come to the table.

photo by Danny Solano

Firstly, I’d like to thank you for being here. Amongst the storms we’ve all been facing, together and individually, I hope you had a joyful Thanksgiving.. however it may have looked for you this year. In every trial.. every tribulation.. as dark as it may seem, we are not and never will be alone. We have light within us, a joy that is constant.. a joy that doesn’t waver by circumstance.. our joy is Jesus.. He has come, and He is coming again.

I’ve been reflecting on Thanksgiving.. my experience.. what the holiday means.. what it does for each of us.. and what it can do to prepare us for this season of Advent..

and I remembered The Parable of the Great Feast.. Luke 14:15-24

“One of his fellow guests on hearing this said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.” He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.’ The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’ The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”

Imagine it’s Thanksgiving.. you’ve skipped breakfast.. and the meal isn’t ready until 2:30 in the afternoon.. as soon as the table is set, the food is served, the announcement, ‘come to the table’ commences. Imagine, right in that moment, deciding you need to leave. You decide your brand new house is calling your name and you want to eat at your own table.. You decide that deadline at work is coming like a freight train, and this day off would be the perfect time to catch up.. You are newly married and you decide you should leave for a trip to spend the holiday alone..

Aren’t you starving? You’ve been waiting all day for this warm, comforting meal.. You’ve been waiting all year to see the ones who love you the most in this world.. Can’t you smell the feast? Can’t you hear your grandparents’ laughter? Hasn’t the anticipation been building in your heart, in your stomach for this exact moment?

Aren’t you starving?

I imagine this is how God feels when he invites us in… when he knocks on the doors of our hearts.. and we choose a different door. The world distracts us from the feast that will truly satisfy our souls. There will always be the lure of something new in our lives.. new homes, new cars, new gadgets.. don’t excuse yourself from God’s table. There will always be work that is pressing.. don’t excuse yourself from God’s table. There will always be new events in our lives, beautiful relationships like marriage or friendship.. these are not distractions from God.. don’t excuse yourself from God’s table.

Brothers and sisters, we are invited to ‘The Great Feast’ in heaven.. at God’s table… and that will be a glorious day, indeed.. It is and will be the ultimate feast, ‘The Great Feast’.. like our Christmas celebration.

But the invitation to dine with him is here and now. It isn’t the great Christmas celebration yet, but he is calling us on Thanksgiving too.. he is calling us on Mondays, and Saturdays.. he is calling us in our cars, in our chapels, as we play with our children..

Heaven, ‘The Great Feast’ can seem far away… it can seem like we have plenty of time to get to know Our Father. But, I urge you not to be deceived by the dilution of time.. answer his invitation now.. share in the feast now.. share in fellowship with him now.. aren’t you starving?

As the holiday season progresses we get busy.. we are visiting loved ones (when we can).. shopping, decorating.. there is never enough time.. just over the Thanksgiving holiday I was away from my home, visiting a few family and friends.. I craved quiet time with my Father.. nothing compares to quality time with those I love.. certain holiday ‘to do’s’ must get done.. but in the end I’m always starving for alone time with Him.. longing to sit down at His table after a long day.. and share a feast that always satisfies.

Today, Advent begins… the sweet anticipation of a baby. My sweet sister in-law just gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl. From the moment we heard to the news anticipation set in… as the due date grew closer our eager hearts only became more restless.. when she finally arrived the joy, the love we felt.. was even more than anything we could have drawn up on our own.. the sweet anticipation of a baby will never surpass the promise of what the Lord has in store for us.. and isn’t that so sweet.

Our little feast we have with Jesus.. when we answer his invitation in the mundane of the days.. in the excitement of the holidays.. in the quiet of our hearts.. are so sweet, so satisfying.. but these little feasts will be surpassed as we enter His Kingdom and take a seat at ‘The Great Feast’… and isn’t that so sweet.

Today, Advent begins… maybe this is the first time you have heard of your invitation from God.. maybe you received the invitation but you scheduled it for some far off date in your calendar when you go to heaven… maybe you’ve received the invitation over and over again as Jesus sends out servants to call you, but you excuse yourself to this world..

Let this Advent be a revival… you are alive today; Jesus has come, and He will come again.. do you know what that means?! This is the good news!! You are invited today! Jesus is inviting you to come to the feast.. the little feasts of the day and ‘The Great Feast’ coming at the end of Advent… when He comes again at Christmas and when you enter His Kingdom. “Show us Lord, your love; and grant us your salvation.” Psalm 85:8

How will you answer God’s invitation? Yes No Maybe

Ask the Lord to open your heart this Advent season.. ask Him to come into the darkest and hardest parts.. reveal to Him everything you’ve been holding onto.. expose every distraction that has been excusing you from His table.. surrender to Him.. even if it is just a little at a time.. give Him room in your heart to work.. “O Lord, you are our father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands.” Isaiah 64:7

Oh, Divine Potter, hold our hearts in your loving hands. Expose our weaknesses… wipe away our hardness with your cleansing water. In your hands I entrust my soul, I entrust my life… in your hands you will purify my heart. Oh, Divine Potter, you alone will mold me into your masterpiece.

What are your goals for this Advent season?

Choose a few ways to commit time to the Lord at His table… even 5 minutes of prayer a day.

Find a devotional to bring you deeper into your relationship with Christ.. sometimes reflecting in new ways outside of your own perspective, gives you the leverage to open parts of your heart you didn’t know you were hiding.. This Advent I’m participating in the Blessed Is She devotional.. it’s day one and I’m already so happy to be apart of their Advent community. (I think you can still order a copy or the audio version here.)

Commit to a Holy hour.. pray a few novenas.. read the Gospel..

Your Advent is a journey for you… it is a journey for Him… draw near, friends. Share your Advent goals in the comments.. look for inspiration from others.. and share in your journey for His glory!

“Many are invited, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14

You are invited… you are chosen… accept and meet Him at the table.

by courtney.