The Second Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Anderson sermon
St. Luke 14:16-24 “The Taste of the Banquet”
June 14, 2026 | Christ Lutheran Church
In Nomine Iesu
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Lord God, heavenly Father, we give thanks to You, that through Your holy Word You have called us to Your great supper, and we beseech You: Enliven our hearts by Your Holy Spirit, that we may not hear Your Word without fruit, but that we may prepare ourselves rightly for Your kingdom, and not allow ourselves to be hindered by any worldly care; through Your beloved Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, by Veit Dietrich, p. 158)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Rom. 1:7, etc.)
The sermon text for today is taken from the 14th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke. We read selected verses in Jesus’ name:
“So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’
“And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’
“And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”
These are Your words, heavenly Father. Sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is truth. Amen. (Joh. 17:17)
In Christ Jesus, who prepares all things for us, from this life, and the new life we have in His name, dear fellow redeemed:
When we get together at the dinner table, what is the overall emotion? We know that there are dinner gatherings that don’t go as expected, but when we sit at the table and break bread with those we love, we see that love at the table. It is a joyous time. We have cordial conversations, there is usually a lot of laughing, and of course, the food is always excellent. It doesn’t matter if it is just a small gathering with snacks or a banquet of grand proportions, we are always happy with the food. It feels great to be full after our stomachs are grumbling with hunger. When it comes to the heavenly banquet the Master is putting on, you don’t have to wonder what that joyous taste will be like. This banquet is joyous because of what it means with its very existence. It means the Savior of the world has indeed saved the world. And it is right here for you. It is for you to taste, for you to be filled, and for you to have to have joy forever because it is ready.
This great news reveals how much God feeds you. In this parable Jesus teaches how God gives divine glory and blessing. He provides this heavenly meal and with the invitation He reveals all of the physical blessings we have because of Him. He provides us with food and drink, property and home, spouse, children, land, cattle, and all we need for this body and life. With these blessings that can be great and small, the Lord then lets us know that feeding us with this spiritual and physical nourishment isn’t the only part. He is doing this because He is with us and we will be with Him in a great fellowship. We come together and are thankful for what we have along with finding joy in the banquet invitation. And this invitation is for all. “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’” Diving into the language of this verse and we see it describing the continuous preparation of the feast and the feast is ongoing. In planning, He has had the people on His mind so with the banquet ready, the call is urgent.
Witnessing all of the work the Master has put in and how much He wants us there, it should be easy to get the official invite to this great banquet and we should want to go and attend it. “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ “And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ “And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ When we dive into Scripture, for certain situations, these are valid excuses. And while they work in the situation that warrants the excuse, the excuses don’t apply here. What these people did doesn’t even fit in our culture. If you are planning a grand banquet and people have sent in their RSVP, you expect them to be there. It is insulting to accept the invitation and then miss the banquet. They would rather enjoy the meal of what they currently have and see in front of them than a taste of what is on the horizon, a taste of the greatness they have been invited to.
This demonstration of putting the material items first, is only half of the response that is given to the gracious invitation. For there are many who don’t want the invitation that they have been given and they are angry that anyone would even imagine holding onto the invitation. In a letter, St. John reveals what the masses are thinking about such a stance. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death (1 John 3:13-14). This invitation is going out with perfect love. A love that gives life. And it is the only way to keep and have life. For St. John is describing our origin. An origin that starts off with all of us dead to our sins. And our first love must be directed toward one person and one person only. In God’s commands, loving Him comes first. And if our love is found in other obligations, then our life fades into the opposite of life which is death. To try and stay focused and to look toward the banquet, we want to focus on this taste as the devil is trying to tempt us away. He will tempt with the cares and concerns of this world. Like the original temptation he will throw out things that look pleasing to the eyes and mouth.
And like that first tasty temptation, some of the temptations don’t look that harmful. For they might just look like the people from the parable who have a field, oxen, and a new marriage. Are these inherently wrong? No. They are wrong if they take the place of what is meant to completely nourish us and that is the great banquet. While there are times we don’t want to be given the invite, or we do and have a change in heart again, ignoring the messengers invite will only have us get closer toward the world. And in the world, we see just how far we can fall. As God gets angry with our rejection, He goes on to see even our thoughts and use them for judgment. John writes the warning from Jesus, Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him (1 John 3:15). The taste of the materials first in this life isn’t life, it is only death.
Again, we aren’t throwing our possessions away. This parable reveals the belongings we have can be used to distract us from what is happening. The banquet is being prepared and is ready. And while we can become distracted, the love of God’s grace will fulfill His plan to seek and save the lost. He calls His people back. His invitation overcomes people’s rejections. He is persistent, as He hasn’t stopped sending out messengers with invitations. An invitation that wants us to have faith is that He emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:7). This was the ultimate love of taking the place of sinful man and committing no sin. And as He could have had anything He wanted, instead He chose to forgo possessions with His focus being on His Father’s mission and love. While you remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12), Christ came down to give you hope. He fulfills Old Testament passages about providing for you. For on this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined (Isaiah 25:6).
A perfect feast that is not deserved for anyone to eat but it is prepared with excitement as the One who takes on the form of a servant gives up His life for the salvation of all. John then records the name change. Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18). You are God’s children, who not only can speak the truth of God, but you get to reveal to others their gracious banquet invitation. And if they tell you they are sorry for rejecting the invitation, you can point out your own struggles with the invitation and that you must beg for it to keep bringing you back to life for only those who are beggars before God have the invitation of His grace. Luther’s last words in his pocket, “We are beggars. This is true.” And for all of the beggars, God does not abandon. He commands, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ “And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ There is still room for people to hear the message of the Gospel and taste the banquet. A taste that reveals the joy of the banquet, seeing the very sustenance at the banquet being Christ in Word and sacraments.
As the food of the Gospel gives you complete nourishment hearing your Savior victory over the world, sin, the devil and death itself with His victory on the cross and resurrection from the dead, bringing you right now the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation, there is still room. St. Paul reveals how you are used to fill this room. For consider your calling brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). He gives you what you need to complete your tasks. He gives you what you need to survive on this earth. He gives you what you need to firmly confess you have life. For it is through His preparation you confess, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows (Psalm 23:5). Not a cup of wrath but a cup of blessings. A beggar of food who receives the very taste of heaven in the Means of Grace. And here are these means for you. Here is what ties you to your food, His cross. The servant has been sent, and you are invited to taste the feast with the words, “Come, for everything is now ready.” Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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