Morning Comes Early?

Family weddings are great! Times to get together with people you don’t see enough, to feast and dance, to marvel how the kids have grown and listen to the stories of the older ones. How lucky for the servants in Jesus’ story if the master who has just been at a family wedding comes home later than expected, and then he pulls up chairs for the servants at the table, sits them down, gives them a feast like he just had, one final toast to the couple, and tells them stories till dawn. It’s not a time they would want to miss!

In Jesus’ story, the master, the Christ figure in the story, comes home from all the festivities of the final wedding banquet. He sits down, not so much to let them know what they have missed, but more to tell us what we have to look forward to. Sounds like a celebration! First in line are the least of these, next the latecomers, finally those who have been waiting a long time. I am not good at staying awake for work late into the night anymore, but for a wedding dance, I think I’ll try.

God of love, remind us of your love and your feast, and teach us to dance as we wait. Amen. — VF