At the Table

“I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”- Matthew 8:11

A tried-and-true Thanksgiving tradition takes place at the TABLE, as friends and family gather to connect, feast, and count their blessings. In our home the season is announced by a beautiful tablecloth filled with leaves, pumpkins, and the rich colors of fall.

Next Thursday’s grand meal is not the only thing that produces fullness. Around many tables folks will take turns expressing GRATITUDE. People will give thanks for being with loved ones; for new friends, a new home, a new job; for being healed from a sickness or overcoming a difficult year; for a fresh start and a second chance. In Psalm 26:7 David is in the Thanksgiving mood when he states, “Proclaiming aloud Your praise and telling of all Your wonderful deeds.”

I am hopeful that we begin turning our Thanksgiving table festivities into a year-long practice of grace and gratefulness. Proverbs 15:15 says, “The cheerful of heart has a continual feast.” How peaceful, delightful, and harmonious would our homes look and hearts feel, if we gave more time to gratitude at the table? This practice can be done, and in fact is probably one of the reasons the Early Church was so EFFECTIVE and ATTRACTIVE. Look at Acts 2:46, “They broke breads in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”

Turn your DINNER TABLE into a HOLY PLACE where love is received, where praise is declared, where prayer is offered, and where God is honored. God is in the table transforming business, creating a place of celebration and supplication. In Psalm 23:6 David thanks God, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”

Turn your table into a HOLY PLACE as you take time each day to:

- Say “thank you” to the people who made the meal.

- Pray together before the meal.

- Remember to ask God to help those who have deep hurts and bigtime needs.