I was at a conference once where I didn’t know many people. I would often eat lunch or dinner with my new roommate, with whom I hit it off well, or with people who had just attended the same workshop. For breakfast I tended to find myself in the dining area alone. So, I did an experiment. One day I sat by myself in hopes that someone would join me, but no one did. Most of the people who came to the conference came with a group of others from their organizations or at least knew people from the same area where they served. Naturally, people would sit with people they already knew, excited to catch up on life. The organization my family serves with is tiny. We are their only cross-cultural workers in the country where we live, so I don’t have that built-in network.
It felt awkward eating my eggs and bacon alone. The next morning, I tried a new experiment. I noticed a table with just two ladies sitting at it and asked them if I could sit with them. They politely answered yes, but then carried on their conversation as if I wasn’t there. How awkward for everyone. I wished I had stuck to eating solo.
In Luke chapter 22, the disciples are arguing amongst themselves about who is the greatest. (We like to think we are above this practice, yet we frequently do give more attention to people with lots of followers). As Jesus loves to do, he flips the script, telling the disciples that they should not be seeking to be the greatest but to serve—following the example that he is setting by serving them. One day, he tells them, they will be invited to sit as honored guests at his table in heaven, eating and drinking and sitting on thrones. In Matthew 8:11, Jesus again talks about the feast that will take place with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Revelation 19:9 tells us, “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” (NIV).
I love the Thanksgiving holiday and the idea of filling up a plate piled with familiar favorites. My heart feels full getting to gather with family and friends that I don’t often see. I love long tables where everyone has a seat and joy and gratitude naturally fill the room. That’s what I picture when I think of the wedding supper of the Lamb—joy, fellowship, abundance.
I was just studying last week about the Feast of Tabernacles with my Bible study group. I never realized that this feast of Sukkot takes place during the autumn months. It is also a feast that celebrates harvest and God’s provision. Tables are set up outside in sukkahs, or booths, as a reminder of the times the Israelites lived in tents. People take off work, gather together, eat together, and it is a time of great joy. Isn’t that what sitting together at a table often does? It brings people closer, serves as a reminder of what truly matters, and naturally creates joy.
We haven’t always had a table in our home. Sometimes it’s been a mat on the floor or sitting on the couch with bowls balanced on our knees. But we gather, we slow down, we stop, and that’s where the magic of life happens—because gathering, being invited, and someone moving the unfolded laundry over to make space for you to sit down reminds you that you are welcome and loved.
You may be in the midst of a busy season of service. Chances are, a lot of the real work that you do goes unseen. The nature of cross-cultural life can leave you feeling like an outsider even in your passport country, but there is a seat waiting for you where you are fully seen and fully known. A seat has been saved for you at the greatest of all feasts. On days when you feel like a loner sitting awkwardly on the edges and wishing you could participate more in conversations, but your language skills aren’t there yet, remember that God cares. When you’re trying to stretch an already-thin budget to cook foods you didn’t grow up cooking, know that he knows. One day, the feast of abundance will taste so sweet. You are invited. Your seat is saved. You will be welcomed with open arms, able to rest at the table full of abundance and joy.
What does your current table look like? Has the way you eat meals changed?
