When the hour came, [Jesus] took his place at the table, and the apostles with him.  Luke 22:14

 When our son was young, we received a dinner invitation from friends. Assuming that the invitation included our son, we brought him with us. When we arrived, the host and hostess warmly welcomed us into their apartment. As we settled in, I noticed only four settings at the dinner table.

After a time of warm fellowship, our hostess invited all of us to the table. I noticed that she had added a setting. Quietly she had made room for our son. Although she had not included him in her invitation, as we had assumed, she wanted him to be included at the table. She never mentioned to us the error in our assumption.

Over the years since then, I have thought about how Jesus made room at the table for all of his disciples. He did not exclude from the table Judas, who would later betray him, or Peter, who would soon deny him three times. Instead, Jesus included all of the disciples in his Passover meal, knowing full well that later they would desert him in order to save their own lives. This helps me to see that if God made a place for all of them, then there is also a place at God’s table for you and me.

God of grace and glory, thank you for inviting and welcoming all of us to your table. Amen.