One of my favorite childhood memories is Sunday dinner. My mother was an excellent cook. Student preachers were always hungry. The combination made for Sunday dinners that would put any country club buffet to shame. In fact, my first inclinations toward the ministry came as I watched pastors feasting at the dining room table on chicken breasts and thighs while we children were stuck in the kitchen with backs and wings. It made one think, even as a child.

It was at a Sabbath dinner, during a discussion of seating arrangements, that Jesus told the parable of the Great Banquet. With it, He describes a party that is out of this world. A banquet feast that is ours in the Kingdom of God. Come let us take a closer look.

I. THERE IS A PARTY PREPARED.

“Come, everything is now ready” (Luke 14:17)…