Living in the Spirit
Light a Candle for Children
October 12, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:1-14

 Then he said to his slaves. ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.—Matthew 22:8-10

One thing that I have noticed over the years is that people are just people. It does not matter where they are from, what color their skin is, or how high or low their IQ. We, indeed, were all made in the image of God. We forget that often. For some reason we have a need to measure ourselves by how much better or worse we are than another. I remember when I was seriously overweight, walking into rooms with other people, I would quickly establish that there was someone there who was heavier than I was. It made me feel better about myself for some reason.

If you read this scripture further, you will see that while all were invited, some did not come appropriately attired, didn’t have on the wedding robe, for the occasion and they were refuged tossed out actually. I do not know what the “wedding robe” was but apparently the people hearing this parable recognized it immediately. Now, I do not think Jesus was into high fashion so where was he going with this? Apparently being invited and showing up is not the whole story nor is the eating and dancing. In God’s kingdom we are expected to “wear” the garb of God. And what is the garb of God: to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves, to be the people God created us to be, to respect each other and all as fellow children of God?

A school teacher was fired recently for interceding when a bully was taunting another child about his race. I do not know all the details and I am sure there is more to the story than this but what kind of a nation have we become? What messages are we sending to our children? When are we going to show up in God’s Garb?

 Oklahoma Fact: Between 1 in 4 and 1 in 3 U.S. students say they have been bullied at school. Many fewer have been cyberbullied.*

Prayer: Lord, create on us clean hearts and right spirits so that we can live out our lives in ways that are acceptable to you. Amen.

*http://www.stopbullying.gov/news/media/facts/#listing

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995,

Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.