The Feast

Luke 14:15 – When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." (NIV)

My children's eyes widened as they looked at the array of sandwiches, sweets, and cakes on the table. I read the questioning looks as each of the girls searched my face to see how many cookies they were allowed to have. We had been invited for tea. An invitation to come for tea in Canada usually means a cup of tea with a simple biscuit or cookie, but this was a feast! There were twenty-one kinds of sweets; several choices of breads, scones, and sandwiches; and large pots of tea ready to be poured into delicate china cups.

At the time, we were visiting my husband's aunt in Scotland. Even though my husband had assured me that tea was more like a meal, I still think his aunt had prepared a little extra in honour of the visit from her Canadian nephew.

This feast reminded me of another one recorded immediately following today's Scripture from Luke. Here Jesus told of a certain man who was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant out to invite the guests in to partake of the feast, but they all made excuses as to why they couldn't come. One asked to be excused as he was buying real estate, another was in the midst of purchasing some farm equipment, and another man wanted his honeymoon more than he wanted to eat at the banquet.

It is my prayer that we will not be too busy to accept Christ's invitation to come and partake of the feast He has prepared for those who have accepted His invitation.

Prayer: Dear God, we have so many stresses and requests for our time. Help us to be able to identify the really important things in our lives. Particularly, help us to make our time with You a priority. Amen.