BISHOP BREWER
A Call to Unity
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By The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer
o you recall the parable Jesus told about the wedding guest who didn’t show up in the appropriate clothes (Matt. 22:1-14)? Remember, the guest was thrown out of the party because he did not wear a “wedding garment.”
To Jesus’ hearers, an invitation from the king to attend a royal wedding is an invitation one does not refuse. Just to receive such an invitation is a profound honor that comes with the social obligation to accept, no matter what needs to be rescheduled to make attendance possible. One does not say “I’m sorry, I cannot come” to the king. That makes the way people mistreated the messengers who delivered the invitation shocking. I can hear members of Jesus’ audience gasp out loud as he says these royal messengers were “beaten.” When the guests do finally arrive for the wedding, one of them shows up in the first- century equivalent of a T-shirt and cut-off shorts without the prerequisite “wedding garment.” Again, the audience would find such presumption incredible.
thankfulness for being included and the willingness to sacrifice whatever Bishop Greg Brewer is necessary to live according to the commandments of the King. The wedding garment represents a readiness to live by the King’s rules, not our own. And we are happy to do it out of sheer gratitude at being included in this wedding party called the kingdom of heaven!
It is critically important that Christians exhibit gratitude and sacrifice.
Then and now, this guest’s actions reveal an attitude that is shockingly self-centered. What is on display is a determination, regardless of the occasion or the company, to do what? Be who he wants to be. Social graces do not matter. There is no thoughtfulness or courtesy, no honoring of one’s host or the wedding party. Instead, there is only arrogance: I want to live life on my own terms and nobody else’s. Such arrogance is tragically joyless. What the reader sees in this guest’s determination to live life on his terms is the absence of any sense of gratitude for the gift of the invitation. There is no attempt to join in the gladness of the occasion. In fact, all the guest wants is to do things “his way,” which ultimately leads to him being kicked out of the wedding celebration. But this parable is more than just a reprimand against selfishness or even a lesson in courtesy. This is a parable that describes an aspect of the kingdom of heaven. For those who are invited into the kingdom of heaven by the King of all kings, the only appropriate response is a combination of gratitude and a willingness to live according to the King’s way, not our way. What the parable teaches us is this: Attempting to live as a member of the kingdom without giving up our rights to live life on our terms is nothing short of blasphemy. www.cfdiocese.org
As Christ followers, we have made the commitment, God being our helper, to live life on the terms Jesus defines for us. Every single biblical commandment for Christians comes out of a call to
In the midst of this time when so much of our conversation is around the general election in November, it is critically important that Christians, above all, exhibit these twin characteristics of gratitude and sacrifice. We engage the political process but do not do so at the expense of these basic Christian commitments. It is these Christian commitments to gratitude and sacrifice that protect us from the alarmist rhetoric that says if you don’t support a particular candidate, you are not a good Christian.
While we should have clear political positions, we should also be gracious in our engagement with others no matter their political persuasion. We should avoid conferring messiahship on either candidate and resist conspiracy theories that demonize either political party. As Christians, we hold up the values of the kingdom whether they fit in a party platform or not. So the call to live with gratitude and sacrifice could not be more urgent. We cannot contribute to the walls of political division. Neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden is our country’s savior. Most of us know enough about Christianly and about politics to know that both candidates and both platforms are deeply flawed. So we back away from any sort of idolatry and do our best to serve well, vote our conscience and care for our fellow citizens, and especially for our fellow church members, even if they sit on the other side of the aisle. Grace to You,
Bishop Gregory O. Brewer
Central Florida EPISCOPALIAN
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Sept / Oct 2020
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