Luc. 14:16-24.
And he said unto him, There was a man that made a great supper, and invited many. And sent forth his servant at the hour of supper, to say unto them that were bidden: Come, for everything is ready. And they all began to excuse themselves one by one. The first said unto him, I have bought a field, and must go out and see it; I pray thee, excuse me. And
the other said: I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go now to see them; I pray thee, excuse me. And the third said: I have taken a wife; therefore I cannot come. And the servant came and told his master again. And the master of the house was wroth, and said unto his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, and the crippled, and the lame, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, that is done which thou hast commanded; but there is yet room. And the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and by the fences, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. But I tell you that none of the men who are invited will taste my supper.
(1) This Gospel was placed on this Sunday because the feast of Corpus Christi was celebrated this week, as it is still celebrated among the papists. For they have extended the Lord's Supper, as this Gospel says of it, to the Sacrament, and thus confirmed the one form of the Sacrament; which, as you know, is one of the noblest parts, about which we disagree with them.
2. Since the young people grow up and know nothing about such festivities or pageantry, and we old people also forget it, it would be good that they preach about it, so that when our youth comes into their churches and sees such idolatrous pageantry, they will not be offended by it, and could say that it is not right that they perform such a false service and spend so many indulgences with it: not of the opinion that they intend to honor the sacrament with it, for otherwise they would carry around the whole sacrament or both forms: but to the Sacrament's shame and disgrace, but to themselves to the highest honors; for by this they have wished to maintain the distinction that the priesthood is a special and higher estate before God than the other common Christians, because (as they think) they have the whole Sacrament or both forms, and the other Christians, as lesser people, have to be satisfied only with a few pieces of the Sacrament.
(3) They wanted to bring this difference to the people with such a feast, and to praise their state before others, as they said, to shame and disgrace the holy sacrament and the Lord Jesus Christ, who has not instituted such a sacrament, to make a distinction between the spiritual (as they have invented) and the common Christian state; just as he did not suffer and die for this or that state, but for the sake of the holy sacrament.
Consolation of His Christian Church, which is not divided, but is one body of the one Head JEsu Christ, since all the members are equal as far as life and essence are concerned, although the profession and the works are unequal and different.
4 This abuse, which is very great and dangerous, is not to be forgotten, but to be stirred up in the pulpit and well struck out, because they insist so obstinately and impenitently on their ungodly nature. For how does the holy sacrament come to be used to make a distinction among Christians, when the Lord Christ instituted it primarily for the consolation of the conscience and the strengthening of the faith? Then that it should be like a bond in Christianity, so that Christians are joined together: that they are like one loaf or one cake, not only in that they have at the same time one God, one Word, one baptism, one sacrament, one hope and confidence; but also one body, as one member lends a hand to the other, and helps, counsels. To bear compassion etc. The papists have even abolished this custom of the holy sacrament, because they alone have arrogated the sacrament to themselves, and thereby made a special group, which should be better than the common Christianity. But so that the common man would also hold the one figure in high esteem and not despise it, they held the feast of Corporis Christi (the body of Christ) for eight days every year, when the one figure was carried through the city with a magnificent display, with cymbals and strings, so that people's eyes were opened, so that they would think that although the priesthood was much more glorious and greater in the sight of God, they still had something to flaunt.
5 Today's Gospel has the following to it
must also serve them. It is as if this householder had prepared a meal of mice, and had given only food, but nothing to drink. So they sing: Venite, comedite panem meum, et bibite vinum meum: Come, eat my bread and drink my wine. But it is the same with our Lord God in every way: what he establishes and ordains must be perverted, blasphemed and desecrated by the devil and his own. This is also the case with the most reverend Sacrament, which is still being blasphemed today by the papists. For, as I have said, they do not keep this feast in honor of the holy Sacrament; otherwise they would carry the whole Sacrament about, but in honor of themselves; and they make a great show of it, not that we should have much of it, but only that we might know what difference there is between a priest and a layman. In other things, where God has created it, it is good to make a difference, so that a woman remains a woman, a man a man, that secular authorities are separated from the subjects, and so on with other secular classes. But that one wants to make a difference here, since God has abolished all difference, that pope, bishops, yes. St. Peter or St. Paul should have a better baptism, a better gospel, than otherwise a common Christian, that is not Christ's opinion. Therefore it is also wrong for them to want to have a better sacrament than other common Christians, whom they have called laymen; although our Savior, the Lord Christ, has not instituted the sacrament, as has been said, for distinction among his Christians, but for comparison (like baptism and the gospel), that one should have as much of it as the other.
(6) Not to mention the abominable idolatry, which they have powerfully driven into the people with such a transfer, that they have forgotten that he who would have right use of the sacrament should eat and drink as Christ commanded. They did not reproach the Christians with this command, but told them that it was enough with this sacrament if they saw it, fell down before it and worshipped, since it was not in his custom.
For Christ has ordained it only to be eaten and drunk, and thus to strengthen the faith; and not to be buried, taken up, looked at, carried about, or worshipped. But if any man will abuse it in that which Christ hath not commanded, let him see what he shall do with it, and what he shall keep of such sacrament. For if the body and blood of Christ are by command among the bread and wine, when they are eaten and drunk, it follows that, if there is no such institution, and one wishes to use this sacrament for something other than what Christ commanded, it is no longer a sacrament, and that a vain idolatry is done with it.
(7) I have said this briefly for the sake of the youth and also for our sake, so that everyone may beware of the abomination and get to know the devil, whom the pope has introduced here, and thus divides Christendom, since they want to have our Lord God united. For they condemn and persecute us because we do not want to be made into mice and rats, who eat drunk, or only want to take some form. Therefore they are people to whom one is justly hostile, because they act against Christ and his order in such a bold and defiant way. And for good, just causes we have dropped and abandoned this feast of Corporis Christi in our church, because it is an abomination before God, a disgrace to His holy sacrament, and a noticeable harm to us. For we want to remain with the unity of Christians, that here one is as good as the other, and all difference in outward and worldly things remains. That is enough, for the sake of the young and the simple. Now let us turn to the gospel.
(8) This gospel is above the miraculous work, when the Lord Christ heals a dropsy in the Pharisee's house. But the evangelist says: They were waiting for him, so that they might catch him.
(9) Therefore the Lord soon starts and gives a chapter to the guests, so that they are full of pride and arrogance, and they struggle to sit upstairs, until he finally comes to the host, to whom he also gives his lesson on how to ask guests: not the rich, who ask him to sit upstairs.
but the poor, who will be able to ask and give thanks for him in that life. One of them, who wants to be very pious, responds to such a speech by saying: "Blessed is he who eats bread in the kingdom of God," as if he had a great interest in God's kingdom and eternal life. But the Lord notices the mischievousness and hypocrisy, and emphasizes to him how holy he and his kind are, that they ask nothing at all, neither about our Lord God, nor about the Kingdom of Heaven. You, he says, now let yourself be heard as having a very great desire for God's kingdom. But, shall I tell you the truth, you are one of the guests who are kindly invited, but they have other things to do and do not want to come. The blow is especially for the one who distinguishes himself from others with this desire. As if the Lord wanted to say: You say a lot that it is a blessed man who eats bread in heaven. Oh, you are very serious; how you are such a good, holy man; namely, one of those who are invited and yet do not want to come. These are hard, sharp, and dreadful words, if you will move them; for he is speaking to the vain rascals who sat about the table, not that they would learn anything of him, but that they were waiting for him, where they might come and catch him. Then the likeness began, as a man had been who made a great supper, and sent out his servants, and bade guests. But what did they do? They all excused themselves and stayed outside. One said he had bought a field, which he must see; the other, he had bought five yoke of oxen; the third, he had taken a wife: and they left the master with his supper, and despised him in addition, so that at last the master became angry, took what he could find, cripples, the lame and the blind, and drove them by force to the inn. But of the rest he says, "They shall not taste my supper." This is a hard gospel against both Jews and Gentiles. Now let us go over it according to the text.
10. the man who made this supper is our Lord God himself, who is
a great and rich host; and has also made a supper, according to his majesty and glorious honor, which is called great and glorious: not only because of the host, which is God himself, that it would be a great meal, if he had given only pea broth or dry bread; but the food is also great, namely, the holy gospel, yes, Christ our Lord himself. He himself is the food, and is presented to us in the gospel, that he has done enough for our sin through his death, and has disposed of all the misery of eternal death, hell, the wrath of God, sin and condemnation.
This sermon of Christ is the great, glorious supper, to which he asks guests that he may sanctify them through his baptism, comfort and strengthen them through the sacrament of his body and blood; that nothing may be lacking, that there may be full sufficiency and that everyone may be filled. So that this is called a great supper, also because of the food and dishes, which are so seasoned and prepared that no tongue can understand it and no heart can sufficiently comprehend it. For it is an everlasting meat and drink, whereof we never thirst nor hunger, but are filled and made drunk and merry for ever. And not one man alone; but as far as the world is, if it were ten times wider, they would all have enough of this meal. For the gospel thus saith, Whosoever believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ, that he was born of Mary of virgins for our sakes, and was martyred for our sins under Pontius Pilate, and died, and descended into hell, and rose again, and sitteth on the right hand of God, etc., the same shall live for ever and ever, and be blessed. On the other hand, he who has eaten enough today must eat again tomorrow. But this is an eternal food, which endures forever. Therefore give the hypocrites at the table to understand that it is another meal than they gave him; and yet they are such husks and knaves, though they can wash and chat much of it, yet they despise God and His mercy, eternal life and blessedness, and let all other things be dearer to themselves. Follow further in the text:
And invited many to do so.
The "many" who are invited are the Jews and all the people of Israel, who have been invited from Abraham onward, especially through the prophets. For the arch-father Abraham was promised the seed through whom the blessing was to come. And so this supper, as the father of this people, was first proclaimed to him; then the prophets continued and pointed out to the people that our Lord God's will was not lacking, and that he had diligently invited them. That is why St. Paul in his epistles prefixes the Jews everywhere: Judaeis primum et Graecis. (To the Jews
primarily and also the Greeks).
013 And when the hour was come that they should come to meat, that is, when it was about the time that our Lord Christ was born, and should suffer, and rise again from the dead, and begin his everlasting kingdom, then went forth the servants, John the Baptist and the apostles, and said unto them that were bidden, unto the people of Israel, Good people, ye are bidden hitherto: now is the time, come, now shall it be done. Your Lord or Messiah has already been born, died and risen again; therefore do not tarry long outside, come to the table, eat and be merry, that is, receive with joy your promised treasure, which has delivered you from curse and condemnation and made you blessed. And such a message was especially preached to the highest among the people, who were in the spiritual and temporal government. But what did they do about it?
They all started apologizing one after another.
(14) This is a lesson for the guests who sit at table with Christ, and especially for the useless washer who wants to master Christ over the table and preach much about the bread in the kingdom of God: "Blessed is he who eats the bread in the kingdom of heaven. Yes, says he, if you want to know how blessed you are, I will tell you, it is already prepared; John the Baptist is here; I and my apostles now call you to sit at the table: but you do not remain alone outside, but still want to excuse yourselves and be pure; sin therefore twofold: that you despise the gospel, and the
nor want to have done right, nor be holy, pious and wise. That is a grievous sin. For in this it would be much, much too much, that one neither accepts nor believes the word of our Lord God; but that one continues to add to it, and despises it, and wants to be righteous on top of it, that is overpowering and quite unpleasant. As our nobles, the papists, are doing now: they still want to be praised for giving the sacrament under one form, forbidding marriage and causing other ungodly things in the church; they even condemn us and put us to all tortures, murder and chase away the people who do not want to accept their abomination. Now let them pour out hot enough that they may sweat the more.
(15) The Jews did the same, and excused themselves when they were summoned, saying that they could not accept this teaching, because it was against the priesthood and the law that God Himself had given through Moses, and that it would lead to a disruption in the government that God Himself had ordered. Therefore, the first one excuses himself with the field, the second one with the oxen, and both think that it is well done; the third one does not excuse himself at all, but says badly that he cannot come. These are the excuses of these saints against the gospel, that they first of all preach the law and their worship. For because the apostles preached that neither law, temple, nor priest were any longer necessary, because the right high priest was present, Jesus Christ, of the tribe of Judah, by whose sacrifice alone one must be saved; they did not want to suffer such preaching, but to keep their law; so they left Christ and the gospel, and wait to this day for their Messiah to come, and to restore the old priesthood and kingdom, as it was in the time of David.
16 Christ touches on this with the purchase of the field, that the first one says: "I want to look at my field"; that is, we priests must work and reap, that is, we must govern the people (as Christ also calls the preachers field people who sow the gospel), we must wait for our priesthood. Because
but the teaching of the apostles is against it and points to another priest and another sacrifice, we condemn it as a false teaching and do not want to come to this supper. So also the others, who were in the secular regiment, excuse themselves with the oxen. For oxen are the name of the rulers of the people (Ps. 22:13: "Great bulls have surrounded me, fat oxen have surrounded me"). For they thought: We have a kingdom and a regiment, established and appointed by God; we must stay with it and see how we get it. But if we were to follow this new doctrine, we would lose everything; therefore always away with this preaching! The third say: "The gospel is a doctrine that does not want to be stingy, but means to set everything in motion, life and limb, money and goods, for Christ's sake; therefore we do not want to come, but keep our houses full without a ride. etc. For to take a wife here does not mean to commit fornication or to intend something wicked and dishonest; but to take care of everything that a householder deals with, to think how we may keep house and prosper, how we may feed ourselves. For the Jews looked to it, as Moses had promised them, if they were pious and kept God's commandment, temporal blessing, that cattle, field, woman, child, everything should be blessed and stand well. Therefore, they sought only to fill their kitchen and cellar and become rich, thinking that they were pious and that God had blessed them.
(17) So our papists also excuse themselves and say: The doctrine is right, but one must nevertheless remain with the church and not cause a separation, otherwise rebellion and division would follow. They are also worried that if they accept the gospel, they will lose their church or authority, since the gospel alone builds up the true Christian church and prevents all unjust violence and rebellion. After that, avarice also hinders them, so that they see nothing in the gospel but poverty and persecution. But how will they fare? Just like the Jews, who held so long and firmly over their law, priesthood, kingdom and goods, until they finally came to nothing and were one with
They have lost one to the other, so that now and then they sit in misery, among the strangers, as if on a hump, and have to take this supper next to it, as the father of the house says: "I tell you that none of the men who are invited will taste my supper. But he does not want to have it prepared in vain; therefore he looks around for other guests, as follows:
Then the father of the house was angry, and said to his servant, Go out soon into the streets and lanes of the city etc.
18 As if to say, "Well, then, since you are about to see your fields and oxen and take wives and miss my supper, that is, you want to keep your priesthood, kingdom and wealth, and let me and my gospel go, I will advise the matter in such a way that you will lose everything you intend to keep in this way, not even taste my supper, and make other guests for me. Therefore go thou, servant, into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and the crippled, the lame and the blind. This is what happened among the Jews. For since the great lords, princes and priests, and what was best among the people, would not accept the gospel, for cause as aforesaid, our Lord God accepted the lowly fishermen, the poor, wretched and most despised multitude. As St. Paul says, 1 Cor. 1, 26. ff.Consider, brethren, your calling: not many wise men according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; but what is foolish in the sight of the world, that God hath chosen, to put to shame the wise; and what is weak in the sight of the world, that God hath chosen, to put to shame what is strong; and what is base in the sight of the world, and what is despised, that God hath chosen, and that which is nothing, to bring to nought what is something" etc. According to this saying, most of the wise, holy, rich and mighty things of this people were rejected by God because they would not accept the gospel. On the other hand, Christ accepted the foolish, simple, lowly people, such as Peter, Andrew, Phi-
lippus, Bartholomew etc.; which were poor fishermen and scanty beggars, whom no man esteemed worthy to wipe the shoes of the priests and princes of the people. For they were the basic soup, and as Isaiah says, the yeast of the good, delicious wine; so that the best of the people, priests, princes, rich men, and mighty men, were poured away because of their unbelief, like a barrel of good wine, and only the yeast remained, whom the Lord here calls poor, lame, crippled, and blind. They come to the graces and honors that they are dear guests at this supper and have all fullness.
19 Therefore the Pharisee says, "Blessed are those who eat the bread of the kingdom of God"; yes, Christ answers, blessed are they; but you and your kind are concerned about a field and oxen, that is what you are talking about. Therefore you should know that a supper has been prepared for the poor to eat, as Christ says in Matth. 11, 5: "The poor have the gospel preached to them"; for the mighty, the holy, the wise do not want it, nor should they have it. This means that the Jews are well forbidden, *) and especially this one, who wants to be so wise and eat bread in the kingdom of heaven, and yet wants to keep the priesthood and kingdom, let Christ and his gospel remain where he wants. For his heart is set on this, that he has no need of the Lord Christ in heaven; but our Lord God will say to him and to all the Jews, "Come, you Jews, and especially you priests, you saints, you princes, you fat citizens, the Lord's Supper is appointed for you. Yes, he says, it is true, you are invited; but you do not respect it and excuse yourselves, and still want to have the right to it. Therefore I let you go, and accept rather the least people, the crippled and the lame.
020 So far then is this gospel applied to the Jews only. For it speaks of the lame and crippled who are in the streets and alleys of the city, and calls the Jewish people a city, because they were a well-ordered people, and had the law, worship, temple, priest, king, all from God Himself.
ordered and arranged by Moses. Now he sends his servant also into the highways, and commands him to take guests where he finds them, even the beggars at the fences, and everywhere.
And the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and by the fences, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
(21) These are we Gentiles, who have not dwelt in any city, that is, have had no special worship like the Jews; but have been idolatrous, because we have not known what we or God are. Therefore our thing is called a free, open place, on the highway, in the field, where the devil runs over and has his room as he wills. Go there, says the father of the house, and force them in. For the world has this bad habit of always opposing the gospel, and will not tolerate this teaching, but this householder wants to have his house full of guests, because he has prepared himself so that he must have people who eat and drink and are happy, even if he makes them out of stones. And this is also the reason that God leaves the world standing so long, when he would have reason enough to push it into a heap every moment for the sake of our sin. But he does not do this because he needs more guests, who also belong to the Lord's Supper. Therefore, because his servants bring the dear gospel to us, it is a sign that we who are baptized and believe also belong to this supper. For we are the great lords who lie behind the fences, that is, blind, poor, lost heathen. But how does he force us? Doesn't our Lord God want to have a forced service?
22 So he compels us to preach, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." There he shows both hell and heaven, death and life, wrath and grace. For there our sin and corrupt state is first revealed to us, so that we must be terrified of it, because we hear that as soon as we are born we are under the devil's kingdom and in God's wrath.
(23) This is called being rightly compelled when one is thus afraid of God's wrath and desires help from Him. When this has happened through the preaching, and the hearts have been shattered and frightened, then one preaches further and says: "Dear man, do not therefore despair whether you are already a sinner and have such a terrible judgment upon you; do to him: go, you have been baptized, hear the gospel. There you will learn that Jesus Christ died for your sake, and by his death on the cross has made amends for your sin. If thou believest this, thou shalt be safe from the wrath of God and eternal death, and shalt be a guest at this glorious supper, and shalt eat that thou mayest be fat and strong etc.
(24) That is, "to afflict," that is, to afflict with sin: not as the pope afflicts with excommunication. He does not scare the conscience rightly, for he does not teach what right sins are, but goes about his foolish work: whoever does not keep his order and the statutes of men, let him be under ban. But the gospel reveals the right sins and the wrath of God from heaven, Rom. 1:18, that we all, none excluded, live in sins and are ungodly. This is what our Lord God proclaims to us through His gospel, when He says to the apostles, "Go and preach repentance." Now repentance cannot be preached, unless it is said that God is angry with all men because they are full of unbelief, contempt of God and other sins. This anger should frighten them, make their consciences timid and fearful, so that they will compel themselves and say, "O Lord God, what shall I always do to be freed from this misery? Then they will say to him: Sit down here and eat (for there are still many tables empty and full of food), that is, you have been baptized, therefore believe in Jesus Christ, that he died for your sin and has done enough. Otherwise there is no other means by which you can be saved, except by being baptized and believing. Then the wrath will cease, and from heaven will shine forth grace and mercy, forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
(25) That is why "need" here is used as much as "need".
Preach repentance and forgiveness of sins, wrath on sinners and grace on believers. So wrath and repentance presses in, that one must run and cry for grace. This then is the right way to this supper. And so Jews and Gentiles become one Christian church, and are all at the same time called poor, miserable people, lame and crippled. For after the terror they warmly accept the gospel and crawl to the cross. But those who do not want to do this, being so wise and prudent as they always can be, have here their judgment that they shall not taste this supper, that is, that the wrath of God shall remain upon them, and shall be condemned because of their unbelief. For then our Lord God does not inquire (as was also reported before) whether they are rich, wise or holy. And even if they are already sure and think that there should be no need, they will still find out that this judgment will not lie, that the Lord concludes here: Non gustabunt: they shall not taste it, my supper. But we who accept it, and with frightened hearts, because of our sins, do not reject the grace of God, which is proclaimed and offered to us in the Gospel through Christ, receive grace for wrath, eternal righteousness for sin, and eternal life for eternal death.
(26) Such a terrible judgment, as we see, is going on today among Turks and Jews, that they have no smell of the Gospel; indeed, it is a disgust to them that they cannot suffer it nor hear it. So are our popes, together with cardinals and bishops, they do not smell this food, let alone get their fill of it. But we, who have come to this teaching by God's special grace, are getting fat, strong and happy from it, and are in good spirits over this meal. May God grant that we may thus remain steadfast until the end, amen.
27 Therefore in this parable the Lord will admonish us to esteem the gospel precious and valuable, and not to keep company with the multitude that think themselves wise, prudent, mighty, and holy. For here is the sentence: They are to be rejected and not to take this supper.
taste. So shall it be with us, if we prefer our fields, oxen, wives, that is, spiritual, as it is now called, or worldly honor, along with temporal goods, to the gospel.
028 He saith in simple, low words, They shall not taste my supper. As if he should say: "Well, my supper is also something; and what is more, it shall be far better, neither their oxen, fields and houses, nor their wives, although they despise it now and consider their fields, oxen and houses much more delicious. For the hour will come when they will have to leave their oxen, fields and houses, so that they would like to taste my supper. But then it shall also mean: Dear, I am not at home now, I cannot wait for the guests; go to your fields, to your oxen, to your houses, they will probably give you a better supper, because you have despised my supper so surely and boldly. I had prepared myself for guests, and had turned much upon it; which spurned you: now that ye have cooked it better, eat, and be merry; only that ye taste not my supper.
29. These will be very hard words and a terrible judgment in that day, when he will call his supper eternal life with clear words, and their fields, oxen and houses the hellish fire, and remain stubbornly that they shall not taste his supper forever, that is, there shall no longer be any hope that they will be helped in eternity. For neither repentance nor contrition will help. Therefore these are terrible, violent words, which indicate the great, unending wrath of the master of the house. For this is not the way of great lords and great men: when they are really angry, they do not speak many words; but what they speak, a word weighs a centner; for they have more fierce things in mind than they can speak. How much more will these short words of the Almighty Lord indicate an unspeakable anger that can never be appeased.
30. So we still go along as if such harsh, terrible words had been spoken by a fool or a child, that we might laugh and mock; or as if it were our Lord God's jest and reproach: and neither hear nor see that the text clearly says that he is angry and has spoken such things out of great anger, and that he is not a fool nor a child, but the Lord and God above all things, before whom the mountains tremble and are terrified (as the Scripture says) with ground and earth, and both sea and water flee before him. Only man is still so hard and iron that he does not fear anything, but still despises it and makes a mockery of it.
(31) But we preachers are excused here; for we ever admonish you faithfully enough that you should take this supper more than all the money and good things on earth. Therefore, on that day, the whole world will have to bear witness to us and confess that we were not lacking. For we do it so diligently and faithfully that even our opponents know about it and call our teachings heresy. We are grateful to them for accepting this. For thus they confess that they have certainly heard, read and seen it, and that we have not kept silent. But if we have not kept silent, but have faithfully and diligently taught and preached such things, so that our enemies themselves say, "We have done too much: ah! let the man be judged whom we believe to have told us; and let the man defend them, or condemn us, who drives them to condemn. Let it be known in the name of God which part of God is the right God, and which Christ is the right Christian, which church is the right church; it will be found when the snow melts. However, let us ask God to graciously keep us in such doctrine and faith through His Holy Spirit, so that we will certainly be welcome and dear guests at this meal. May our dear Father in heaven grant us this for the sake of His Son, Christ Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, Amen.