The Feast

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 25:6-8 NIV)

Have you ever been to a really extravagant buffet?  I don't mean like at Golden Corral... but a buffet of the finest quality foods.  I remember a Mother's Day Brunch Buffet I went to many years ago.  It was fabulous.  The finest cuts of meat sliced to order in front of me.  Fresh vegetables cooked to perfection.  Breads and bakery items with aromas to make one swoon.  And the dessert line!!  Not to mention Mimosas and Sangrias and Bloody Marys.

I remember feeling overwhelmed.  There was no way a person could sample all of it.  What to choose?  I also remember thinking how wasteful it all was.  Though there were many people there, a tremendous amount of fantastic food would go to waste.  What about those who could not afford to attend such a fabulous buffet?  What about those who could not afford food at all?  I remember that those thoughts really put a damper on my experience.

One day though... one day God promises to equalize it all.  The age to come is often depicted as a great feast.  And we are ALL there... from the least of us to the greatest.  Only once there, there is no least and no greatest.  And there is plenty for everyone.  No lines.  No envy over someone getting better or more.  No guilt over having more or better than another.  And then there is the fabulous fellowship that goes with a fine feast.

For now though, we need to share our better and more with those who have less.  And we need to create that fellowship with "the least of these."  As I write these words I can't help but think of Holy Cross and our annual Project Matthew that puts groceries for a Thanksgiving meal into the hands of over 100 families each year.  I love being there when we distribute those groceries and meet the families and welcome them and serve them refreshments and pray with them over the life circumstances that brought them there to begin with.  It's a little taste of that feast to come... I'm sure of it.

Father,
Thank you for the little glimpses on earth that foretell the feast to come.  Amen.