all are welcome here

In another life  I worked in Uganda. Early on, during a visit to a cattle camp, I was offered some food and invited to a table where there were two spare places. On asking who we were waiting on, I was told that the seats were left "for those who had gone on before" - the ancestors. In a way they continued to be there at the feast, still revered and remembered as family life went on. There was nothing between death and life in terms of memory and belonging. The table was open.
In an odd way we in the Christian tradition have a similar view when we talk about "the communion of the saints", remembering the faithful dead who are part of the "church triumphant". 
I saw these seats close by my office and the thought came to me... who would I welcome to my table? My family? The stranger? The orphan? The one who is my enemy? These questions raise hard truths about sharing our society, our table with others. 
It is good to remember with a smile those who "have gone on ahead of us", but it is also good to reserve a place for the unexpected visitor.