Sermon - 10-15-23

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style= "font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> When I can read for fun, I enjoy reading mysteries. I remember reading the Happy Hollisters when I was in late elementary school. It was about a family who figured things out. When I go on vacation I have read a number of books by James Patterson and Tess Gerritson. I like to figure things out. Some of these stories leave you until the very end before everything falls into place.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style= "font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> Jesus likes to tell stories that leave us scratching our heads, such as the parable of the wedding banquet which is our Gospel lesson for today. Over the years we have often tried to equate God in some way with one of the characters. That doesn’t work this time. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style= "font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> When we try to compare God to the king, at first it seems to fit as the king was inviting everyone to the wedding banquet. The wedding banquet sometimes has been thought of as the final banquet where we all sit down with Christ. But people don’t seem to be interested in coming.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style= "font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> This celebration and how it went reflected on the king. Thus, when people started refusing to come, needless to say, the king was not happy. He sent his slaves or servants out to entice them with what he was offering at the banquet. They made light of it and some even took his slaves, mistreated them and even killed them.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style= "font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> Now the king was enraged. He then sent his troops