More Than Enough: Jesus at the Tables

Opening Welcome

Sunday: A Table of Grace: God Who Provides

...but God’s provision doesn’t stop with only our needs being met. One of the most tangible ways we can experience God’s abundance is at the table.

Welcome to the place where strangers become friends, and friends become family. Where Jesus is More Than Enough

Message

(S1) — Title

A table isn’t just a place to eat — it’s a place where people gather, where stories are told, and where relationships are formed. Throughout Scripture, the table becomes a powerful image of God’s expanding kingdom on earth

Main Idea: God’s table is where walls come down, outsiders find belonging, and broken lives begin to heal. Every seat we open and every meal we share becomes a powerful reminder that God’s welcome is wide and His love is abundant.

The table isn’t just about food — it’s about reflecting the heart of Jesus to a world hungry for hope.

(Prayer) “Lord, thank You for inviting us to Your table of grace. Help us to open our tables and our lives, to make space so others may find belonging, healing, and hope in You.

(S2)

In Jesus’ ministry, think about how often we find Him at a table (floor)?

— Wedding feast; where Jesus demonstrates his power and compassion

— Levi’s (Matthew) - a grand banquet with the most unexpected guests?

— Pharisee (Simon/Leper); where a woman (sinner) anoints Jesus’ feet

— With friends; Lazarus, Mary and Martha

— A wilderness table; feeding the multitudes

— Breaking bread with the two he had walked with on the road to Emmaus

Jesus dined with not only his followers; those who opposed him, those who no one would; the sick, poor and hungry. And especially the strangers; Meals were never just casual hangouts — they were moments where walls came down, where outsiders became insiders, where dignity and lives were restored.

I wonder what the conversation was like at each of those tables?

What would your conversation with Jesus be like?

At these tables; people who would not be together because of social status, background, or reputation, are suddenly equals; sharing the same bread, drinking from the same cup. Occupying the same space and time with Jesus.

When you host a dinner, who would you normally invite?

{Luke 14:12–14 “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet, don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.”

(S3) — With Jesus at our tables, they become...

I. A place to BELONG

...invite those who are dependent on others...

Mark 12:43–44 “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.””

— those who have mobility problems

Luke 5:24 “Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!””

— Those who are unable to walk

John 5:7–8 ““I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!””

— Those without sight

John 9:7 “He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” So the man went and washed and came back seeing!”

All were invited into a place of belonging

How do we see those Jesus is telling them to invite? Do we see them? Do we see them as Good see us all?

Reach the Forgotten-Jail Ministry

Jesus says, invite the forgotten, they belong at God’s table. Invite those you would not think of.

Jesus is more than enough; his table is a place where all are welcome and dignity is restored.

Think about how radical this is. Jesus says invite those who are pushed to the margins, unseen and unwanted. At His table, they’re not only welcomed, they’re honored.

Luke 14:11 “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.””

When we invite those to our tables others would not, it says, “You belong here. You matter to God.

In {16-20} — The one giving the banquet sends a second invitation to those invited (culture)...But what happens? They all make excuses for why they can’t be there.

When our priorities become THE priority! The invitation of grace is rejected!

Luke 10:16 “Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me.””

Ever had an invitation rejected? Think about how it makes the master of the banquet feel about our misplaced priorities; when we reject Jesus?

Jesus experienced rejected like none other...how does the master of the banquet respond?

Luke 14:21 ““The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’”

With Jesus at our tables; they become...

(S4)

II. A place of HEALING

Go quickly...and bring those in the world has rejected...those who need healing

God’s table is a place where brokenness meets grace.

Every one of us knows what it feels like to carry wounds into a room — the wounds of rejection, failure, shame and loss. But when someone looks us in the eye across a table, when someone listens and shares their story healing begins. The table becomes more than a piece of furniture; it becomes a place of ministry.

And when we open our tables to others, we’re doing far more than sharing food — we’re sharing hope, we’re sharing love, we’re creating the very environment where God’s Spirit can bring restoration.

That’s the call of the gospel. We don’t heal people on our own; we create the kind of space for others to encounter the great physician.

Luke 4:18 ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,”

Just like Jesus, who used meals as moments of redemption, we’re called to see our tables as places where broken hearts can be made whole. The table of God; a place of community and belonging becomes a place for healing. .

How do you see this table as a chance for healing? What burden are you carrying that needs God’s redeeming grace?

22 “After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full.”

(S5) — With Jesus at our tables...

III. There is always ROOM for more

If the table creates belonging and brings healing, it also does something even greater — it extends God’s kingdom.

there is room for more...so go — Jesus sends them out...to the streets outside the city (highways) and inside the city (hedges)

What is implied here; since those who rejected the invitation; those on the inside (Jews), they were to invite everyone else out there!

Not just church people—The unchurched

...to make them come in...there should be urgency in their going and inviting.

— the problem is there is no urgency in our inviting; sharing the Good News of Jesus

Do you trust the testimony of the Bible?

Do you love Jesus enough to share him with people?

Do you love people enough to share Jesus with them?

Do you see what Jesus is saying here? God’s table is never closed. His kingdom is wide open to those the world often overlooks. The people who thought they were too far gone, too unworthy, or too broken — they are the very ones God longs to fill His table with.

And He calls his followers to carry those invitations into our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and our communities.

Leaf of a table/room for more

God’s table is not limited capacity of the size of our tables. There is always room to say, “Pull up a chair, you are welcome here!”

This is why the table matters so much. It’s not just a place for us to be filled; it’s a launching pad for mission. When we invite people to sit with us, when we welcome them into our homes or into the life of our church, we are acting out the gospel — we’re saying, “There’s a place for you in God’s family.”

And every extra chair we set out, every meal we share, every moment of hospitality we extend becomes a preview of the great feast that’s coming — the wedding supper of the Lamb, where every tribe, tongue, and nation will gather around the table of Jesus.

So the question is: are we willing to make room? Are we willing to see our tables not just as our own, but as extensions; inviting others into a saving relationaship with Jesus? Because when we do, the table becomes more than a meal — it becomes a place of redemption where the saving grace available to all is extended.

Who is not at the table with Jesus?

Hebrews 13:2 “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!”

With Jesus at our tables they become...

(S6) — BELONG — HEALING — ROOM

So let’s step back and look at what Jesus is telling us.

First, that the table isn’t just a piece of furniture or a place to fill our stomachs. It’s a holy space, a sacred place, where BELONGING is created. Those on the outside discover that in Christ they are welcomed, loved, and given a seat with others.

Then, at the table HEALING can begin—Wounds that have lingered, burdens carried are met with compassion, grace, and dignity.

Last, at the table, God’s kingdom is extended. There is ROOM for everyone. Every invitation we give, every meal we share, every chair we add is a living testimony that God welcomes all who will come.

1 Timothy 2:3–4 “This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.”

And here’s the best part: this is exactly what God has done for us. He’s welcomed us when we were outsiders. He’s healed us when we were broken. He’s given us a place in His eternal kingdom.

That’s the good news of the gospel, lived out around the table. God’s table is for everyone who have

You belong here, I belong here, and so do those not yet here.

So as we go from here, let’s ask ourselves: whose name belongs on the guest list at our tables this thanksgiving? Who has God placed in your life that needs a place to belong, to be healed, an invitation into a life-changing relationship with Jesus?

Don’t underestimate the power of a meal, because with Jesus at the table, anything is possible.

Sunday, we’ll take this one step further. We’ve seen how God provides, we’ve seen the capacity of God’s table, but next we’ll look at what it means to live with overflowing generosity. Because when we’ve experienced God’s abundance, the only right response is to share it with open hands and open hearts.

(S7) — Unison Prayer

“Lord, thank You for inviting us to Your table of grace. Help us to open our tables and our lives so others may find belonging, healing, and room for you.”