Come and Be Thankful at the Table of the Lord

There is much to be thankful for as we gather at the table of the Lord today. It is not like the regular tables where we normally dine. At the table of the Lord all people are welcome, no matter how much money they have; no matter the things they have done in the past; no matter their ethnic background; or how pretty they are. It does not matter if you’re pretty, tan, or muscular. It does not matter if you are smart or slow. In the gospels, Christ is always eating with tax collectors and the sinners—he eats with people like you and me: people who’ve missed the mark and gotten it wrong; people who haven’t measured up; and people who have been left behind. Whatever your circumstances and regardless of your past, you are invited to eat with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords this morning. He announces the invitation in Isaiah 55:1: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”

But you can’t get to the table of the Lord on your own. The presence of God is very valuable and worth more than we can imagine. The price of being at the table with a holy God is perfect, holy, deeds and perfect, holy lives. Such a price tag makes even Bill Gates look like a pauper!—who can buy holiness? It doesn’t matter how much your portfolio is worth because a ticket to the table of the Lord is simply beyond the budget. This is why only the guests of Christ are seated at this table. A seat at the table of our Lord is, as Paul said in Romans, a “free gift.” All you have to do is humbly accept the invitation from Jesus. You have to stop trying to feed yourself with your own devices for happiness and let Christ feed you. Christ beckons you now to come home to the greatest feast ever prepared; he begs you to follow him home for a meal. No dinner invitation that you will ever receive is more wonderful and more satisfying. No dinner on earth is more “prestigious” and yet so available. Relationship with God is open to all people because of the table that Jesus Christ has set out for us. This relationship is real food for our spiritual bodies and causes us to become real people, full of real life, and real love. Let’s gather together at the Lord’s Table and be thankful for all that he is doing.

-Matt Tapie

A Grateful Heart

Occasionally my birthday falls on Thanksgiving. Now, I don’t mind that a bit, but as a kid, at times I wasn’t too happy about it. In fact, one year, I believed it made my birthday the worst birthday ever. As a young girl, I imagined the perfect cake to be decorated with lovely flowers, velvety red roses of rich, sweet frosting, gently connected by lacing lines of green. The “Happy Birthday” would be in a curly script—perfectly penned.

Well, one year, on the day of Thanksgiving, my mom brought in my cake, the candles aglow on top. She lowered it to the table just in front of me. My eyes stared in disbelief at the design before me, composed of browns, orange, red, green, and black. My mom and dad had surprised me with a turkey cake! A turkey cake! That Thanksgiving I wasn’t giving thanks. I can’t tell you the effort it took not to burst into tears. How could they have done that?! How could they have thought I would have enjoyed such a thing?!

I wish I could say I came to my senses soon after, realizing they had probably gone to the bakery and determined this was the perfect cake for the Thanksgiving birthday girl. Maybe they had even special ordered it. Maybe my mom couldn’t wait to see my face when she presented her clever find . . . Such considerations, however, I must confess, were years in coming. I was really sour about that day. And, I really missed out on the celebration.

As an adult, I want to look beyond the physical aspect of a gift and treasure the fact that someone gave me something to let me know I’m cared about, thought about, loved. This is something we diligently try to teach our children. Show appreciation. Say “thank you.” Take time to value the gesture. Share the giver’s joy. As we enter this season of giving, give generously and receive appreciatively. All of us can benefit from cultivating a grateful heart.

CTL

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts . . . And be thankful. ~Colossians 3: 15~

Between the Living and the Dead

Numbers Chapter 16 is a very weird chapter of the Bible. There is a rebellion in this chapter, and the earth literally opens up and swallows a bunch of people. After that, a plague hits the people, and 14,700 people die. More people would have died if Aaron had not stood in between the living and the dead. Imagine that scene...the High Priest steps in and literally stands between the living and the dead. We don't have to look too hard as Christians to see a sermon there!

In the beginning of the chapter there is an interesting part where the people tell Moses, "You've gone too far!" They stand up to their God-given leader and tell him, "We've had enough, and we are taking charge!" Moses says, "No, you have gone too far!" I love the language there. It sounds like a modern-day English argument might sound, not an ancient Hebrew revolt. The language seems very flippant and informal.

In this chapter we learn some things about "standing in the Gap." In many ways, thanks to Jesus coming and standing in the gap for us (that huge gap between the living and the dead), we are now granted the privilege that the rebellious people wanted. We are all priests. Peter tells us as much in the New Testament when he speaks about the priesthood of all believers.

What does that mean? Are we plagued (to borrow a term from Numbers 16) with a tendency to "Go too far" or are we plagued with the opposite problem of not going far enough? It’s hard to know, but we can learn a lot about ourselves and about human nature by reading Numbers chapter 16.

Mark

Just the Hem of a Garment

The closing verses of Numbers chapter 15 can easily slip by unnoticed. They are about God telling the Israelites to tie tassels on the ends of their garments. He tells them to tie seven strands of white and then one strand of blue. It is really a fairly meaningless group of verses to Christians.

Yet the people of Israel throughout the centuries have seen great importance in these few verses. The tassels, known as tzitziot (fringes) became, through traditions of various rabbis, very detailed in the way in which the tassels were tied and how they were to be worn. The pattern and its numbers seem like something straight out of the TV show “Lost.” 7, 8, 11, 13…those are the numbers that are required. The Tzitziot were to be tied to a garment which is known as the tallit, which must have four corners and is to be “big enough to cover the infant who is old enough to walk.”

The important thing here is the tassels, not the garment that holds them; yet, the tallit became a huge part of the faithful Jew’s life and remains so to this day. The tallit, which can be any color but is traditionally blue and white, is the inspiration for the modern-day Israeli flag. It is said that two Zionists laid down their tallits and made a flag.

When Jesus gives instructions on prayer he says, “Go to your closet and pray…” This word that is translated as “closet” is the same word that is used to refer to the process of kneeling and pulling the tallit over one’s body to create a personal “tent”. We see this all the time on the news and in the media when we see Muslims and orthodox Jews at their times of prayer. The same process in scripture is referred to as being “under the wings of the Lord.”

This week we will look at this tradition briefly and talk about the significance we see in scripture of the “hems of garments.”

Mark

He Hears Every Word (Part 2)

I prayed as I always did for Aaron to be able to speak clearly one day . . .And now, about four years later, we are so thankful for Aaron’s progress. The wonderful teachers, skilled therapists, and Aaron’s own willingness to keep trying are such good gifts from God. To hear Aaron singing--oh, my heart soars! I can’t help but “praise Him from whom all blessings flow . . .”

There must be a moment of realization in anything we bring to God that He truly wants what is best for us. A moment when we surrender to His will. A moment when we choose to trust him whatever the outcome, whatever the answer to our prayers.

I vividly remember Samuel and my “what if” conversations. Imagining the future for a child who could not speak, we held on to the truth of God’s goodness: “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8: 28). What awesome assurance to know that the Creator of heaven and earth wants you to call on Him, wants you to bring all before Him, wants you to know He loves you, and wants you to believe what He has said: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4: 6)

Does he who implanted the ear not hear? (Psalm 94:9a)

Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. (Isaiah 65: 24)

Our “happy ending” in this is not just seeing our dreams come true (for other prayers have been and will be answered in ways other than we might prefer), but also the peace we have experienced every step of the way, knowing God desires the best for us, and when we pray, He hears every word.

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He Hears Every Word (Part 1)

Something just happened that caused me to stop in mid-step and praise God for his amazing answers to prayer. What was this extraordinary event? Aaron just bounded up the stairs shouting, “Mommy, I have to ask you something. Do you want any eggs?” I replied, “Yes, I do. Thanks for asking.” A simple exchange and yet one that seems almost miraculous to me. You see, there was a time when we realized that Aaron might never talk.

Sometimes children with a motor planning disorder such as his never become primarily verbal communicators. He began learning signs around age two to help him communicate his needs, and in fact, had created some of his own before then. One sunny afternoon, Aaron and I ran into some neighborhood children up near the playground by our home. Aaron was just over two years old at the time, and variations on a “ba” sound were about all he produced. We knew there were meanings behind these vocalizations even though we couldn’t always figure them out. Still, to most people, they were just “baa, ba, bah.” One of the children laughed and said, “Why does he talk like that? He sounds like a sheep!” Thankfully Aaron did not understand that he was being made fun of. He had been having too good a time playing.

That night I prayed for him to have strength not to be wounded or discouraged by such remarks if he were to grow without being able to speak. I prayed that others who got to know him would see his humor, his enthusiasm, and tender heart. I prayed for him to receive skills needed to communicate in whatever way possible. I thanked God for the incredible gift of our son. I praised Him for the chance to be a mother. Then I prayed as I always did for Aaron to be able to speak clearly one day . . .

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