Reclaimed: Resetting The Table Pt 4 Series

Reclaimed - Part 4, by Pastor Robert Ketterling

How many have taken that serious to pray over every meal? Okay, once again, Apple Valley campus a little slow on that it. Little slow. I'm going to talk to you about that.

As part of our series I asked you to do three things. I asked you to use the hashtag #Reclaimthetable, and as you reclaim the table and do that, you're entering into the drawing for one of the custom-made tables we are going to be giving away.

We are also asking you as a family to eat three meals together every week. As much as possible, eat those three dinners together. And I can tell you every time I say I'm busy, my wife reminds me of my challenge. Connor and Logan are reminding me of my challenge. My mother is reminding me of my challenge. I feel like we have an Italian, Greek, Jewish family all rolled into one. It's good. It's good. But we're doing that.

And we're doing the third challenge, which is to pray over every meal no matter what. And I want to focus on that as we wrap up this series. We are going to reclaim the table and we are going to pray at it, and we are reclaiming the table for gratitude and thanksgiving, gratitude and thanksgiving. We are going to make sure we pray at every meal to stop and say thank you to God.

Now, I will say that I was taken aback a little bit the first time I asked the church if you were praying over every meal. And I think my highest percentage was at our Savage campus where fifty percent of the people. I was, really, are we not doing that?

Honestly, I'm trying to be very, very straightforward with you. I think we need to pray at every meal. Every meal all the time, everywhere we go all the time. And I think we need to capitalize on this. I mean, this is something that is not normal for a lot of people in the world. It's not normal in restaurants. It's not normal in the marketplace. But it is a way that

we can stand out. If there is one thing I'm looking for as a follower of Jesus Christ is a way for us to stand out in a good way. I mean, I don't want to stand out with a placard or a sign protesting something. I want to stand out for God doing something good, something so simple, something so nonthreatening, and see what God can do with it. So I want to reclaim the table and say let's pray at every single meal. And my hope is at the end of this service we will reclaim the table for that gratitude, thanksgiving, and say we are praying at every meal, every table, every place, and we are going to do this.

Now, I want you to let you know it is so normal for me as just a follower of Jesus Christ, not as a pastor, but as a follower of Jesus Christ, to pray, pray at every meal. I mean, I even stress about when I should pray at the meal. Okay, some of you know what I'm talking about. I mean, the bread arrives at the table. I'm like, do we pray for the bread? Okay, see, some of you -- all right. Now, okay, bread I don't want you have to pray for bread. Just be sure to get it before the meat. Then appetizers arrive, so you don't want to be the one that says, "Can we pray?" and they are like (nods head with mouth full). So apps are cool, just let them slide. Then how many know then salads come. Oh, we didn't pray for the apps or the bread, so let's just make sure -- is it just me? Okay? And then the main course comes, and you are like, "Hey, guys, we need to pray."

And they are like, "Oh, yeah, good thing we prayed. We almost forgot the

prayer."

So I stress. And so sometimes people get jumpy. So anyways, it is very normal, it is very normal for us to pray. And it doesn't have to be loud and it doesn't have to be long. You don't have to pray a long prayer at the table. It can be very simple.

And I'm told this is a true story about long prayers and short prayers. I'm told that three very well-known pastors were doing a conference, and they all had to pray over a meal during the conference. And then one said, "I want to see who can pray the shortest

prayer at the meal." I'm told it's true.