When I was growing up, we would come to the table and take our place in our certain chair every night for dinner. We each had a place at the table with a special napkin. My dad sat at the head of the table, where he would begin by saying the prayer. Then he would pass the food. We passed the bowls and platters that held the meal around the table. This continued throughout my life whenever I went to my mom’s for a meal. The table changed, some seats became empty, but the people sitting at the table stayed the same. Some friends filled the empty seats, and grandchildren also warmed them. The table was always a place to eat, laugh, and listen to one another. No matter who was there, we would each find our seat at the table.
As a church, we continue to watch season 5 of The Chosen. Each episode begins with the disciples at the table with Jesus sharing the Passover meal. Our church has a theme song for this Lenten season: “Come to The Table” by the Sidewalk Prophets.
What does it mean to come to the table? Back in my childhood, we would probably say it was when we came to the table to eat, but to Jesus, it wasn’t just about coming to eat; it was about the invitation. Unlike an invitation that we may get in the mail, addressed to Misti Coker or whatever your name is, Jesus’s invitation label says to anyone and everyone.
Jesus invites everyone to the table. The table is a place of radical inclusion. It is a place of presence, peace, where no one is unwelcome. Everyone has a seat. It is an invitation to experience God’s grace and unconditional love where Jesus welcomes ALL people regardless of who they are or what they have done. Jesus came to this earth for those who were broken and who were our outcasts and misfits. He offered them a place to sit down and be free from what is burdening them.
The scripture Mark 2:16-22 NIV tells of how Jesus ate with sinners:
16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
There are so many out there that need to find their seat at a table. It may be your table. You may be the one who pulls up a chair for someone that you never thought would sit at your table. A group of us has a saying we go by – People Need People. So true. People need people to invite them to the table and find their seat.
If you feel led to open your table for those who need Jesus, be sure to do these things to help guide you:
1. Show up for JESUS every day – Start your day in the Word.
2. Show up for OTHERS – Serve others, inviting them to your table.
3. Show up for YOU – You must fill your cup before you can fill others’ cups.
WE WILL FIND JOY WHEN WE SHOW UP FOR JESUS, OTHERS, AND OURSELVES.
As Father Mike says, “You pray for me, and I will pray for you.”
As Tara Leigh says: He’s where the joy is.
Have a great week, Cupcake loves you and so does Jesus.
So true so up for Jesus.Invite someone to the table. ♥️🙏🏾