Living in the Spirit
October 15, 2017

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.

 ‘But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’ –Matthew 22:8-14

Yesterday we dealt with not accepting God’s invitation. Today, we see the other side of the story—accepting the invitation but not the responsibility that goes with it.  The commitment to God is all or nothing. A sports team fully committed to winning with each player doing his or her part can often beat a team with better players who rely on their native talents.

Christ called his followers to be his Body from the time of his Ascension to today. Our primary tasks are first to love God and love one another as we go into all the world spreading that love and doing justice until the whole world in one in God’s love. While this is a full-time job, carrying out these tasks are best accomplished and most successful when we weave them through our everyday experiences of work and play, being a family, and being a community.

Prayer: Lord, walk with us each step of the way so that being the Body of Christ is second nature in everything we do. Amen.

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.