buckingham Palace at 17:00 on Saturday evening.
By the way, we know that this is a busy time for you, so the Royal Family has sent a note to your employer formally requesting that they allow you time off for this banquet. You do not need to worry about your finances; the Royal Family will arrange to pay your mortgage payment or rent each month for the remainder of your life, and will settle any other debts that you have accumulated or may owe in the future.
Just don’t be late. And don’t forget to RSVP.
What would you do if you received such an invitation? Throw it away in disbelief because it sounds so over the top? Would you do a little research on previous Royal Invitations to determine how they’ve turned out? Or would you fill out the RSVP card without wasting a single moment?
This weekend at Trinity Downtown, we’ll be continue our sermon series “Parables: small stories, big ideas” by discussing a parable that Jesus told that might have elicited the same reaction(s) in His audience that you had in reading about a modern-day Royal invitation.
You can join us either in-person or online Saturday at 5:00 pm and Sunday at 9:00 am. Reservations are required to attend an in-person worship service; you can see the details at www.trinitydt.org. You may also make a reservation by calling Stefanie at 713.224.0684 from 8:30-2:30 each weekday. If you are not comfortable attending an in-person service, you can watch the “live stream” of our Satellite Service at 5:00 pm on Saturday, or our traditional service on Sunday at 9:00 am by clicking here. And, of course, you may also participate by watching either of these services “on demand” by clicking here.
Our guest soprano soloist at Sunday’s worship service will be our friend, Anna Diemer. Anna is a voice teacher and former Manager of the Houston Symphony Chorus. She is no stranger to Trinity as she has volunteered her vocal gifts to enhance our worship several other times this summer. You can read more about her at www.annadiemer.com. Anna will be singing “This Day” and “Irish Blessing” by Bob Chilcott.
During this worrying time, come be encouraged. Come feel the warmth and joy of His Holy Spirit and hear songs that will bring peace to your heart. Come ready to digest His words of truth and be filled with the surprising love of Jesus so you can share that love and peace with everyone!