The Wisdom of the Sabbath Table

In Proverbs it describes Wisdom as a woman who has set a table for all those who seek her. Wisdom says, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.” That table is here. Here you are learning wisdom by giving thanks week after week. One of the things that we are seeking to build is a covenant community characterized by joyful Sabbath living. This Sabbath living starts here at the table of Wisdom, the table of Thanksgiving and joy where God invites us to his banqueting table and rejoices over us, his people. But because we have been invited here on this day, we keep this day as a feast day in our homes and with one another. We cannot leave this place and go back into the world as though this day is like all the rest of the days of the week. This is the Lord’s Day, the day on which God has met with us, assured us of his love and blessing, and feasted us at his table. That is why many of us seek to have our best dinners Saturday night or Sunday afternoon or evening, as a reflection of this feast, a recognition that God has blessed us with forgiveness and salvation, this covenant family, and so many other good things. We set out our best dishes and linens, chocolate and wine, all the best of what God has blessed us with. Because God feasts us here, we cannot help but go and live out this Eucharistic joy in our homes and families. While the Lord’s Day is the pinnacle of our week and worship at this table is our center, our entire lives should be characterized by this Eucharistic joy, this thanksgiving joy. This is the feast of wisdom. You cannot work like a godless pagan because you have rejoiced at the table of the Lord. You cannot snap at your children or harp on your spouse. You have feasted with the Lord. You cannot hold grudges or cling to bitterness; Jesus rejoices over you. This is of course nothing but the kindness and blessing and grace of the Triune God. And this is how the Triune God plans to overrun the world with his mercy and grace: people coming to this meal in faith, trusting Jesus, and rejoicing in Him. This is the wisdom of God. So come, eat and drink, and give thanks.