Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour of Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "Room for One More" Monday, 8 June 2015

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour of Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "Room for One More" Monday, 8 June 2015 

(Jesus said) "A king... sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast." But they paid no attention and went off ... Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests."[Matthew 22:4b-5a, 8-10]
Can you tell me what can eat 50 pounds of ham or ten turkeys?
Although you may have come up with a right answer, it probably isn't the answer I'm looking for in this devotion. The answer I want to hear is "a Zanger family get-together."
You probably don't know the Zangers, so allow me to make an introduction. We begin with Quincy, Illinois, residents Leo and Ruth, who have been married for 59 years. Leo and Ruth are in love and that love has produced 12 children.
Those children also have taken seriously the Lord's command to be "fruitful and multiply," (see Genesis 1:28), which is just a fancy way of saying Ruth and Leo have 53 grandchildren, 45 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Now if you are doing the math, this means the Zangers now have 99 grand, great-grand, and great-great-grandchildren. Actually, the recent birth of Jaxton Leo Zanger, makes it an even 100.
Speaking about the 100, Leo says, "We just love them all."
And the Zangers do have opportunities to love them all. The Zangers have five "mandatory" holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day, and Father's Day. Having so many people in a private residence is a violation of fire codes, so the group usually rents a church hall for their celebrations: galas where they consume the aforementioned mass quantities of ham and turkey.
Now that's all interesting stuff, but the thing which most intrigued me was Ruth's statement: "There's always room for one more."
Can you imagine ... 100-plus people coming together ... and hoping to get a few more!
It almost sounds like the king in the Savior's parable; indeed, it almost sounds like our Lord. Loving us all, the Lord wants everyone to come to His banquet table. So the world might be saved is why He sent His Son into the world. So the world might be saved is why Jesus fulfilled the Law, kept the Commandments, resisted Satan's temptations, and gave His life on the cross. His third-day resurrection from the dead says the work of getting the banquet ready is done.
The celebration is prepared, and it's time for the guests to show up.
So that might happen, the Lord sends out His servants: that's you, me, your church, your Synod, LWML, and Lutheran Hour Ministries. God is our King who loves us and He has told us, "Make sure the invitation to faith and heaven is heard by everyone."
It's a job we're glad to do. After all, at God's table there's always room for one more.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, Jesus has done the work, and You have prepared places in heaven for the sinners of this world, who are called to forgiveness and faith. May we do all we can to make sure the message is heard by all those around us. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
Psalms 143:0) A psalm of David:

(1) Adonai, hear my prayer;

listen to my pleas for mercy.

In your faithfulness, answer me,

and in your righteousness.

2 Don’t bring your servant to trial,

since in your sight no one alive

would be considered righteous.

3 For an enemy is pursuing me;

he has crushed my life into the ground

and left me to live in darkness,

like those who have been long dead.

4 My spirit faints within me;

my heart is appalled within me.

5 I remember the days of old,

reflecting on all your deeds,

thinking about the work of your hands.

6 I spread out my hands to you,

I long for you like a thirsty land. (Selah)

7 Answer me quickly, Adonai,

because my spirit is fainting.

Don’t hide your face from me,

or I’ll be like those who drop down into a pit.

8 Make me hear of your love in the morning,

because I rely on you.

Make me know the way I should walk,

because I entrust myself to you.

9 Adonai, rescue me from my enemies;

I have hidden myself with you.

10 Teach me to do your will,

because you are my God;

Let your good Spirit guide me

on ground that is level.

11 For your name’s sake, Adonai, preserve my life;

in your righteousness, bring me out of distress.

12 In your grace, cut off my enemies;

destroy all those harassing me;

because I am your servant.

144:(0) By David:

(1) Blessed be Adonai, my rock,

who trains my hands for war

and my fingers for battle.

2 He shows me grace; and he is my fortress,

my stronghold, in whom I find shelter,

my shield, in whom I take refuge,

who subdues my people under me.

3 Adonai, what are mere mortals,

that you notice them at all;

humans, that you think about them?

4 Man is like a puff of wind,

his days like a fleeting shadow.

5 Adonai, lower the heavens, and come down;

touch the mountains, make them pour out smoke.

6 Shoot out lightning, and scatter them;

send out your arrows, and rout them.

7 Reach out your hands from on high;

rescue me; save me out of deep water,

out of the power of strangers,

8 whose mouths speak worthless words

and whose right hands swear false oaths.

9 God, I will sing a new song to you;

sing praises to you with a ten-stringed harp.

10 You give kings their victories;

you save your servant David from the cruel sword.

11 Rescue me, save me from the power of strangers,

whose mouths speak worthless words

and whose right hands swear false oaths.

12 Our sons in their youth will be

like full-grown saplings,

our daughters will be like sculptured pillars

fit for the corner of a palace.

13 Our barns are full with crops of every kind;

the sheep in our fields number thousands, tens of thousands.

14 our oxen are well-fed,

our city walls have no breach,

our people are not taken captive,

and there are no cries of protest in our cities’ open places.

15 How happy the people who live in such conditions!

How happy the people whose God is Adonai!

145:(0) Praise. By David:

(1) I will praise you to the heights, my God, the king;

I will bless your name forever and ever.

2 Every day I will bless you;

I will praise your name forever and ever.

3 Great is Adonai and greatly to be praised;

his greatness is beyond all searching out.

4 Each generation will praise your works to the next

and proclaim your mighty acts.

5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor

of your majesty and on the story of your wonders.

6 People will speak of your awesome power,

and I will tell of your great deeds.

7 They will gush forth the fame of your abounding goodness,

and they will sing of your righteousness.

8 Adonai is merciful and compassionate,

slow to anger and great in grace.

9 Adonai is good to all;

his compassion rests on all his creatures.

10 All your creatures will thank you, Adonai,

and your faithful servants will bless you.

11 They will speak of the glory of your kingship,

and they will tell about your might;

12 to let everyone know of your mighty acts

and the glorious majesty of your kingship.

13 Your kingship is an everlasting kingship,

your reign continues through all generations.

14 Adonai supports all who fall

and lifts up all who are bent over.

15 The eyes of all are looking to you;

you give them their food at the right time.

16 You open your hand

and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 Adonai is righteous in all his ways,

full of grace in all he does.

18 Adonai is close to all who call on him,

to all who sincerely call on him.

19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he hears their cry and saves them.

20 Adonai protects all who love him,

but all the wicked he destroys.

21 My mouth will proclaim the praise of Adonai;

all people will bless his holy name forever and ever.

John 18:1 After Yeshua had said all this, he went out with his talmidim across the stream that flows in winter through the Vadi Kidron, to a spot where there was a grove of trees; and he and his talmidim went into it. 2 Now Y’hudah, who was betraying him, also knew the place; because Yeshua had often met there with his talmidim. 3 So Y’hudah went there, taking with him a detachment of Roman soldiers and some Temple guards provided by the head cohanim and the P’rushim; they carried weapons, lanterns and torches. 4 Yeshua, who knew everything that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Whom do you want?” 5 “Yeshua from Natzeret,” they answered. He said to them, “I AM.” Also standing with them was Y’hudah, the one who was betraying him. 6 When he said, “I AM,” they went backward from him and fell to the ground. 7 So he inquired of them once more, “Whom do you want?” and they said, “Yeshua from Natzeret.” 8 “I told you, ‘I AM,’” answered Yeshua, “so if I’m the one you want, let these others go.” 9 This happened so that what he had said might be fulfilled, “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”

10 Then Shim‘on Kefa, who had a sword, drew it and struck the slave of the cohen hagadol, cutting off his right ear; the slave’s name was Melekh. 11 Yeshua said to Kefa, “Put your sword back in its scabbard! This is the cup the Father has given me; am I not to drink it?”

12 So the detachment of Roman soldiers and their captain, together with the Temple Guard of the Judeans, arrested Yeshua, tied him up, 13 and took him first to ‘Anan, the father-in-law of Kayafa, who was cohen gadol that fateful year. 14 (It was Kayafa who had advised the Judeans that it would be good for one man to die on behalf of the people.) 15 Shim‘on Kefa and another talmid followed Yeshua. The second talmid was known to the cohen hagadol, and he went with Yeshua into the courtyard of the cohen hagadol; 16 but Kefa stood outside by the gate. So the other talmid, the one known to the cohen hagadol, went back out and spoke to the woman on duty at the gate, then brought Kefa inside. 17 The woman at the gate said to Kefa, “Aren’t you another of that man’s talmidim?” He said, “No, I’m not.” 18 Now the slaves and guards had lit a fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it warming themselves; Kefa joined them and stood warming himself too.

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