In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

Weddings can be very expensive today. So expensive that a young couple might have to make some difficult decisions about how many people they can afford to invite, and which people will be invited. But, if you are wealthy enough, and generous enough, you don’t have a problem. You can just invite everyone you know!

God is definitely wealthy and generous. The Bible describes Christ as the bridegroom, and the church as the bride of Christ. There will be an enormous wedding celebration, a great feast, when Christ returns. God is so wealthy and so generous, he wants us to invite everyone to the feast. From now until Judgment Day,...

1. To the sinner;

It is the Church's mission to the end of time to invite every sinner, saying “The feast is ready! Come to the feast!” Christ wants his church to reach out to all sinners. The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Christ wants his believers to proclaim the Law so that sinners will repent of their sins. God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. So, God wants his people to proclaim the good news of salvation.

Our mission from Christ is to reach out to every friend, relative and neighbor. But, have we done that? Or, have we just made excuses. Remember, the way to heaven is NOT the path of making excuses. You can’t give God enough excuses to get to heaven. And denying sins, saying, “I didn’t do anything wrong,” is not repenting. It’s like telling God, my clothes aren’t dirty, when they are covered with dirt and mud and filth. We are sinners. We have not loved God above all things! We have not loved our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. Have we perfectly invited each sinner to hear the Word of God? Let’s confess our sins to God. There were times that we failed to invite someone, passing by on the other side of the road. There were times that we just did not care enough, times that we did not bother to reach out. Let’s freely confess our sins. Then, let’s listen closely to hear the gospel.

Jesus speaks the Gospel here when he says: "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city." Our robes are dirty with sin. We have committed sins of thought, of word, and of deed. These sins stain our robes. But, blessed are those who “wash their robes” in the blood of the Lamb. Blessed are those who look to Jesus in faith for full forgiveness and cleansing from sin. Jesus lived a perfect life as the spotless Lamb of God. Then Jesus took all of our sins away when he died on the cross. He rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. In Holy Baptism, he washes our sins away and gives us faith. Believers have the right to "tree of life." The tree of life was in the Garden of Eden. Those who ate from the tree of life would live forever. We believers will live forever in heaven.

Sadly, not everyone will go to heaven. Jesus says, "Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." It’s not as though these sins could not be washed away. It's that the unbelievers refused to let them to be washed away. They persisted and insisted on clinging to their sins. They made excuses for their sins, and denied they were wrong. They refused to repent. Finally they died in sin, and they will forever be "outside" of heaven.

Yet, there are still many who still have time, who are living in this life, this time of grace. And the church reaches out to these people. To the end of time, the church says, “Come!” to each sinner. The church repeats the words of Scripture: "Whoever is thirsty (for salvation), let him come; and whoever wishes (for eternal life and forgiveness), let him take the free gift of the water of life." Salvation is free! Forgiveness is won! Come and enjoy the feast of salvation prepared by Christ.

Many people today would stand in line to get free food and drinks. But what about free salvation? Week in and week out we offer the gift of salvation to all, free of cost. Imagine a person who is starving. He enters a banquet hall where a delicious feast has been prepared. The host says, “You are invited to enjoy the feast. And, it’s all free!” Christ has prepared free salvation for us! We have a great privilege. We get to invite people to the free feast of salvation.

To the end of time, the church says, “Come!” to the sinner... But that’s not all. THE CHURCH SAYS, "COME!"

2. To the Savior.

In the Ascension account (Acts 1), the angels said, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” The very same Jesus who ascended into heaven will return visibly on the Last Day with great power and glory. He will judge all people. He will take his believers to be with him in heaven forever. So, that Last Day will be a great day for us!

Jesus says, "Yes, I am coming soon." He is coming soon to take us home to heaven! How soon? We do not know. Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour.” Not one of us can predict which day will be Judgment Day. Only God knows when Christ will return. It will be a surprise. But we know that Jesus will return soon, for he said, "Yes, I am coming soon." Then, why has it taken nearly 2000 years already? Keep in mind that passage that says: “With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day.” Jesus could return at any time. And when he returns, he will take us to be with him in heaven. So, the church eagerly awaits the return of Christ and says, "Come, Lord Jesus." To the end of time, the Christian Church says, “Come, Lord Jesus” to the Savior.

The church is the group of all true believers. Everyone who believes in Jesus for salvation from sin is included in that group. Until the last day when Christ returns, we say, “Come, Lord Jesus.” Quickly come! Come and take us to heaven. Come and deliver us from every evil of body and soul and take us to live with you forever in heaven.

We have every reason to look forward to that last day. That’s when things will get better for us! That’s when everything will become perfect! But sometimes, we might forget that Christ is returning soon. That’s why we need these reminders from God’s Word.

When we remember that Christ is returning soon, it gives a sense of urgency to our mission as a church. It reminds us of what is really important in life: hearing and learning God’s Word, baptizing children and teaching them God’s word, reaching out to our unchurched friends, relatives and neighbors.

And yet, some sincere Christians don’t like to think about the Last Day. They are afraid. But we have no reason to fear. We can be certain that Jesus will take us believers to heaven.

Other sincere Christians don’t seem very certain about their place in heaven. If you ask them if they are going to heaven, they will say, “Well, I hope so...” But there should be no doubt at all in our minds! By faith in Christ, we are citizens of heaven! And we can be sure of it!

If someone asks me, "Are you an American citizen?" I do not say, “I hope so...” I answer confidently, “Yes, I am an American citizen!” By faith in Christ, we are the children of God! And there is no doubt. If someone points to my Dad and says, “Is that your father,” I don’t say, “I hope so... but I’m not sure.” No, I answer confidently, “Yes, that’s my Dad!” Well, there is no doubt about our place in heaven through faith in Christ! Why should we act like we have doubts about our heavenly citizenship? God's Word clearly says that those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin will live in heaven forever. You believe in Jesus as your Savior from sin, right? Well, then, if someone asks you if you are going to heaven, say, “Yes! I know I am going to heaven” You can be sure. Until the end of time, we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus, quickly come!” Amen.