Dear Trinity Family & Friends,

This Sunday, we conclude our vision series, Trinity Together Toward Tomorrow, with a message titled “Extending the Table.” As we look ahead to the next chapter of Trinity’s ministry, we are reminded that the heart of the gospel is invitation - God making room for us, and God calling us to make room for others.

In Luke 14, Jesus tells a parable of a great banquet prepared for many guests. When the invitations go out, the original invitees offer excuses - good excuses, reasonable excuses, but still excuses that keep them from the feast. So the host widens the circle. He sends his servant into the streets and alleyways to bring in those who never would have expected an invitation: the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame. And when even that group fills the room only partway, the host sends him out again - farther, wider, deeper - urging others to come until the house is full.

This is the generous, expansive heart of God. A God who refuses to let the table sit half-empty. A God who goes looking for the overlooked. A God who will not rest until every seat is filled with someone who knows they belong.

We see this same spirit in John 1, when Philip meets Jesus and immediately goes to find his friend Nathanael. Nathanael is skeptical: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” But Philip doesn’t argue, debate, or defend. He simply says, “Come and see.” Invitation, not pressure. Hospitality, not coercion. Relationship, not rhetoric.

As we step into Trinity’s future, this is the posture we want to embody: a church shaped by radical welcome. A church that looks for ways to extend the table into our neighborhoods, our friendships, our ministries, and our worship, so others can discover the grace we ourselves have received.

There is always more room in God’s house. Always another seat to pull up. Always someone waiting for an invitation that might change their life.

My prayer is that this Sunday will inspire us to live with open hands, open hearts, and open doors, trusting that when we extend the table, Christ meets us there.

Blessings,

Pastor Carrie