The fulfillment of God’s promises for God’s people is a joyous celebration centered around a table filled with food and drink for all of God’s people, a joyous celebration because death is no more, a joyous celebration because God is with God’s people.
November 2, 2025
The Welcome Table
“Build a Bigger Table: Feast for All”
Isaiah 25: 6-10a
Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl
Isaiah 25: 6-10a
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the covering that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, “See, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.
Build a Bigger Table: Feast for All Isaiah 25: 6-10a
Gloria asked me this past week what I wanted to include on the table for All Saints’ Day. In the past, we usually had candles or pictures. This year, when she asked me that question, immediately, the words, “Church Cookbooks” came to mind. After all, what better way to tell the story of the cloud of witness in relation to our conversation about the Welcome Table than through the recipes which represent countless church dinners, family dinners, and special church functions. Thumbing through the old cookbooks, there were names I recognized and there were some that I did not. There were dishes I remember from various church functions and others well, their recipes were a little complicated for my taste and skill. There were recipes from Lenten Breakfasts, Epiphany Dinner, recipes shared as family favorites or go to recipes for church potlucks and school functions. The oldest cookbook that the Church owns is from 1944. This is the revised version of one from 1923 which I wish the Church had as well. In this oldest cookbook, there was a recipe for a Scripture cake which had the baker using a dash of Proverbs, a pinch of Leviticus, and a touch of Deuteronomy, mixed together to make a good boy.
Thumbing through the old cookbooks reminded me of where Midway Christian Church has been-the hardships it has faced, the celebrations it has held, the wisdom shared among these walls, and the foundation of faith upon which we stand. Thumbing through the old cookbooks also reminded me how far Midway Christian Church has come in becoming the people of love and grace God calls us to be. Thumbing through the old cookbooks was a sacred and holy experience for me. Because through their pages, I was communioning with the saints, each one telling me their favorite Midway Christian Church memory or story, or recipe or dish. It was a comforting and empowering place to be. Their recipes, their stories brought to mind a shared vision of table fellowship, of bread broken, of laughter shared, of comfort given of hope restored. These recipes from the church cookbook spanned generations and reminded me that the community we share around the Table, whether that be a table in our fellowship hall, a table in our dining rooms or kitchen tables in our homes, or the Table in our sanctuary, whatever community we experience and share at the Table is timeless. As disciples we draw strength from the Table because it roots us in our past, gives us courage to live in the present and empowers us to have hope for the future. The Table which spans generations reminds us that in the end, love and light will prevail, that in the end, there will be a feast where all are invited to come, to draw up a chair and be embraced as God’s Beloved, in the end, the Table reminds us that the dream, the vision, the hope of building a bigger Table will be realized, in the end the Table, holds the promise that death will be no more and all tears will be wiped away.
These church cookbooks represent a collection of saints, of stories, of witnesses spanning generations, reminding us of what is possible, reminding us of things hoped, giving us the courage to live into our call to become the community of Welcome, of love, of grace, of peace which God calls us to be.
Of course, I cannot mention Midway Christian Church cookbooks or recipes without mentioning the famous or infamous Oyster Stew and Chicken Salad.
For those who are new to Midway Christian Church and for those of us who just want to walk down memory lane, Oyster Stew and Chicken Salad were synonymous with the Thanksgiving Market. My understanding and how it was shared with me was that the Thanksgiving Market started prior to the year of 1897 as a way to raise funds for Midway Christian Church. See I told you the more things change, the more they stay the same.
The Thanksgiving Market was a way for the women of the church to get supplies for their Thanksgiving Dinners. The women who lived in the country would bring dressed chickens, turkeys, freshly churned butter, milk, and eggs to the church. Their town counterparts made cakes, salt-rising bread, candy and other such goodies. The two groups bought from each other; thus each had procured a large part of their own feast for the next day and the money from the exchanges went into the coffers.
Eventually the Thanksgiving market became known not as a place to exchange goods but a place to eat and fellowship. The women of the church, known as CWF would wear the aprons that you see on the Table as they prepared the Oyster Stew and Chicken Salad. And just to let you know how big a deal this was, here is a listing for a few items on the premarket shopping list…Are you ready? 13 gallons of oysters, 12 gallons of whole milk, 7 quarts of half and half, 6 quarts of whipping cream, 6 pounds of butter, 4 quart jars of chopped celery, 82 hens, 1 crate and four heads of lettuce, 69 pies and 8 pounds of pecans…Needless to say, not the healthiest of options but it’s church and calories don’t count.
The women worked for days before the actual Thanksgiving Market getting ready and on the day of the event, they would serve chicken salad and oyster stew. People came from all over just for these items. Unfortunately, due to changing times and circumstances, the thanksgiving market came to an end and in the words of one of MCC’s very own saints, Margaret Ware Parrish… its history will linger here.
I share all this because this image of people coming together, bringing what they have to support one another, to support the church, people coming together for a shared vision, a shared purpose. I share all this because this image of a lived out communal story reminds me so much of Isaiah’s vision of God’s Beloved Community for the people of God.
“On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the covering that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever.”
This is how the prophet Isaiah describes the fulfillment of God’s promises for God’s people…a joyous celebration centered around a table filled with food and drink for all of God’s people, a joyous celebration because death is no more, a joyous celebration because God is with God’s people, a joyous celebration where they just have to keep adding chairs because more and more people are streaming to the Table. I always imagine this image from Isaiah as a homecoming of sorts or a family reunion or maybe even Midway Christian Church’s Thanksgiving Market from days gone by.
All are gathered together, past, present and future, breaking bread with one another, nothing to fear, nothing to worry about, nothing to dispel the joy of those gathered around the Table. Because they know God is there. Because they know there is more than enough to go around. Because they know God has kept God’s promises. Because they know love and light will always overcome. Because they know their story is our story, that their story is The Story of God at work in this world.
Or let me say it this way…Every time we gather at the Table as disciples of Christ, I find hope, I find a reminder of what is possible. Every time we gather at the Table as Disciples of Chris, I become fully aware that I am, that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, people, saints if you will, have come before me, who have said the words calling us to remember Jesus, who shared their faith with others, who shaped my faith. It is also the moment which I hold to the hope that for generations to come, people will continue to gather at the Table saying the same words, sharing their faith, praying for God’s Beloved Community to come. At the Table, past, present and future come together in a sacred moment, a moment which challenges me to honor their work not by keeping the Table exactly as it was but to immerse myself in The Story, to let their faith become my courage, our courage as we continue to become the people of love and grace God calls us to be. It is at the table where I am reminded of our communal story as people of faith and to that end, for those in house, we are sharing recipes for Oyster Stew and Chicken Salad. For those who are watching online if you would like to have a copy we invite you to email the church. And I’ll make a shameless plug here as well, if you would like to purchase a church cookbook, they are $20 and you can order one by simply contacting the church office.
It is my hope that these recipes which are steeped in history, steeped in community, steeped in fellowship, steeped in support, become avenues through which we are reminded that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. May their stories inspire us. May their stories bring us hope. May their stories remind us of Table fellowship, of bread broken, of laughter shared, of comfort given, of hope restored. May their stories which span generations remind us of our calling, of our dream, of our hope to build a bigger table, not only for a select few but for all of God’s children. May their stories inspire us, comfort us, and remind us that one day there will be a feast for all of God’s people, where death is no more, where tears are wiped away, where we are held in the promise of God’s love and God’s grace forever more. May it be so. Amen.
See also: Theology Tuesday for Sunday, November 2, 2025 – Build a Bigger Table: Feast for All Isaiah 25: 6-10a.
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