Until all are invited

Like here in the United States, weddings in Brazil are big business. Jubilant couples gather family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances to join in their celebration. For our family here in the U.S., it seems that weddings and funerals are about the only events that bring people from near and far together. People rearrange their schedules, travel across states or even countries, they invest time and resources simply to be present for that special moment. The interesting thing about weddings, unlike funerals, is that in order to show up, you must first receive an invitation. That small detail carries a deep truth: invitations hold power. They remind us of the honor of being asked to join in what another person considers meaningful and important.

In Luke 14, Jesus tells the story of a wedding banquet. But this isn’t just a parable about party planning. It’s a story about the kingdom of God. Jesus describes a great feast where the honored guests, surprisingly, refuse to come. Excuses begin to pile up. People have land to inspect, oxen to test, and all sorts of commitments that seem more urgent than attending the banquet. So, the host does something radically unexpected: he throws the doors wide open and tells his servants to bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. What began as a carefully curated guest list of who’s who suddenly becomes an open invitation to those who never dreamed they would be included. The message is clear: God’s table is not reserved for the elite or the preoccupied, but for those humble enough to accept the invitation.

This parable doesn’t just challenge us to consider our place at the table; it presses us to think about whom we are inviting to join us there. Too often, we treat faith as something private, or we assume that if someone wants to know God, they will simply find their way on their own. But Jesus’ story reminds us that the servants were sent out with a mission: to invite, to gather, to bring others in. The kingdom grows not by keeping the guest list short and selective, but by extending the invitation wide—especially to those who would least expect it.

Perhaps our hesitancy to invite others to share in the life of faith is what keeps the table from being full. Yet the banquet is ready, the Host is generous, and the invitation is without question meant to be shared.

This might feel challenging. But the good news is that each of us is already invited to the feast, and there is always room for one more. Jesus has extended the invitation. The question for us is this: How can we, as servants of this most generous Host, extend that same invitation to others who might never expect to be welcomed?

The wedding feast in Luke 14 is more than a story. It is a vision of God’s kingdom: abundant, inclusive, joyful, and filled with unexpected guests. And each of us has a role—not only to take our seat at the table, but to make sure others know that they too are invited.