The image of a table is imbedded in so many metaphors and cliches in the English language:  We are going to have to table that.  He was paid under the table. She works to put food on the table. That topic is off the table. When will you put your cards on the table? It is important I have a seat at the table. What will they bring to the table? She is part of my kitchen table cabinet. It was surprising when the tables were turned. And so on...

A table can be a place where belonging is created and where generosity is extended.  During the month of November in the United States there is a focus on the Thanksgiving table.  Families and friends are developing invitation lists, confirming travel plans and creating menus for a Thanksgiving celebration.

In today’s gospel from Luke, Jesus tells a parable about a host inviting people to dine at his table.  Jesus shares the story of a man who planned a great dinner and dispatched his staff to reach out to all his invited guests (and we thought invitations that are not responded to was a contemporary dynamic).  Jesus shares that all the invited guests stated they were too busy to accept the host’s invitation due to a variety of circumstances, or perhaps excuses.  The host then instructs his staff to bring the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame to the table.  And they went beyond the town and welcomed people from the surrounding countryside.  Jesus uses this story to illustrate the statement: “Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.”  He is telling us to listen carefully for God’s invitation and to accept the invitation no matter what else we believe might need our attention instead.

We can use our plans for this year’s Thanksgiving to place ourselves in the parable that Jesus shared.  And we can also listen to the wisdom of Paul’s letter to the Romans that reminds us “We, though many, are one Body in Christ and individually parts of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them.”

As we prepare for Thanksgiving, could we look at the conflicts that emerge among our families and friends as perhaps rooted in our different gifts.  With a bit of grace and generosity could we appreciate another perspective? What would it take to extend an invitation to someone from the “highways and the hedgerows”? Could we dig deep to find shared values?  How can we celebrate our cherished memories and work together to enjoy new experiences?  How can we accept an invitation that might initially feel inconvenient as we have so many demands on our time?  Can we set down some of our earthly burdens for a moment to hear the voice of God in one another?

Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.  Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly.