The of The Bishop of
St Alban’s (Grand Cayman)
& St Mary’s (Cayman Brac)
Church & Office -
Tel B (345) 949 2757 : Fax B (345) 949 0619
www.churchofenglandcayman.com
rector@churchofenglandcayman.com
9 Oct 2011
Welcome to St Alban’s Anglican Church
Today's
Scripture:
Isaiah 25: 1-9
Philippians 4: 1-9 S. Matthew 22: 1–14
Today: 8.35 a.m. Matins; 9.00 a.m. Church
School; 9.30 a.m. Holy Eucharist; 6 p.m. EP.
This Week: Tues - Fri 12.30 p.m.
Prayers; Wed. 5.30 p.m. Church Council Meets.
Next Sunday: 8.35 a.m. Matins; 9.00a.m. Ch
School; 9.30 a.m. Holy Eucharist; 6.00 p.m. EP
FAITH IN FOCUS : RETURN TO SENDER 
To understand the
parable about the wedding invitations we have to look back to Jesus’ time and
then forward to our own day.
The parable,
about guests who turned down the invitation and about people off the street
being welcomed in their place, was an explosive and revolutionary piece of
preaching. It angered the chief priests and elders because it was clearly
intended to point out that if the Jews refused to believe in Jesus, then their
invitation to the kingdom of heaven would be sent elsewhere.
When we come to
our own day we can rush in and think that we know what it’s all about. Surely
we are the people called in off the street who are given that chance of
salvation which some of the Jews rejected? Maybe. But
don’t we run the same risk of being invited and failing to turn up for the
wedding ourselves? We could be the original guests! None of the invited guests
refused the invitation because they couldn’t be bothered. They each had a
plausible excuse: the farm needed tending, a pressing business appointment
clashed with the date, etc.
Our greatest
danger is not that we will send the invitation back marked “Return to Sender”,
but that we will never quite get round to answering it. And as the card stands
on our spiritual mantelpiece we will glance at it from time to time and keep
telling ourselves that we really must do something about it. Perhaps doing
something about it might be going to see that person we know is sick and would
love a visit, or curbing our sharp tongue, or stopping being slack at work, or
taking the family out for once, or saying those prayers we know we need to,
or... Whatever it is, we are unlikely to give God a flat refusal. We are more
likely to “mean” to get round to it.
And what about
that poor guest who was invited and then thrown out for not having the right
wedding clothes? The only garment we are required to put on for the wedding is
conversion. To turn up to the feast with no intention of changing our ways will
simply get us ejected. Conversion, yes, I “meant” to get round to that too.
WORD OF GOD
On this mountain
the Lord of hosts
will prepare for all peoples
a banquet of rich
food, a banquet of fine wines,
of food rich and
juicy, of fine strained wines.
(Isaiah 25:6)
WORD FOR TODAY
For people living
in a desert climate a banquet of fine wines and rich juicy food must have
seemed like heaven. As we partake of the Lord’s body and blood today at the Eucharist,
we pray to be found worthy to share that heavenly banquet promised to all who
follow Christ’s ways.
THIS
WEEK’S BIBLE
Mon: Ezekiel 1: 1-14, Mark 12: 28-34, Acts 19: 8-20
Tues: Ezek 1:15 – 2:2, Mrk 12: 35-end,
Ac 19: 21-end
Wed: Ezek 2:3 – 3:11, Mark 13: 1–13, Acts 20: 1–16
Thurs: Ezk 3: 12-end, Mrk 13: 14–23, Ac 20: 17-end
Fri: Ezek 8, Mark 13: 24-31, Acts 21: 1–16
Sat: Ezek 9, Mark 13: 32-end, Acts 21: 17–36
NEXT
SUNDAY : Isaiah 45: 1-7, 1 Thess 1: 1-10, S. Matthew 22: 15–22