Do I belong here? Will I be accepted? Is there room for me? And if people really knew me, would I still be welcome? These are questions many face as they approach various ‘tables.’ Too many have experienced the pain of being left out of families, social circles, and even religious communities. We often wonder how God feels about us.

We have much to learn from the family tree of Jesus. In Matthew 1, God is not ashamed to name Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary—women who, for different reasons, may have felt unworthy or unwelcome. Yet, God pulls out a chair for each one and celebrates their place in His family.

This Christmas season, we will explore a series called Space at the Table, where we will share the stories of these remarkable women and, in doing so, pull out chairs for everyone to take a seat at God’s table through Christ. There is space at the table for the shamed, the abused, the suffering, the sinful, the unfaithful, the outcast, the outsider, the lonely, the hurting, the grieving, and the lowly. There is a chair for me, and there is a chair for you.