A bigger table
by Pastor Reid Matthias
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If, then, God gave [the Gentiles] the same gift that he also gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God? (Acts 11:17)
I vividly remember the ringing of the phone.
It was annoying because I was young and hungry. On the table in front of us was the holiday turkey, the potatoes, and all the trimmings. The smell made us salivate, and all that I wanted to do was dig in.
But the phone interrupted our hunger. It was the fire department, and a local house had caught on fire. My grandfather and my uncle were volunteer firefighters; thus, they were called into action even though dinner was on the table.
So, we waited, staring at the food, hoping that they’d hurry up. And then the phone rang again. This time it was my grandfather. My grandma’s face was serious. She nodded a few times and then said, ‘Well, bring them over. There’s plenty to eat and plenty of room’.
She cradled the phone and then announced to everyone that Grandpa and Uncle Dale were bringing home the family whose house had just burned. I looked at the table, stacked with food, but already stuffed with chairs and I thought, There’s no room for anyone else.
Almost as if reading my thoughts, Grandma said, ‘It’s alright, everyone, there’s always more room at the table’.
So it was for the first believers in Christ. The feast had been served. All the good gifts of heaven are displayed before the Jewish Christians who wanted to keep the meal for themselves. God had another thing in mind:
There is always more room at my table.
God’s welcome to the meal, which is a foretaste of the feast to come, is open to all people regardless of past or even present.
How have you felt God’s grace opened to you?
Thank you, Jesus, for giving me eyes to see a grace larger than I could have ever imagined. Help me enjoy the gift. Amen.
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