Grace Is Great AND You Have To Participate
Rev. Erik Swanson
October 11, 2026
After a difficult first parish in Connecticut, I took time to help a friend establish a spiritual community in Minnesota. I loved creating a sacred space that integrated healing and prayer, but after about a year, I realized I wasn’t fully myself or using all the gifts I believed God had given me. My discernment changed when I encountered theologian Howard Thurman’s words: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” I realized that parish ministry is where I feel most alive, where I experience God at work, and where I find my part to play in the world.
God’s Plan
This led me to reflect on what we mean when we talk about God’s plan. Rather than using it to explain tragedy or justify things we cannot understand, I believe we need to look at the bigger picture. God’s plan is for humanity to live in communion with God and one another, finding unity, wholeness, and peace. At its heart, this plan calls us to love God, ourselves, and others. But even the best plan cannot become reality without people willing to participate. Like a beautiful house that needs people to build it, God’s vision for the world requires our hands, hearts, effort, and willingness to work together.
The Wedding Banquet Parable
The wedding banquet in Jesus’ parable illustrates this truth (Matthew 22:1-13). The invited guests refuse to attend, while others are welcomed in. Even then, one guest arrives without fully participating in the celebration. I don’t believe this story is meant to portray God as a punisher. Rather, it challenges us to consider whether we are truly participating in what God is doing. Jesus was confronting religious leaders who prioritized rules over communion with God and others. The invitation to the banquet is an invitation to embrace joy, love, and the transforming work of the Spirit.
Genuine Participation
We can see this challenge in our own world when people profess religious beliefs but fail to embody compassion, justice, and peace. Genuine participation means listening to one another, caring for the wounded, welcoming strangers, comforting those who suffer, and speaking up for justice. It means allowing our faith to shape how we live every day, not simply what we say or how we appear.
Discovering Our Deepest Vitality
I believe we often discover our deepest vitality when we participate in these ways. We don’t have to accomplish extraordinary things. Small acts of kindness, loving someone well, listening with compassion, helping someone in need, or standing alongside someone who is struggling all contribute to God’s vision for humanity. When we each offer what we can, the world moves closer to the wholeness and peace God desires.
I also understand the parable’s “weeping and gnashing of teeth” not as a description of eternal punishment, but as the frustration of realizing we have misunderstood something important. Such moments can invite us to begin again, grow in awareness, and learn to participate more fully.
Where Do We Feel Alive?
So I invite myself and others to pay attention to where we feel truly alive, inspired, connected, and aware of the Spirit. Where do we experience a sense of purpose beyond ourselves? Where are we participating in God’s plan, and what might be holding us back?
Will We Accept The Invitation?
Each of us has a valuable part to play. The question is whether we will accept the invitation and participate fully. What will we choose to do, today and every day? Amen.