The Lord invites us to a feast, “rich food” and “well-aged wines,” the best of everything.

The Lord invites us to eat and drink for free, “without money and without price.”

The cup we share is a free gift from God. We do not earn a place at the table. The place has already been set. It is waiting for us – God is waiting for us. The banquet is prepared. We do not have to wait until we are worthy. We do not have to wait until some far distant time. The banquet is ready now. We don’t need reservations. We don’t need to save up until we can afford the feast. A place is waiting for us here and now.

There are no strings attached. Come as you are. The only one who waits is God. God waits for us to come to the feast. There are some people who think that only certain people are worthy, but God has prepared a feast “for all peoples.” There are some who would invite only those who are good enough, but according to Isiah, and Jesus after him, no one is excluded.

When Jesus fed the thousands who were hungry, there was no test to see who understood his teachings, who was good enough. He simply fed them all. At the Last Supper, he even fed Judas knowing he would betray him and Peter knowing he would deny him. He fed them all, knowing that most would run and hide when the going got tough. He fed them rich food and choice wines. He fed them his very own Body and Blood, the best food and drink anyone could imagine.