Come to the table He’s prepared for you
The bread of forgiveness, the wine of release
Come to the table and sit down beside Him
The Savior wants you to join in the feast
Come to the table and see in His eyes
The love that the Father has spoken
And know you are welcome, whatever your crime
For every commandment you’ve broken
For He’s come to love you and not to condemn
And He offers a pardon of peace
If you’ll come to the table, you’ll feel in your heart
The greatest forgiveness, the greatest release
Michael Card – 1984
Both my brothers, my sister, and I joined my parents and many others Wednesday evening in Chattanooga for a meal of Thanksgiving. Sitting at my parents’ table may be the most happy and secure place on earth. There, my Mom and Dad have demonstrated more of the Father’s love than we will probably ever understand.
With a kind invitation from Taylor’s wife Emma and a bit of coaxing from me, Jim came off the streets for a day and joined two families for a wonderful meal on Thanksgiving Day. We all want Jim to repent, get clean, and reconcile with the Father… but Thursday we were satisfied to sit together around the same table.
Driving back to the city Thursday afternoon, Jim shared this: “I have a friend named Eric… a good guy, but he also struggles with addiction. One day I told him about my church… and he just broke down crying.” The reality of God’s people simply loving others without giving up… and without forgetting He first loved us… demonstrates more power than we will probably ever understand.
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8