"I'm carried to the table of the Lord."
Leeland "Carried to the Table"
My family, much like a lot of families, has there traditions at holidays. During the Thanksgiving holiday there is one tradition that always has and always will hold true in our household. This tradition is something that we can always count on. In fact I bet a lot of you will relate to this tradition. In our house there is always two tables when we eat. There is the grown-up table and the little kids table. The grown-up table is pretty self-explanatory. The kiddy table was something that you wanted to get away from because it meant you were separated away from the people you knew the best, your parents. We always wanted to get off the kiddy table and onto the grown-up table.
If you are under the age of about twelve, in our family you will eat at the little kids table during the Thanksgiving meal. You can cry, yell, kick and scream all you want but if you are under twelve than you stay at that little kids' table. I remember when I was old enough to finally sit at the table with the grownups. My parents came to me and gave me permission to get my plate and move up to the big leagues with them. In fact there was even a name tag on my spot. I don't think I could have been any more happy and thankful for anything else in the world. This was it, everything I had wanted. I was so absolutely grateful to be sitting there with the adults.
The one thing I didn't realize as a pre-teen sitting at the table with all of the adults is that I still didn't belong. What I mean is that I didn't understand most of the conversation and all of the jokes went right over my head, but something made it all better. My seat at the table was right next to my dad. I got to sit in the one spot that made me feel comfortable. No matter what was said that I may have missed out on, it was ok because my dad made me feel safe and like I belonged. That is a Thanksgiving memory that I will always remember and be thankful for in my life.
Our position with our Heavenly Father is a lot like the tradition of the "grown-up" table on Thanksgiving. The reality is we don't belong at the table with our Father. We don't deserve to be in the presence of God. We are sinners, separated from God.
Our blessing, our gift is that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and destruction of death means that we don't have to EARN a seat at God's table, we are invited to a seat right next to our Father. Not only are we seated next to Him, but we can sit there blameless in the His sight. Jesus took the blame on Himself. We don't deserve grace, it's not something we can earn, but Christ offers us grace because of how much He is so in love with us as His children. He doesn't want His children, NOT ONE, separated from Him away from His table. He offers us all a seat at the table of the Lord, blameless.
I hope that this Thanksgiving you will know that you have a Father who wants you to sit right next to Him at His table. He wants to celebrate with you forever. I hope that you can be thankful for the grace you don't deserve, you haven't earned but that is freely given because of a savior who is madly and passionately in love with His children.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!
Thought question: What are you TRULY thankful for this Thanksgiving? Have you found your seat at your Father's table? He wants you to sit right next to Him.
