If you were invited to a special dinner thrown to honor a great person, lets say, a war hero or a philanthropist…the ceremony was free and was going to be lavish.  Would you go?  If you didn’t go, what sort of excuse would you consider valid?

Jesus is going to pose this sort of scenario in the portion of Luke we’ll be reading this Sunday. Luke 14:15-24

As you read the story and consider what it is that Jesus is responding to, what do you believe his main point is in this parable? As we think about the broader implications of Jesus’ story, we start to make some observations about the kingdom of God as Jesus presents it. If we understand the kingdom of God in eternity to be the marriage of heaven and earth and the restoration of all things…what does the imagery of a banquet mean to you? Does this conjure up images of dry ice fog, clouds and harps….or something else?

Who are the people who enjoy this party? Who are the people left out…and why?  What place do you see yourself in this story, and what response does it inspire in you (if any)?

We’ll unpack this as best we can on Sunday — see you then!