Monday, October 5, 2026

Matthew 22:1-2 

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.  

The one image of the kingdom of heaven that Jesus used most often was a banquet, a party! Isn’t that wonderful? Never did Jesus describe the kingdom of heaven as a place with streets of gold where people spent all day playing harps. He never described the kingdom of heaven as a place at all. For Jesus, it was an event! 

And in this parable, it is a wedding banquet fit for a king. I think of all the reporters who waited outside of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding hoping for a glimpse, a small detail, of what was happening inside the wedding. The estimated cost of that wedding was $30 million or more. And the event Jesus was describing was much bigger than Taylor Swift’s! 

The venue for the king’s banquet is not important. Wherever the king is, that’s where you want to be because the king throws the best parties! That’s why I never get too hung-up trying to imagine what heaven is going to look like. The place is secondary compared to who is going to be there: the king of love who knows me by name. 

– Pr. Paul 

Lord of all, your love has so much in store for me! Help me to live this day remembering that I am loved by you, and your love will always be there. Amen.