Stop Chasing False Rabbits; Invite Others to the Feast

Devotional

Day 1: When the Rabbit Isn’t Real

The greyhound ran circles chasing a mechanical lure, mistaking imitation for purpose. Like the dog, we often exhaust ourselves pursuing empty ideals – perfect attendance, flawless programs, or cultural relevance – while missing the actual feast prepared before us. Jesus invites us to stop orbiting artificial targets and receive the nourishment of true community. What illusions have we mistaken for holy calling? Where does our striving reveal misplaced priorities? [26:42]

“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.” (Isaiah 55:1, ESV)

Reflection: What “mechanical rabbit” have you been chasing in your spiritual life? How might releasing that pursuit create space to receive God’s actual invitation?

Day 2: The King’s Endless Dissatisfaction

The parable’s ruler burns cities over RSVPs and rejects guests for imperfect attire. His fury exposes the lie that control guarantees fulfillment. Churches often mirror this anxiety – fretting over attendance metrics, worship styles, or visitor demographics. Yet the table remains set regardless. The feast persists through our mismanaged expectations. [28:19]

“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.” (Matthew 22:11-12, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you judged others’ “attire” (preparation) instead of celebrating their presence? How might releasing control deepen your experience of God’s hospitality?

Day 3: 95% Failure, 100% Faithfulness

Five percent success transforms communities when 30 people risk monthly invitations. This math defies human metrics – God multiplies small obediences beyond our calculus. The retired greyhound found peace not in track records but in shared walks. Our calling isn’t perfection but persistent, low-stakes faithfulness. [34:47]

“He said therefore, ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.’” (Mark 4:26-27, ESV)

Reflection: What paralyzes you from making imperfect invitations? How might embracing “failure” as fertilizer free you to plant seeds?

Day 4: Retirement Community Bookshelves

A coastal church built children’s amenities in a town of retirees – chasing phantoms instead of serving actual neighbors. Their empty bookshelf symbolizes our tendency to prioritize hypothetical people over present community. The real feast occurs when we stop manufacturing needs and bless who God actually sends. [31:02]

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, ESV)

Reflection: Where is your “Jerusalem” – the actual community around you? What simple act of presence could replace elaborate plans for phantom guests?

Day 5: Walking Beside the Greyhound

The children didn’t scold the retired racer but proposed walking together toward real prey. Church health begins when we abandon lonely races and embrace shared journeys. The table overflows not through frantic effort but through Christ’s promise that where two or three gather, he completes the feast. [36:02]

“And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.” (Acts 16:31-32, ESV)

Reflection: Who needs your companionship more than your solutions? How might walking beside others – without agenda – become your most authentic invitation?

Sermon Summary

The old greyhound gives the whole thing away. He had raced, won, been treated well, and still quit because what he was chasing was not really a rabbit. That picture presses the question onto Holy Trinity: what is being chased, and is it real?

The king in the gospel chases a full wedding banquet, yet the parable leaves plenty of room for discomfort. The king can look like somebody who is never satisfied, first angry that the invited guests will not come, then angry at the guest who arrives without the right robe. The guest without the wedding robe can also look like somebody who wants the party without being bothered to prepare for it. The text keeps moving people back and forth between the king’s shoes and the guests’ shoes.

The feast, though, is real. Christ sets a feast every Sunday at the table, and the invitation is not supposed to rest on one person or a tiny group of extroverts. The church too often expects a priest or a few gifted people to be everywhere at once, as if they alone are responsible for inviting people in. That is chasing a fake rabbit. The banquet calls every member to be both an inviter and a guest, reaching outward while also arriving ready for the Eucharist.

The image of a church building a children’s corner in a retirement community shows how easily a congregation can chase an idea instead of paying attention to the people actually around it. A bookshelf and a table cannot magically produce young families. The real work begins with seeing who lives nearby, who is moving in, who needs community, and who might come if somebody actually asks.

The five-percent idea turns failure on its head. Thirty people having one personal invitation conversation each month, even with a ninety-five percent failure rate, could double or triple a congregation in only a few years. The church does not need a heroic program or one person making thirty conversations a month. It needs many people doing one small, real thing. The old greyhound’s question remains: is all the running after something real? Christ’s feast is real, the invitation is real, and the church can walk beside people toward it.

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Key Takeaways

1. Stop chasing the fake rabbit. The greyhound’s exhaustion came from discovering that the object of all his striving was not even real. Church anxiety can work the same way when it chases an idealized version of growth, a vanished cultural moment, or somebody else’s ministry model. The better question is not whether activity feels busy, but whether it is aimed at the real people and real feast God has placed before the church. [26:42]
2. The Eucharistic feast requires real invitation. The table is prepared every Sunday, but a prepared feast is not the same thing as an extended invitation. The kingdom does not depend on polished marketing or a few socially fearless people. Christ’s banquet becomes visible when ordinary members personally ask ordinary neighbors to come and see. [29:38]
3. Every member shares the invitation work. The burden becomes crushing when a congregation assigns welcome and growth to one priest or a handful of extroverts. The body of Christ works differently: many people offer small acts of faithfulness, and those acts gather into something far larger than any individual effort. Shared responsibility also frees the church from waiting for a savior who is not Jesus. [30:13]
4. Failure can be faithful and fruitful. A ninety-five percent failure rate sounds disastrous in almost every workplace, yet personal invitation works by a different measure. One yes out of twenty conversations can still become an abundance when many people keep extending genuine invitations. Faithfulness does not demand control over outcomes, only courage to make the ask. [32:48]
5. Prepare for the people actually present. A congregation can waste energy building for an imagined community while overlooking its actual neighbors. Attention to local people, local changes, and local needs is not a lack of vision; it is the beginning of honest mission. The real rabbit is found by looking clearly at whom God has already placed nearby.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[25:27] - The Greyhound and the Fake Rabbit
[27:00] - What Is Holy Trinity Chasing?
[27:23] - The King’s Wedding Banquet
[28:19] - Two Ways to Read the King
[29:16] - King, Guest, and Preparation
[29:56] - The Feast at This Table
[30:13] - Everyone Shares the Invitation
[30:35] - Chasing an Idealized Church
[31:02] - The Wrong Target in Virga
[31:44] - Why Five Percent Is Enough
[33:35] - Beyond Opening the Red Doors
[34:33] - One Conversation Each Month
[35:24] - Small Invitations Become Many
[35:42] - Chase What Is Real

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 22:1-14
“And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.' But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen.” [27:23]

Observation questions

In Matthew 22:1–14, what reasons do the originally invited guests give for refusing the king’s invitation, and how does the king respond?
What changes about the guest list after the first invited people refuse to come, and what does that show about the king’s desire for a full banquet? [27:23]
What details in the parable create discomfort about both the king and the guest without a wedding robe? [28:19]
What two responsibilities are placed alongside each other: inviting people to the feast and arriving prepared as a guest? [30:30]

Interpretation questions

How might the parable challenge the idea that the church’s purpose is to attract only a certain kind of “ideal” guest?
Why might the guest’s lack of a wedding robe be understood as more than a matter of clothing? What could it mean to accept an invitation to Christ’s feast while remaining unwilling to prepare one’s heart? [29:03]
The king’s banquet is ready before the guests arrive. What does this suggest about the difference between God’s grace, which prepares the feast, and the church’s responsibility, which extends the invitation?
Why is it important that the whole congregation shares the work of invitation rather than expecting one priest, staff member, or outgoing person to carry it alone? [30:09]

Application questions

What “fake rabbits” can a church chase—an idealized past, a perfect kind of newcomer, a popular program, or something else? Which of these temptations feels most familiar in our own setting? [30:41]
Who are the actual people God has placed near you: neighbors, coworkers, family members, people in a new season of life, or people who may be lonely? What might it look like simply to notice them before trying to solve anything for them? [31:38]
Is there someone you could personally invite to worship, a meal, a small group, or a conversation in the coming month? What makes that invitation feel difficult, and what would make it more natural and genuine? [33:04]
How do you usually prepare to come to the Eucharistic feast—practically, spiritually, or relationally? Is there one small practice that could help you arrive more ready to receive Christ and welcome others? [29:41]
A low success rate can still be faithful when many people offer small invitations. How might freedom from controlling the outcome give you courage to make one real invitation? [34:47]
When you meet someone new at church, how can you help them experience more than a polite greeting? What could help them feel known, included, and able to walk toward Christ’s feast with others? [33:41]

Sermon Clips

37s

#CommunityGrowth

“For 30 people, one conversation. In your head, you've probably already know who you can talk to for October. Just one person. You have it in your head? Now think of November and December. It takes everyone to do something small, to invite them to the banquet, and the cumulative efforts become masses. Five percent success rate. That's all. Don't chase the fake rabbit. Chase the real one.”

39s

#OneConversation

“By talking to one person once a month and inviting them to come with you, that will alleviate so much anxiety in a congregation, you won't believe it. I want you to fail 95% of the time because that means 5% success. That's all it takes. Waiting for a single person to do the same, just one person, that means that person would have to have 30 conversations with someone new every single month. That is chasing a fake rabbit. That's not possible.”

42s

#InviteToTheFeast

“I'm sure if you read this tomorrow, you'll put yourself in the king's shoes. You read it next week, you put yourself in the guest shoes. Back and forth, back and forth. So I ask, what are you chasing? Where are you? We must be diligent. We must be prepared. We must invite those who want to be at the feast. But the key is to actually invite people to the feast. And surprise. Did you know we have a feast every single Sunday right at this table? So who will you invite?”

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Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Georgetown, KY This sermon · AI assistant

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