A girl sat at a splintered wooden table.
Her fingers were caked with dirt.
Eyes hollow, waiting for her dad to get home.
She hoped he would bring the good mac n cheese, the kind in the blue box, and maybe some dinosaur chicken nuggets and apple juice too.
But, in reality, she knew he would bring the weird square noodles you just heat in the microwave.
The kind that said her dad didn’t have enough money or time for her.
As she dreamed, she heard a knock at the door.
She opened it to find a man with a kind face holding out an envelope to her.
“Hello my daughter”, the man spoke softly, “this is for you”.
She took the envelope slowly, doubting it could actually be for her.
She opened it and gasped, as the man chuckled.
In her hand lay thick, white paper, rimmed with gold, and as she turned it, she could feel how special it was.
It definitely wasn’t the walmart 8 pack kind.
Her eyes filled with tears as she saw her very own name written in pretty letters across the top.
She read on to see that she was invited to a party at the palace.
A party only for those hand picked by the King.
As she looked at her dirt caked fingernails holding the pretty paper, she thought about her old flower dresses with the holes in the bottom.
As the tears came close to spilling out, she slowly lifted her eyes and asked, “What should I wear?”
The man smiled gently and said, “Don’t worry, my daughter, just come as you are.”
That night she scrubbed her face, put on her best dress, and set off for the palace
As she climbed the palace steps, she wondered again if this was really for her.
But before she could doubt too much, the doors opened, and a man led her to the grandest table she’d ever seen.
It was a long, shiny wood table, polished without splinters, and set with shiny gold plates, colorful glowing candles, and more food than she’d ever seen.
As the man walked her to her seat, she saw all the things she’d dreamed of.
It was all there.
The blue box mac n cheese, the dinosaur nuggets, and at her seat, a little gold cup filled to the brim with apple juice.
Just then the king walked in, looked her in the eyes, and said, “Welcome home my daughter.”
At that moment, she realized that she was a princess with a place in the kingdom all along.
-Alley McMillin and Caitlyn Wade
This piece was written based on the Great Banquet and the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22 and Luke 14, Isaiah 25:6, and Psalm 23 and 34.
What I want y’all to know and experience, even if you already do know, is that you have a seat available for you in the Kingdom of Heaven. All you need is to believe in Jesus, that he died for YOU.
God, our King, doesn’t care how you’ve lived your life. He’s a good, good father who fully sees you, knows you, and accepts you as you are.
That invitation changes everything.
these are our notes from pre-writing, which I’m sharing for the sake of open, unstructured thoughts, that may resonate with you:
- The Lord sustains me in unlikely places/seasons
- Jesus intentionally prepares a spot for us
- The table, full of satisfaction, is present in persecution
- “My cup overflows”
- Undeserving, his grace splayed out in the intimacy of breaking bread
- In my Father’s House
- We don’t have to worry about things like food
- Life happens around the table
- Everyone eats and has a need for food; same with Jesus
- We are welcome and redeemed at the table
- There’s enough for you
- Your favorite food is there
Love y’all a hecka lot!
Alley
