Happy Wednesday!

I am at home with my feet up relaxing from a wonderfully long day. Today, I, with the help of my wonderful husband and great kids, prepared dinner for 64 people at our church. Tonight was the first of our Lenten dinners. It was a great deal of fun and I think everyone enjoyed the meal and the fellowship.

Prayer: “Father, I recognize You as the source of every good and perfect gift in my life. Thank you for the freedom I enjoy in Jesus Christ and the relief of resting in Your grace. Increase my capacity to love fellow believers as an expression of worship to You. As a living sacrifice, I gladly forsake anything that would bring reproach upon Your name. Amen.”

Romans 14: 21-23 “It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith, for whatever is not from faith is sin.”

This is an interesting passage of scripture for tonight as I prepared 20 pounds of pork tenderloin glazed with Captain Morgan Spiced Rum Sauce to serve at church!

But here is what I discovered as I prepared this meal and watched as it was served. Bruce, Geni and Travis served the meal from warming pans and I replenished the pans as needed. When I had to walk out and tell my family that this was all of the food I found myself praying my prayer of “enough.” We had only 36 people sign up to attend the meal and 64 people ate. Our family waited until 6:45 before we sat down to eat.

Our goal was to get everyone who walked through the door fed and satisfied before worship at 7:00. We even had one person come in at 7:15 needing to eat. We served him and had two pieces of roast, one serving of potatoes and one serving of green beans left. Once again God provided enough even to the one who was late and all were fed and satisfied.

I think that is what the table of grace is about with one exception (and it is a biggie). As I am praying for there to just be enough and wondering what we would do if we had three people walk in with two pieces of meat left, God’s table of grace always has enough places to sit and and enough food to dine on for all eternity. God does not need to pray for enough at the table, for He provided the gift for all eternity in the death and resurrection of Jesus. And even if there is a late comer to the table there is not only enough, but there is abundance. When the late comer arrived, we greeted him just as we had greeted the first guests and prepared his plate just as if he had been in the first group of diners. His food was not cold nor was it in need of re-heating.

I think I have shared this with you because the woman who came up with this idea of our special Lenten meals has named our church kitchen Heaven’s Kitchen. And maybe tonight I learned just a bit about what the table will be like in heaven.

Take joy in the journey. Happy dining! Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Remember someone is always fighting some sort of battle. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.