Last week, my wife and I were given an extremely special gift.  On Monday, we had a note in our campus mailbox that was signed "your mystery team."  It had a few "quiz" questions for each of us and a note that said we should leave Wednesday night open for something "special."  We honestly had no idea who the culprit was or what they were planning.  All we knew was that were to dress up a little bit, not eat dinner, and be ready by 6:45 pm.  We followed the instructions in the note and placed it back in our box for our "mystery team" to pick up.

Wednesday evening arrived and the doorbell rang.  Two students, Sara and Florentina, were standing at our door with huge smiles on their faces.  They proceeded to arrange childcare for Carter, blindfold us, and take us on a 10 minute drive.  We had no idea where we were going!

The car stopped and they led us into a building, down a flight of stairs and into a chair.  When they removed the blindfolds, we realized where we were:  back on campus!  We had been led down to the student fellowship hall which is a familiar space for campus gatherings.  However, this time it looked very different.  The lights were dim.  There was a roaring fire in the fireplace.  Tea light candles had been meticulously placed around the room.  And, in the center of the space stood a table with flowers, candles, and a setting for two!  Sara and Flor proceeded to serve us an incredible three course meal and after dinner, invited us to sit by the fire for as long as we wanted.

There are many things that were special about that evening:  The homemade meal.  The ambiance.  The good conversation we shared with each other.  The embarrassing way we stumbled around blindfolded.  But there is one thing I don't think I'll ever forget:  When that blindfold came off, I looked down at the table and realized that this setting had been prepared FOR ME.  I immediately wanted to know why.  Why me?  What did I do to deserve this gift?  Who do I need to pay?  As Regan and I sat in stunned silence for those first few moments, all we could muster up was, "thank you so much..." 

What an incredibly thoughtful gift we received that night.  I'm reminded  that my whole life is to be lived in awe of God's goodness and grace.  He has prepared a place FOR ME (and for YOU) at his Table.  Yes, we will want to rationalize why we don't deserve it or try to pay for it or even reject the invitation.  But the only response he really desires is "thank you."