“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!” God provides.

It is tempting to think of the trilogy of Matthean judgment parables as short stories from a book called Stupid People, Stupid Choices. Two weeks ago, for example, we heard about a son who promises to help his father in the field on a particular day and then never shows up.

Jesus responded by telling still more stories. “God’s kingdom,” he said, “is like a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son. He sent out servants to call in all the invited guests. And they wouldn’t come!

I love to dress casually—maybe it was years of wearing a Catholic school uniform. The polyester-blend jumper was too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. I always had to wear something underneath—shorts in the summer so I could be active on the playground and pants in the winter for warmth—so the jumper was bunched up and ill-fitting.

Kelly, a teenage girl on vacation with her parents, was having a horrible time. And her face and her posture let everyone know it. All week long she’d moped by the resort’s pool—alone with her cell phone.

People turn down great business opportunities every day out of fear, suspicion, or lack of vision. Instead of seeing possibilities, they see threats and end up losing out.

The Lord provides a feast for all peoples. We ask that nothing may separate us from the table of God's salvation.

I looked into my deepest wound and was dazzled by your glory.