December 1/First Wednesday of Advent
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples
A feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines. ~ Isa 25.6
At this season of the year, with Thanksgiving dinner in the rearview mirror (barely!) and the Christmas meal looming, we may find ourselves spending a lot of time preparing feasts. We iron the linens, polish the silver, scour food-stained cookbooks for special recipes, and ready the traditional family favorites (in my household, the Southern biscuits and homemade cranberry sauce, tangy cheese bennes and the special Christmas lemon dessert). We may upgrade the wine selection, decorate the table with beautiful flowers, light elegant tapered candles. In short, we go the extra mile for those we love, family members and friends, wanting them to feel valued in and through our hospitality. That generous self-giving is at the heart of today’s passage from Isaiah – and is carried forward, too, in Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd,” and in the Gospel story of the loaves and fishes. God offers his abundant love to those whom he loves – which, as Isaiah tells us, iseveryone. God does not limit his scope to those he knows. He does not choose his guests, as we may, on the basis of their accomplishments, or social status, or wealth. Nor does he withhold his love, as we may, from disapproved groups or people who hold contrary opinions. No, the feast that the Lord of hosts provides will be for all peoples, and God will spare no expense, furnishing not only rich food and choice wines, but as the Hebrew has it, rich food “full of marrow” and choice wines that are “well refined.” The generous love of the Lord is boundless, and he invites each of us to his table each week, each day, each hour, for his life-giving feast. Likewise, we are called to embody that spirit of hospitality as we seek to spread the good news of Christ’s coming in the world.
Generous Lord, Grant that I may extend a welcoming hand to all I encounter, sharing your abundant love far and wide. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120121.cfm
To hear the Choir of Washington National Cathedral sing “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I_hAhyzhfU
