“My good friend Alfred heard I was preaching on this wedding banquet story from Matthew 22:1-14. He said he looked forward to me spinning some good news out of this passage,” said Carla Pratt Keyes, pastor of Ginter Park Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia. As Keyes prepared her sermon, she also wondered, “What good news could be spun from such a terrible story?” What are Jesus and Matthew up to in this parable? Listen as Keyes works to spin the gold of the gospel from the strawy stuff of this difficult passage.

This sermon is from A Sermon for Every Sunday, a series of lectionary-based video sermons designed for use in worship, Bible study, small groups, Sunday school classes or for individual use.

For more sermon preparation help, check out Pulpit Resource, Will Willimon's weekly lectionary-based sermon resource, available online and through a print subscription.