Dear Church,

The main theme for yesterday’s sermon was hospitality.

By practicing hospitality, Immanuel Church mirrors the generosity and love of God, creating spaces where His grace can be experienced and shared.  The act of welcoming others becomes a sacramental gesture, pointing to the ultimate hospitality of God in Christ, who invites all to a heavenly banquet.

Regardless of how you respond to invitations for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, or the Koinonia meals at Immanuel, there is one dinner invitation that you absolutely must not ignore.

One of the most thrilling events that the church will ever experience is recounted in Revelation 19:6-9 and is often referred to as the Marriage Supper of the Lamb:
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“Then I heard  what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord of God Almighty reigns.  Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure” – for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angle said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”  And he said to me, “These are the true words or God.”
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In ancient Israel weddings were a huge occasion and the celebration could last for a week. This future event celebrates the marriage of Jesus (the bridegroom) with his bride (the church) and will unequivocally be the wedding event of all time.

Your RSVP has already gone out in the form of the Gospel message. To reserve your place at this celebration you need to put your trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

So, what happens to those who refuse to RSVP to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb? This is explained in the parables of the Wedding Banquet, the Ten Virgins, and the Great Banquet, Matthew 22:1-14, Matthew 25:1-12 and Luke 14:15-23, respectively.

While there is a lot of theological relevance in these three parables, the bottom line is that those who are indifferent to the Gospel, those who are antagonistic to the Gospel and those who remain unchanged by the Gospel will share the same fate: none of them will be present to partake in this glorious celebration.

But for those who have already accepted your RSVP, the best is yet to come!

Be Encouraged,

Rick