Our reading for today from the prophet Isaiah discusses what the Lord will do in days to come. One particular verse caught my eye because of its relevance for the contemporary church. “On this mountain,” says the prophet, “the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow…” (Isaiah 25:6). This is one of the passages in Isaiah that has come to represent the Messianic hope which the church associates with Jesus Christ. In fact, in Luke we read very similar words: “People will come from east and west, north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:29).
The first thing to catch the readers eye may be the quality of the food that is promised, “a feast of rich food…filled with marrow.” This is no fast food or carry-out, this is good stuff, the kind of meal that one associates with a full life. But I think we should also notice who it is that will be invited to this feast. The Lord will prepare this sumptuous dinner “for all peoples.” The Hebrew word used here for “peoples” usually means “all humankind.” The promise then, seems to be without distinction. Everyone will have the opportunity to share in the feast, to be a part of what God is doing.
On the one hand this may lead us to images of workers hired late in the day and paid for a full day’s labor, or of prodigal sons welcomed home, or of fights over who reclines where at a meal. But the image is certainly intended to be one of a joyous family reunion, tables heaped high with tasty dishes which we share with relatives we may never have met. So we look forward with great hope to that day when all the earth will see and understand the glory of God and life will be what it was always intended to be.
Prayer: God of hosts, give us patience as we await the coming of your kingdom and help us to welcome others in the meantime as we prepare for that day. Amen.
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