Thursday, December 5, 2019
Isaiah 25:6-9
6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear.
7 And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
8 he will swallow up death for ever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
At God’s Table Together
When read Isaiah 25:6-9 I think first of the feast, especially just after Thanksgiving. I remember feasts of thanksgiving with my family and good friends from my childhood, my growing up and recently. I think of marriages and births and retirements and festivals. I love to cook, so I remember all the great things to eat I have prepared. I get excited thinking about what will be at the LORD’s table for eating…and then my mind turns to the reason for the celebration.
The LORD will swallow up death forever. In my lifetime I have been to many funerals. I remember many sad and suffering people lamenting their lost ones. I remember my parents losing their parents and some of their siblings. I think of my sister’s best friend in high school who died in a car accident. I remember my parents’ next-door neighbor dying from a brain tumor. There are so many people in my life who have suffered because of death. How exciting it will be to have this shroud lifted at the feast!
And finally, I think about who will be there. This is the great and final Eucharist so everyone will be attending! All the beloved and expected, but, also the lost or black sheep of the family. The cousin who has been in jail or the uncle who has gone astray will be at the table. But also, the unexpected; the ones we think should be excluded because the power of forgiveness is great and the LORD will not leave anyone behind. After all, Isaiah says all peoples and all nations and all faces. How dare we try to exclude anyone from such an awesome opportunity? Let us be glad and rejoice in God’s salvation!
Let us pray. LORD of creation who knows and prepares for all, teach us to love all your creation. Help us to think of others as we prepare for the coming of Christ, the light of the world. Amen.
Submitted by: Britton Warner