Come to the Feast! – October 12, 2026
Read: Isaiah 25:6-9
On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. Isaiah 25:6
Come to the Feast!
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sadly, it seems feasting has gone out of style. Big family meals can be hard to fit into our schedules. The excuses are predictable: there’s too much food, it’s unhealthy, too much work, and not enough time. With school, sports, homework, and busy family calendars, it’s not too surprising that we struggle to gather around a table and enjoy a meal together.
Isaiah uses the picture of a banquet to whet our appetites for the feasting we’ll get to do forever in God’s glorious presence. The Lord has sent out the invitations, planned the party, and set the table himself for our heavenly wedding banquet. The menu? The best of meats and the finest of wines—more good things than we can imagine! But what makes this party truly special is what won’t be there: death. “On this mountain [the Lord] will swallow up death forever” (Isaiah 25:8). Have you ever missed someone at a family meal because that person had died? It’s why there is sometimes an empty chair at even the best earthly parties. Death has stolen some of our joy, but Jesus walked out of his tomb alive and defeated death once and for all.
As we wait for that heavenly feast, our God still sets the earthly table for us with a full menu—his good news in the Bible, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. But who’s got time for it? Our Savior invites us to feast on his promises to us, but we’ve got other stuff going on. We skip hearing his Word because we’re busy—or because we’d rather do something else. We’re missing the food our faith needs to grow because we’ve allowed other important things to crowd out what we need most: Jesus and his Word. Without him we wither and die.
Rather than let us spend eternity apart from him at a table by ourselves in hell, Jesus did something. He made you his priority. Going all the way to a cross and out of an empty tomb, Jesus let nothing crowd out the eternally important work of saving you, forgiving you, loving you, and preparing for you a feast in heaven. Then we’ll say with all God’s people for all eternity: “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us” (Isaiah 25:9).
Jesus has made a place for you. Come to the feast! Enjoy his promises today and look forward to being with him forever.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for saving us from our sins and for preparing a place for us at your heavenly banquet. Until we arrive there, help us always to feast on your good news in the gospel and invite still more people to come to the feast with us! In your name. Amen.
The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.
Questions for Younger Children
- Did you get to pick dinner on your birthday? What made that special?
- When you pray, “Come Lord Jesus, be our guest,” how does that help us remember the heavenly party Jesus is planning for us?
Questions for Elementary Age Children
- Re-read Isaiah 25:6-9. What good things will be at God’s feast? What sad things won’t be there?
- How did Jesus “set the table” for us at his feast in heaven?
Questions for Middle School and Above
- What activities sometimes crowd out your time with God’s Word? What could help you make time to hear his promises?
- How can the certainty of God’s promised heavenly feast help you when you face hard times in life?
