Friday, April 13, 2012

An Invitation to Dine


“God, who gets invited to dinner at your place? How do we get on the guest list?” Psalm 15:1 (MSG)

I am not a huge fan of eating at people’s homes. The reason is simple; I am a picky eater and rarely is fixed anything I like. I do not want to hurt my host’s feelings after they have gone to so much work by not eating what is fixed, but…. Sometimes I can get away with it if my husband is with me; by covertly placing “whatever” on his plate (he is definitely not as selective as me). But, he is not always able to be with me. Sometimes the host really knows me and fixes me something special and invites me to dine with them. What joy to participate and to truly be invited to dine.

I love to be invited. Who doesn’t? A Nazarene pastor, Charles Widmeyer wrote a song and the first verse and refrain so eloquently invite us to the Lord’s table:

Jesus has a table spread where the saints of God are fed
He invites his chosen people come and dine
With his manna he doth feed and supplies our every need
Oh tis sweet to sup with Jesus all the time.

Come and dine the Master calleth come and dine
You may feast at Jesus table all the time
He who fed the multitude turned the water into wine
To the hungry calleth now come and dine.


“And Jesus said to them ‘Come and dine’” (John 21:1a). We are invited to come and dine at the banquet table, a meal of which we cannot even conceive of the bounty and goodness waiting for us. How hungry are you today? We can be fed by the Master. Revelations 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me.” Just open the door and be fed.

Digging deeper: John 10:9; Luke 14:15-24