So things are tight. They might get worse before they get better. We have been through it before and I’m confident, beloved in the Lord, we will make it through it again. In the midst of any kind of trouble it is necessary for us to realize that the Lord is in control. He never stops being in control. It is advantageous to realize, God calls us to live and to remain in Him. He even invites us to do so.

In the Gospel text appointed for this day from St. Matthew we hear of an invitation extended to a great wedding banquet – but nobody came. Most of the time we dwell on the fact, with a certain amount of amazement, that nobody came to the banquet. But let’s not forget about “the invitation.”

The Old Testament text for today – in the first three verses an invitation word “come” makes an appearance five different times. “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.” If there is ever a word of invitation, it’s this word -- come. And the great thing about this invitation – it’s free. In hard times during the days of Isaiah the people had to pay for simple things like water. But our Lord says through Isaiah, “Come and buy and eat with no money.” Drink water for no money? No. Drink the finest things in life – drink wine and milk with no money.

But the finer things in life aren’t free. I should say the finer things in this life are not free. The finer things – that is the finest of all things – in this life and the next – is free. The price has already been paid. The price was outlined by Isaiah just a couple of chapters prior in chapter 53. It says, “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Sorely he has borne our grief and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken smitten by God and afflicted.”

And that is the price paid for us – it was not free. It took our Lord into grief and anguish. It took him into sorrow and, most importantly for us, death. This invitation for us to come to our Lord, to have the finest of the finest is a free invitation. But it wasn’t free. The price had to be paid. And that price was paid by our Lord.

With all the presidential debates, campaigning, and discussion on the issues of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the analogy always hits home and seems to be one we have gotten to know pretty well; “Freedom is not free.” It came at a price and usually that price has not been paid directly by us. For some of us who have loved ones who serve or who serve our country themselves know what it’s like to put their life on the line. But for many of us – we don’t know. We say, “Freedom is not free” but most of us will never have to pay the ultimate price.

For our life to come, the price has been paid – the ultimate price. Our Jesus has done it all for us. Our freedom in the life to come was not free. Our Lord paid a terrible price for our life. How great do we really have it? Others have paid “the price” for our freedom in the kingdom we are bound to right now. Another, our Lord Jesus, paid our price for eternal life in heaven to come. Could we have it any better? Could we have been given a more prodigious free pass?

Handed to us in life today are the finer things in life. The finer things in our life right now and the finest thing – our life to come, won by Christ are given to us. But, oh how we have taken both for granted.

Beloved in the Lord, don’t take for granted all that you have – all that you have been given. It’s easy to lose sight of specific blessings from God especially when those blessings are so numerous. It’s easy for us to focus on the difficulties of life because it takes so very few of those difficulties to cause us heartache and trouble. When troubles for our lives persist we tend not to heed the invitation from God – “Come everyone who thirsts” – because we feel we don’t have time for God or God isn’t doing enough to make things right. And then when those blessings are bountiful – those blessings sometime become our gods and our Lord’s invitation: “Incline your ear and come to me; hear me that your soul may live” becomes less important to us because we don’t need God right now – we have everything we need right here.

Next Sunday is our Stewardship Sunday. On Stewardship Sunday we are given the opportunity to reflect specifically on the time, talents and treasures our Lord has given to us. We take the opportunity and share with His church and each other who benefit from these gifts what we are going to give back to our Lord – that which belongs to our Lord in the first place. All things come from Him. All things belong to Him. We are invited daily to come to His table of blessing and His altar of service. We are invited as our Lord says, “Come.” “Come all who thirst and drink – buy with no money.” It all belongs to our Lord.

All that we have and all that we have been given belong to the Lord. And He invites us to celebrate with Him at the banquet table. His gifts are for this life and the next. Come, He says. See what you have been given and what you have, He says. Come and see, even in the midst of adversity what I will provide for you. Come and be a part of great things for us and for those who are around us. Come because I have much to give you, says our Lord.

And talk about having gifts given by our Lord. This morning, young Samuel received a gift comparable to none other. It was done with simple water and Words. The invitation was brought today from our Lord right to the head of a child and to his heart for through this blessing our Lord calls Samuel His very own. It’s an invitation for Samuel and His parents to continue to share with their children the marvelous blessings that baptism give to their children. “Come and buy wine and milk without money and without price.” With the way things look today for Americans, what better deal could there be. And that’s the deal made for us by our Lord. Come, it costs you nothing and you have everything to gain through Christ.

Isaiah concludes the text appointed for this day by saying, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” I thank God this is the case. We are conditioned to think and believe that nothing is for free – and for sure it isn’t. Someone would have to pay the price. And the price paid for us was by our Lord – on the cross. Why would He do this? Why would He not hold us to work for our own salvation? “For my thoughts and ways are not your thoughts and ways, declares the Lord.” Thank God for that invitation. Thank God for that precious and complete work done on the cross for our life.

Today’s economy has people pretty unsure about their future. But you need not be unsure about your future. Oh, we may worry about what tomorrow brings on this side of eternity. But why worry and for what purpose? Jesus says, “Come – Come all you who are burdened and heavy laden, for I will give you rest.” The rest we have is the comfort to know – It’s been done and the price has been paid. Are we unsure? No. The finer things in life are ours. Today? Maybe not what we see – but today for sure. Today for all eternity. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts in Christ Jesus. Amen.