Thomas J Parlette
A Funeral, A Wedding and The Table”
Matt. 11: 16-19, 25-30
7/5/26
Many of you know Juliet and I just back from a wedding in Brooklyn last weekend. My oldest nephew, Andrew, got married. It was a lovely ceremony as you would expect. As we sat at the long reception tables enjoying a dinner of lemon chicken and rigatoni, I overheard something I’ve heard many times at gatherings like these, maybe you have too:
“About the only time our family gets together anymore is for weddings and funerals.”
That is true for many families, including my own these days. Not so long ago, families stayed in the same general area. Lots of young people graduated from high school, some got married right away, some went off to college – but many ended up coming back to the communities where they grew up, found jobs and raised their families. At most, it was a couple hour trip to visit grandma and grandpa for weekends or holidays, and that’s what everybody did. Some families are lucky enough to still do that.
But over the last couple of generations that has changed. Families have become more scattered, people in general are much more mobile than they used to be. For instance, my family now lives just outside Louisville, Kentucky – some 11 hours away. Juliet has a sister in Minneapolis, but her mother still lives in Johnstown, Pa, her brother lives in Brooklyn and her other sister lives in Washington D.C. Our families are all over the place. The old saying is truer than ever:
“About the only time we get together is for weddings and funerals.”
When you think about it, weddings and funerals have a lot in common. Both have a way of bringing families together to be sure.
Both mark beginnings and endings – for weddings, it’s the end of the single life and the start of marital bliss. For funerals, it’s the end of this earthly life and the beginning of life in God’s eternal realm.
Weddings and funerals are both bittersweet occasions, tears flow, but for different reasons. Both occasions are filled with sorrow and loss, but also a sense of celebration. For weddings, it’s the loss of a son or a daughter, but also the addition of a new son or daughter. For funerals, it’s the loss of someone we have loved, but also a celebration of their lives and their place with God in the heavenly mansion.
And of course, both weddings and funerals are a time to gather around the table to share food, a banquet and a reception. At weddings and funerals there is always a table.
In the Book of Revelation, the risen, triumphant Christ says to the people of the world, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to them and eat with them, and they will eat with me.” You probably recognize those words as one of the invitations we often use to partake in communion.
I’m sure you remember the famous painting that hangs in thousands of Sunday School rooms across the country that depicts Jesus knocking at the door of a lovely little cottage. If you look closely, you will notice that the door to the cottage has no handle or latch on the outside. Apparently, the door must be opened from the inside. If we think of that cottage as the human heart, the message is clear. We must be the ones to open our hearts to Jesus. The decision is up to us. Jesus does intend to force his way in or break down the door. No – it’s our decision whether to open the door or not.
In our text from Matthew for today we have another invitation from Jesus. “Come to me. All you that are weary are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Notice there is nothing you have to do to get an invitation. There is no way to earn an invitation to the table. It is simply offered. It is there for the taking. But it does require a response. It’s our decision whether to open the door or accept Jesus’ yoke.
Once upon a time there was a man who sat in the back row of the church and every week, without fail, he would nod off during the sermon. Some Sunday, he would snort in his sleep and wake himself up – but most of the time he slept soundly through the entire sermon.
So, one Sunday, the minister decided to see if he could break him of that habit. During the sermon, the minister said quietly, “All those who want to go to heaven, stand up.” The whole congregation stood up, except the sleepy head in the back row.
The minister asked the congregation to sit down, and then said in a loud booming voice – “Everyone who wants to go to hell, stand up!”
The sleeping man, startled from his nap, stood up and looked around at the congregation sitting there, chuckling softly, and finally said, “Well, I don’t know what we’re voting for, Pastor, but it looks like you and me are the only ones for it.” You better make sure you don’t sleep through the invitation. Don’t get caught napping.
Today we have another invitation to join Jesus at this table of celebration. The decision is ours. We can accept – and find rest for our souls. Or, we can sleep through yet another invitation and risk skipping the milestones of life. Weddings and funerals bring us together to mark beginnings and endings, celebrations and farewells. But nothing brings us together quite like the Table.
So come to the table today my friends – accept Jesus’ invitation. Open the door and find rest for your souls. Take your seat at God’s table and savor a foretaste of glory divine.
May God be praised. Amen.
