What’s your favorite Christmas comfort food, the go-to holiday treat you can’t wait to dive into? Is it the spread of homemade cookies: snickerdoodles, gingerbread snaps, and those irresistible rice crispy treats? Maybe it’s the popcorn; you know, the caramel and cheese kind that comes in that giant tin. Or perhaps you’re more into the savory stuff: grandma’s glazed ham, your husband’s famous sweet potato casserole. When it comes to food, there really is no place like home during the holidays.
It’s a fitting way that Scripture speaks of the arrival of Jesus with images of food and feasting. God’s people–who’ve been entrenched in a centuries-long struggle with conquest, exile, and the fallout of their unfaithfulness are called to envision a day when the promised Savior-King finally arrives. According to Isaiah, this King will come with an invitation to a marketplace overflowing with life-giving nourishment, a buffet of truly satisfying foods. “Come, everyone who thirsts,” the prophet proclaims (Isa. 55:1).
Throughout time the religious thought of mankind has been centered on the fact that mankind must somehow strive for salvation, to earn your place at the table of your god. That’s what makes the work of Isaiah King so astounding. Isaiah tells us, “Come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isa. 55:1–2). How can this be? Is it free because it’s worthless? No–it’s free because it’s already been paid for. No payment is needed, assumed, or accepted. It’s a gift, plain and simple. Its amazing Grace.
It’s true, isn’t it? You long to be right with God, to be seen, known, and approved by the One who made you. But instead, you reach for second-rate food. You chase the applause of your peers, hoping it will satisfy. You idolize your children, living through their grades and goals, hoping that will make you feel full. You spend time and money on what Isaiah would call “bad bread.” You toil for food that does not satisfy, forgetting that what you truly hunger for you already have, in full, in Christ.
This time of year, it feels like there’s a feast waiting on every dining room table and every kitchen island piled high with snacks and sweets. And it’s the best, isn’t it? But don’t forget it’s just a glimpse of what’s already yours in Jesus. Jesus has paid for our eternal life. And in faith we have a place at God’s table where we may enjoy all the blessings that God wishes to share with us not just this Christmas, but forever.
May we enjoy these glimpses, drawing deep comfort from them, such as when we gather around the Lord’s table in Holy Communion. In that feast of Jesus’ flesh and blood we commune not only with Christ himself, but we are delivered to God’s eternal table—in the here and now!—around which sits the church we see but also the saints we miss: your spouse, your son, your best friend, your grandmother. We can dine together as family, today, in a foretaste of the unending celebration to come.
Friends: Christ has come to make his home with us, and with him comes a feast like no other: free, satisfying, overflowing with promise, and meant to be shared. And there's a seat at the table for you! Let us enjoy it. Because it’s true—when it comes to food, there really is no place like home. Amen.