September 14, 2025

Pastor Brandon, speaker

Waiting at the Banquet

Linda Waltersdorf Cobourn

“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)

She walked into the ER waiting room a few minutes after me. I recognized her immediately: a fellow caregiver. Dark circles under her eyes stood out against her pale face. Her hair was limp, hastily pulled back into a band. No make-up, tee-shirt and jeans—she could have been just roused from a Sunday nap.

She could have been me.

She sat across from me, phone in hand. “We’re here,” she told someone on speaker. “Yes. I’ll wait for you. Take your time.” She gave me a wan smile, then dug into her bag.

I nodded and went back to my knitting. My husband had been brought here by ambulance just a half hour ago, and now I sat waiting for my daughter. But the stitches blurred in my hands. What do you want me to do, Lord? I prayed silently.

The answer came quickly: Talk to her.

The banquet Jesus invites us to is not always a sumptuous feast in a lovely dining hall. Sometimes it’s two people in molded plastic chairs.

I gathered my courage, whispered another prayer, and crossed the short distance. “You can tell me to go away,” I said gently, “but it seems that you and I are on the same journey tonight. My husband is back there,” I gestured toward the ER doors, “and I’m waiting for my daughter. Maybe we could wait together?”

Her eyes softened. “I’m waiting for my daughter, too. My husband…he’s back there as well.” She motioned to the chair beside her.

“Would it be alright if I prayed for our husbands?” I asked. She nodded. For a few holy minutes, we held hands and prayed.

We never exchanged names. We never shared details. But in that sterile waiting room, Christ spread a table for us—a banquet of His presence. Our daughters arrived at the same time. I returned to my seat, and we waved as we each followed our own paths back to the ER.  I never saw her again. Yet for those moments, we bore one another’s burdens and remembered Jesus together.

The Pharisees in Luke 15 didn’t see this kind of feast. They grumbled that Jesus ate with sinners instead of rejoicing that the lost were found. But God’s banquet is never about perfect people at perfect tables—it is about grace freely given wherever the hungry are fed and the lonely find fellowship.

“In that sterile waiting room, Christ spread a table for us—a banquet of His presence.”

Takeaway
God’s banquet table shows up in unexpected places—sometimes in hospital waiting rooms. The invitation has already been delivered. What are you waiting for? Will you say yes and take your place?

Closing Prayer
Lord, thank You for preparing a banquet of grace even in life’s hardest places. Help me not to make excuses, but to accept Your invitation each day. May I be ready to share a seat, a prayer, or a word of hope with someone You place beside me. Amen.