October 15, 2023

Today's Reading: Matthew 22:1-14

Daily Lectionary: Malachi 3:6-4:6, Matthew 4:12-25

The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  (Matthew 22:3)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When you sit down to eat with your family either at home or at a restaurant, you generally eat with the people you know and love.  It would be rather odd to have some stranger sit down and start eating your food.  They haven’t been invited, they aren’t part of the family, get lost, you don’t belong at our table.  Jesus speaks of the King’s wedding feast today.  The table is set.   Who deserves to be at the table?  No one!  Not one single person born of Adam deserves a seat at the feast of our Lord!  We only deserve present and eternal punishment.  That’s it.  We deserve nothing from our God and Lord, which is why we cry out in repentant faith, “Lord, have mercy!  Christ, have mercy!  Not for my sake, but for the sake of the bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.  Forgive me all my sins.” And you know what?  He does exactly that!  In fact, He doesn’t just show us mercy.  He bestows on us His grace.  (Remember: Mercy is not getting what you deserve, and grace is getting what you don’t deserve.)

Look to the font, the pulpit, and the altar.  This is the feast of victory—His victory!  You don’t have to wait to get home to heaven to start feasting.  I realize it will be inconceivably better in heaven, but the Divine Service is where the King has set up His now!  He continues to send His faithful servant, Jesus Christ, to feed us and nourish us with His grace, His mercy, His love, His peace.  Consider the gifts of life, grace, mercy, and peace given to you by God Himself in the waters of Holy Baptism.  Consider how your Lord feeds and nourishes you each and every Sunday, at this earthly side of the Master’s heavenly feast table.  Each Sunday our Lord is bringing heaven to earth, to a bunch of sinful beggars and lowlifes like us!  Consider the very words you hear, spoken directly to you precisely so that you can hear and trust, words spoken in the stead and by the command of the Master Himself.  “You are forgiven.  For the sake of Christ’s bitter suffering and death, you are forgiven.  Depart in peace.” Recognized through the eyes and ears of faith, how could you want anything else?  How could you even want to be anywhere else?  Hold fast to this blessed, Christ-centered Truth.  Fear not.  Be at peace.  Your sins are forgiven in Christ and because of Christ, have a seat at the Feast of Victory!I n the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, You invite us to trust in You for our salvation. Deal with us not in the severity of Your judgment but by the greatness of Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

- Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR..

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.