The Upper Daily Devotional of The United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Christ’s Table" for Sunday, 1 October 2017 - Read Matthew 22:1-14

The Upper Daily Devotional of The United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Christ’s Table" for Sunday, 1 October 2017 - Read Matthew 22:1-14
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Matthew 22:1 Yeshua again used parables in speaking to them: 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son, 3 but when he sent his slaves to summon the invited guests to the wedding, they refused to come. 4 So he sent some more slaves, instructing them to tell the guests, ‘Look, I’ve prepared my banquet, I’ve slaughtered my bulls and my fattened cattle, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding!’ 5 But they weren’t interested and went off, one to his farm, another to his business; 6 and the rest grabbed his slaves, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was furious and sent his soldiers, who killed those murderers and burned down their city.
8 “Then he said to his slaves, ‘Well, the wedding feast is ready; but the ones who were invited didn’t deserve it. 9 So go out to the street-corners and invite to the banquet as many as you find.’ 10 The slaves went out into the streets, gathered all the people they could find, the bad along with the good; and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 “Now when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who wasn’t dressed for a wedding; so he asked him, 12 ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him outside in the dark!’ In that place people will wail and grind their teeth, 14 for many are invited, but few are chosen.”
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The psalmist wrote, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” (Psalm 23:5 (NIV))
Who of us is willing to invite total strangers to a meal? Usually, we surround ourselves with friends — people who see the world like we do. Yet Psalm 23:5 puts us in the uncomfortable position of table fellowship with our enemies.
Today’s quoted verse reminds us that it’s not our party. Christ is our host; he decides who gets a seat at his table. Christ invites people who don’t look like us, sound like us, or even believe exactly the way we do. Seated around Christ’s table are the poor and the rich, people of every political persuasion, men and women of different skin colors and different languages.
So, Christ has offered us this seat at a table filled with both friends and foes. Each of us must decide either to hold on to animosity, or, out of love for our Host, to seek reconciliation with the guests we wouldn’t have invited! As we share the meal, we learn to love those whom Christ loves.
This World Communion Sunday, may we learn to live in peace with all God’s people as we celebrate the mystery of Christ’s presence with us at the table.
The Author: Kevin L. Thomas (Alabama, USA)
Thought for the Day: God calls me to see people through the eyes of Christ.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, teach us to love the way you do so that we may help to invite people to your table. Amen.
Prayer focus: Our enemies
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