God is in CONTROL

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Come to the Table





"He invites us in to His banqueting table and His banner over us is love." are the words to the the song taken from Song of Solomon. I have sung these words since I was young and I like them so much that I even considered getting this verse in the creative letters you can attach to the wall. (I did a price check and it was a little too wordy for my wallet.)

What is it about a table?

Once in a communion meditation I talked about Saturday mornings around our table growing up -- my folks would give us life lessons and encourage us to do our best. It was a time when we connected.

Growing up our dining room table was the hub of family life. It always held lots of projects and served up meals to hundreds of people as my mother loved to invite folks in. That same dining room table now has found a home in our daughter's house and hosts people by the dozens as she has inherited her both of her grandmother's gift of hospitality.

Dad helped us to get our dining room furniture by giving us a loan. I remember getting him in his wheelchair and loading him in the car and rushing him to the store right before closing time to show him the entire set we had found and wanted to purchase. It was a bit beyond our budget -- so Dad handed over the cash and we paid him back monthly for about 2 years. (During our first 17 years of marriage we had used a church utility table and folding chairs.) Dad would make up reasons to cancel a particular month's rent -- but nonetheless we did get the debt paid off.

Maybe that is why our dining room table is so precious to me. I just know the joy I feel when I fill it with food and then surround the table with dear people - family, old friends and new acquaintances. I love it when people get closer to each other at my table. We host a lot of church dinners and, with extra tables, I can pack about 24 into my dining room. Sometimes I just like to sit back and listen . . . people laughing . . . people opening up. . .people sharing. I hope they know how much I wanted them to come to my table.

Last year on Mother's Day our daughter made sure she and her husband and our son were home. She told her brother, "Mom needs us there". I remember looking at them and thinking it how wonderful it was to have my most favorite people in all the world around my table. I don't get to do that as often since their lives in the medical field and in education keep them very busy, so any time we share a meal is special.

Isn't that what communion is all about . . . God's favorite people meeting around HIS table and sharing, opening up and realizing how much HE wants us to come to HIS table.

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