What if the most powerful force in our lives isn’t an awkward or painful memory from the past, but a vision of the future? As a community of faith, we, the church, have been given a breathtaking vision of God’s future — a kingdom pictured as a joyous banquet where every seat is filled, laughter overflows and no one is left standing outside in the darkness. This is the hope that anchors us. But it begs a pressing question: Do we let that future vision shape how we live today? Does the picture of God’s ultimate party push us to throw open the doors of our lives, our homes and even our churches so that others might taste that joy now?

Here’s the uncomfortable truth — often, we don’t. We tend to wrinkle our noses at people, much like the leaders of Jesus’ day. We gravitate toward comfort and respectability, subtly edging away from those whose lives seem messy or suspect. We can find ourselves, perhaps unintentionally, choosing the safety of our circles over the scandal of radical welcome.

But Jesus refuses to play that game. He consistently turned the world’s values upside down. Where we might see a sinner, he sees a treasure waiting to be found. Where we see a lost cause, he sees a future source of joy in God’s kingdom. He sees them as honored guests at the banquet. And he wants us to see them that way, too. This is why his parables are often so jarring; they shake us from our complacency and force us to notice how quickly we draw lines, separating ourselves from “those people.”

The profound good news is that God’s party is not an exclusive gathering for the clean and respectable. It is a celebration for the lost who have been found, the broken who have been healed, the sinners who have been forgiven. In other words — it’s for all of us.

And so the question remains for each of us: Are we letting God’s future joy shape our present actions? Are we using our resources (our time, our surplus, our attention) to build bridges, welcome outsiders and point others toward the hope we carry?

This is our collective challenge and our sacred calling. Let us look to one another for encouragement. Let us strengthen each other so we can bear one another’s burdens. And let us keep our eyes fixed on that future feast, so we may act with courage and grace in the present.

The Rev. Andrew McLarty is Rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Columbus.