This Week at Clyde Park
A Note from Pastor Ryan
This coming Sunday we will be reading Matthew 22:1-14. It is the parable of the wedding feast. In it a King sends invitations to a wedding to people in high places, but they refuse to come. Then the King invites everyone, and a bunch of them show up. One man gets singled out for not properly preparing and having the correct attire.
The man being thrown out for wrong attire may seem strange in our culture. We live in self centered culture where dressing for others is seen as offensive. We treat our attire as a sign of authentic self expression. Expectations placed upon us are then viewed as oppressive. In most other cultures, however, how one dresses reveals the respect they have for others. The man who did not dress appropriately for the banquet has insulted the host and those in attendance. He knew what was expected of him, but he chose to ignore it. In that type of a culture, being thrown out was expected.
Jesus is drawing on cultural convention to make a point. ON the one hand, the cultural elites of the time had turned down the invite to participate in God's reign. The world as it was worked well for the elite, why would they need the Kingdom of God? God has since turned to the "weak things of the world." But even then, there are expectations.
Matthews gospel shows how God's grace transforms God's people. God's people have the opportunity to respond to the goodness of God. They are to clothe themselves with Christ (Romans 13:14). They are to throw off everything which hinders. Those who participate in the Kingdom of God are chosen because they respond to God's universal call by embracing actual holiness. Stanley Hauerwas says that those who are fit for the Kingdom of God put into practice the Sermon on the Mount. Indeed the sermon on the mount is Jesus central teaching.
As the church, we are God's peculiar people. We are to be holy, responding to God's grace by living holy lives. Let us do so because God is at work within us.
Community Dinner: Taco Bar
November 7th Women's Ministry Craft Day!
1:00 p.m. We will be painting lighted wooden Christmas Village structures.
Please join us for our annual Harvest Festival & Trunk or Treat Community Outreach
October 24th from 2-4PM!
This is a great time for outreach in showing love to our neighbors, how great our church community is and see some really cute kids in costumes. Please donate candy so we can serve between 200-2,000 kids. We are in need of a lot more candy. If you are able to help out with this, it would be greatly appreciated! We can use everyone that can help out! See Pastor Chrissy with any questions!
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