10/02/21
I love to eat! Whether it’s Cracker Barrel’s pancakes, or Longhorn’s ribeye, or my own slow cooker pot roast – I love good food! There’s something comforting about a good meal and good company. Maybe that’s why we call it comfort food.
We are entering the time of holiday meals. And whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s, many families host some sort of meal and invite their family and friends to come. As I reminisce about years gone by, I remember not eating anything that day because I wanted to come hungry! You see, I knew it was going to be good.
But what if you throw a dinner and nobody shows up? What if you went to all the trouble of picking green beans, candying yams, basting the turkey stuffed with your mother’s famous stuffing recipe, making yeast rolls from scratch, and not a soul came to eat?
16 Then Jesus said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. 17 At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.’ 20 Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.’
Luke 14:16-20, NRSV
Jesus told this parable to describe what the kingdom of God was like. It’s like a wonderful feast that has been thrown and everyone is invited to the table! Doesn’t that sound amazing? But, as we see in this text, and in our own lives, we sometimes make excuses and not everyone comes.
We don’t realize what awaits us in this meal, the Lord’s Supper. For this meal is like no other meal you will ever taste. This meal was prepared over two thousand years ago, yet it never gets stale. This meal is just as fresh today as ever.
It is the Lord’s Table, established in eternity. And this multi-course meal is hand prepared by our host, Jesus Christ. So, if you need a big helping of grace – come. Need a nibble of love, a morsel of forgiveness – come! Don’t worry about being good enough, smart enough, worthy enough…just come. Oh, and come hungry! There’s enough for everyone! And did somebody say dessert? Yes, please!
This Sunday we will finish the sermon series, The Invitation, by looking at The Invitation to the Table. This is World Communion Sunday, so we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper with Christians around the globe, acknowledging our oneness in Christ Jesus!
To register for worship, you can sign up at: https://rsvp.church/r/gVufUAP4 . You can also join us livestream Worship live on Facebook at 10:00am. After 11 a.m., for recorded online worship go to www.umcgt.org.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as a 22-year survivor (praise God!) I encourage you to self-check, encourage someone else to get checked out, remember those we lost along the way, and celebrate survivors.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday at the Lord’s Table. Jesus has saved a seat for you, so come hungry!
Blessings,
Pastor Linda
Your sermon reminds me of the idea that all humans are created with a God-shaped vacuum in their soul, that only God can fill. Psalm 107:9 promises, "For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things." It is appropriate that we celebrate Holy Communion by eating and drinking, for Jesus nourishes us perfectly if we take Him in.