Remember to Leave Room for Jesus At Your Table… Good morning Weekend readers. Wow, in a few days Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be here! Since we quit doing presents (we use that money for two special groups, Healing Of Memories For Veterans, and Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest) we enjoy the season putting up our little tree, watching Hallmark movies, going around our community to see decorations, etc.

Living in an RV doesn’t give you a lot of space but it’s what we like and honestly, it is truly liberating from the clutches of ‘I just gotta get that stuff!’ In doing so, we have found what Christmas is truly about–a more joyful-thoughtful time from the gift God gave us in Jesus. My musings today are from an old story from Poland that I love to share. I hope you enjoy it! 

According to Polish tradition, when the table is set for the Christmas Eve meal, an extra place setting is always set out so that as the family gathers, there is an empty spot at the table. This is done to provide a place for the Lord or for any lost traveler who appears and is in need of food or a place to stay for the night. This tradition started about 699 AD and has never stopped. Why? Because the Poles strongly believe in this very old saying, which says “a guest at home is God at home.”

Isn’t this a beautiful custom that properly reminds us that, as we prepare for Christmas, we need to leave room, amid all the trappings of the season, for the guest of honor—Jesus! And it is a reminder that Christ has called us to serve others just as He did.

To this day, my mom also has an extra chair at the table. Her mother did it as well. When we were kids we’d ask “who is coming?” and the only reply was “you never know, maybe Jesus will be having dinner with us.” We chuckled as kids but we learned the kindness and power of the ‘extra chair’ in many ways.

The words from today’s reading are found in the Gospel of Matthew. In fact, they are Jesus’ own words to his disciples when the time of His crucifixion was about to come.

“For even the Son of Man did not come expecting to be served but to serve and give his life in exchange for the salvation of many.” [Matthew 20:28 TPT]

These words make it very clear that Jesus’ purpose was to be our servant-King. And, as usual, Jesus is leading by example. You may remember that just before Jesus shared these words, he told them that they must serve each other. So, if we are to follow Christ, then we are to give our lives to also serve others. In doing so, we serve Jesus Himself!

We wind up this Advent season on December 22. So here are two powerful questions we all should muse on this Christmas—and all year long:
1) Will I be sure to leave room for Jesus at my table?
2) Will I be ready to serve those whom God places in my path for that important purpose?

“O precious Savior, we thank you for the example of how to be a servant. Help us to put aside what is not needed and share what is so needed in our lives and those you want us to help. May this Christmas be a holy time in our hearts, and a Holy Spirit ‘touch in our hearts’ that we lay aside the secular stuff and embrace what Christmas truly is, sharing and caring and letting people know about you, our Jesus, our Savior of the World.” AMEN.