Banquets here and there, now and then....

Today is Thanksgiving. We still have the same wonderful family tradition that we did when Duane last ate Thanksgiving dinner with us, and that is that the whole family gathers at my sister and brother-in-law’s house. (This picture of Duane was taken on Thanksgiving Day in 2000 at Aunt Sally and Uncle John's house.)  I will bring baked squash and pecan pie. Actually, two pecan pies, because last winter in Florida, I bought a bottle of orange syrup, and on the side of the bottle is a recipe for Orange Pecan Pie, so I made that and a traditional Southern Pecan Pie, as my recipe books call it. There will also be pumpkin pies, apple pies and various other desserts, along with all the other wonderful things - turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and numerous delectable side dishes.

In my mind, and through my photo albums, I can go back through the years and visit Thanksgivings past. I can see my grandparents and parents, back in the days when we were much younger and much more carefree. And then I like to wonder and ponder about what our loved ones in Heaven are doing on a day like this. I'm sure it's way beyond anything that we can imagine!

This makes me think of a banquet described in the Bible. Isaiah chapter 25 describes God’s banquet for His servants in verses 6 through 9. The Living Bible says “Here on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, the Lord of Hosts will spread a wondrous feast for everyone around the world - a delicious feast of good food, with clear, well-aged wine and choice beef. (Another version says “finest meat.”) At that time he will remove the cloud of gloom, the pall of death that hangs over the earth; he will swallow up death forever. The Lord God will wipe away all tears and take away forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken - he will surely do it! In that day the people will proclaim, ‘This is our God, in whom we trust, for whom we waited. Now at last he is here.’ What a day of rejoicing!”

The Amplified Bible adds that this feast is symbolical of His coronation festival inaugurating the reign of the Lord on earth, after the background of gloom, judgment and terror. Jesus talked about a magnificent feast too. In Matthew 22:2, He said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son.” If you read the story in the next few verses, you will find that the king ended up inviting everyone, but not everyone wanted to come.

Just think of all the wonderful feasts that are going on around our nation today. What a perfect day to think about the feast that the Lord All-Powerful, who is also our Father God, will put on for His Son. It will make all of our feasts, no matter how abundant, pale in comparison, and we are all invited.