A Royal Invitation

The Royal Wedding this weekend uniting Prince William of Wales and Catherine “Kate” Middleton is an important historic event in the United Kingdom and all around the world. Preparations have been made in meticulous fashion, with beautiful garments, venues, jewels, riches, and the finest earth has to offer. Pomp and circumstance is planned second by second to the very minute details.

I posted a joke on my Facebook wall saying:  “Jim and I have decided not to attend the royal wedding after all. When the seating chart came out, we realized he’d have to sit by Camilla, and I’d be sitting between Elton John and his boyfriend!”

That post got lots of comments, including one from Kathleen who said, “I’d sit by anyone or between anyone to get to go.”  The TV networks have pulled out all the stops to draw in what they expect to be 2.5 billion viewers. So, unless you’re willing to stay offline and watch no TV tomorrow, you will be a royal wedding guest in one way or another.

But some people simply aren’t the least bit interested in the wedding. Jim is one of the few who won’t be watching. As a pastor, he’s had to attend many weddings, and probably would have declined most of those invitations had he not been the officiating minister. It’s very low on his list of favorite things to do, right down there with grocery shopping and going to the dentist.

But he’s the exception. The truth is, most of us would be thrilled to get an invitation. After all, it’s being dubbed as the wedding of the Century. Kate is a commoner, yet she has been accepted by the Royal Family because of William’s love for her and her willingness to submit herself to the rigorous lifestyle expected of a royal.

Who among us wouldn’t have attended the nuptials of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip or Prince Charles and Diana, given the choice? We would be happy to rearrange our schedules (as the Brits pronounce it “shed-ules”) to attend.  We would make the necessary financial sacrifice to buy the best wedding attire we could afford so that our presence would be acceptable and a compliment to the bride and groom, not an embarrassment.

There is one royal wedding that we have all been invited to. But it does require some preparation on our part. First, we must accept the invitation graciously extended to us by the King. We must also be wearing a proper wedding garment, which has been freely provided to us—a robe of righteousness. We must present ourselves pure and clean when we arrive, a testimony that we have been washed in the blood of the Lamb and are spotless because of his sacrifice.

The book of Revelation (19:7-9) tells us of the Marriage of the Lamb where the Bride of Christ, the Church, will be clothed in fine, white linen and joined to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. What a great and glorious day it will be! The Bride is a common sinner and not worthy, yet she has been accepted into the Royal Family because of Christ’s love for her and her willingness to submit herself to the King.

Every preparation has been made, according to John 14:2. Heaven has been decked with jewels, riches, and beauty beyond our comprehension just for our enjoyment (1 Corinthians 2:9). All of our cares, sorrows, tears, and pain will be over, and unimaginable joy awaits us (Revelation 21:4).

Sadly, there are a few people who aren’t the least bit interested in this wedding either. They are unwilling to accept the invitation, though a great price has been paid to include them. They have discarded their invitation, trampling the blood of Christ that was paid for their admittance. They don’t feel the wedding garment suits them, and will not wear it. Oh, what a loss it will be, but once they realize it, it will be too late.

If you haven’t accepted your royal invitation, don’t wait another day. Don’t miss the greatest event in history!