Is life a comedy or a tragedy? Are we the hero or the victim? Or maybe the villain? Is the world descending into chaos and dystopia or are we on a path of ever-increasing prosperity and progress? The stories we tell orient us to our place in the world and our role in the story.
The Bible tells the story of a loving God and a messy people. There is a beginning and an end. Major themes of creation, redemption, and sanctification trace the arc of this grand narrative. And Jesus Christ is the center of it all – the great hero of the story who comes incognito to rescue and redeem his broken creation.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation
O God, you are the beginning, the middle, and the end. You are all in all. Lead me. Help me. Forgive me. Keep me from wandering and weariness. Keep my love ready and willing to serve You by serving others. Praise and honor be to You, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God now and forever. Amen.
Confession
O God, how can I believe without your help. I am filled with doubt. “What about . . . ?” “Is it really true?” “How do I really know you’re there? That you’re listening? That you care about me?” I confess with honesty all my fear and disbelief. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Melt me. Mold me. Fill me. Use me. I believe; help my unbelief.
Word: 2 Samuel 9:11,13
“So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons…And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.”
Meditation: Family by Susan Senechal
The last phrase of today’s Bible verse may tell us how the world saw Bo. And it may say everything there is about us too. “He was lame in both feet.” In this world, we are constantly reminded of our inadequacies…We are less than. Not worthy. We fall short. If it’s about an invitation to the feast, to be in the presence of the king, we don’t have a leg to stand on. Every day when we look in the mirror we are reminded that we are sinful and unclean.
Except Grace.
Except God.
Our king invites us to come to the table with him, not because of who we are, but whose we are. Like Bo, we are lame, broken. We have nothing to offer the king. And yet, Bo is offered a permanent seat at the king’s table, just as if he was the king’s son. The words of 1 John 3:1 remind us that the same invitation has been given to us. “See what great love the father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are.”
Lavish. It speaks of extravagance, great amounts, without limits. My dictionary says it’s from an old French word meaning “downpour.” God’s love is poured down on us lavishly, excessively. He so loved us that he sent his one and only son into the world, to take on the consequences of our sin…to die on the cross for us. And he so loves us that, because of Jesus, he invites us to feast at the table, his table, to be called his children.
Bo didn’t need to fear his past. And we cannot let the enemy tell us that we are unworthy. We can delight to sit at the king’s table all the days of our life, for we are children of the king, and he has prepared a place for us there.
And so our prayer today is also from Psalm 23. Thank you Jesus. Surely your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.
Benediction
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Amen. (Rom. 15:13)