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“Come, join in Cana’s feast Where Christ is honored Guest. He welcomes all who come to taste The wine His hands have blessed.
“Come, friends, and share the feast; Here drink the wine supplied By Him who is both Guest and Host—For us, the crucified.”
Before a meal, we may join in the familiar table prayer that begins, “Come, Lord Jesus, be our Guest.” A bride and groom in Cana issued a similar invitation when they asked Jesus to be a guest at their wedding. That invitation turned out to be a wise decision when the newlywed hosts ran out of wine! Jesus, the compassionate and all-powerful Guest, became a gracious Host as He turned water into the best wine. Yet this miracle, the first of His signs, was more than a demonstration of Jesus’ love and compassion for embarrassed hosts. The signs and wonders done by Jesus throughout His earthly ministry testified to His identity, proving that He was the Son of God and the promised Messiah. Jesus’ disciples saw His miracle that day in Cana and they believed in Him.
There is another meal that we attend during our worship services. At this meal we do not usually begin with the prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus, be our Guest,” although the Lord is certainly present with us. Jesus invites us to His table. We are His guests and in His holy Supper He provides far more than good wine. In Holy Communion we receive Jesus’ true body and blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of our sins. It is a miracle and a mystery, but we know that Jesus is truly present because we have His promise: “Take, eat; this is My body … Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:26b, 27b-28). At His table, our Lord is both Guest and Host.
The holy meal we receive at the Lord’s table is a foretaste of a greater, eternal feast—the marriage supper of the Lamb. Jesus, the Lamb of God, came to take away the sins of the world. He is the Lamb who was slain for us, the Lamb who rose in triumph over death. By God’s grace, through faith in Jesus, we are clothed in Jesus’ righteousness and ready for the feast. One day we will join that great celebration. Jesus Himself will be the Host, and we will be His guests. The invitations are going out now through the Word of God as the Holy Spirit calls people to repentance and faith. The Host calls out, “Come, for everything is now ready” (Luke 14:17b). We answer in the words of a familiar prayer: “Come, Lord Jesus!”
WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, help me to be a witness to Your love and saving power so that others will believe in You and join in the eternal feast. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, “Come, Join in Cana’s Feast,” which is number 408 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
- Have you ever been to a wedding where something a guest did surprised you? What was it?
- What does it mean that in the Lord’s Supper, Jesus is both “Guest and Host”?
- When did you first learn that you have been personally invited to the eternal marriage supper of the Lamb of God? How do you know this is true? (See John 12:32, 1 Timothy 2:3-6, and Hebrews 4:16.)
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