[Verse 1]
No palace worthy of our King
Too many walls to keep Him in
But a mansion worthy of this Son
Was a stable that said, "Welcome"
[Verse 2]
A journey on a starry night
The wisest ones followed the light
They gathered 'round the Holy One
Who was born to love and lead us home
[Chorus]
Hark the herald angels sing
Hear the sound and enter in
There's a place reserved, just come
'Cause Jesus eats with everyone
[Verse 3]
A child who is the King of Kings
Who made a way of grace for sin
Our humble Saviour gave it all
So we'd be seated with the Lord
[Chorus]
Hark the herald angels sing
Hear the sound and enter in
There's a place reserved, just come
'Cause Jesus eats with everyone
[Bridge]
Oh, hear the whisper of His heart
The goodness of our saving God
It doesn't matter what we've done
'Cause Jesus eats with everyone
When we're gathered
[Chorus]
We gather at the table, the table of the Lord
Come one, come all, come as you are
We gather at the table, the table of the Lord
Just seek and you will find Him, come as you are
We gather at the table, the table of the Lord
Come one, come all, come as you are
We gather at the table, the table of the Lord
Just seek and you will find Him, come as you are
[Outro]
Hear the whisper of His heart
The goodness of our saving God
It doesn't matter what we've done
'Cause Jesus eats with everyone
The Table
Song Meaning
Darlene Zschech contrasts two buildings rather than describing one birth in "The Table" — "no palace worthy of our King, too many walls to keep Him in, but a mansion worthy of this Son was a stable that said, 'Welcome'" — letting the humble building outrank the grand one by the word it speaks.
"A journey on a starry night, the wisest ones followed the light, they gathered 'round the Holy One" keeps the nativity's familiar images moving rather than lingering on any single one, and the chorus borrows a classic carol's own words — "hark the herald angels sing, hear the sound and enter in" — before turning them toward an invitation: "'cause Jesus eats with everyone."
"A child who is the King of Kings, who made a way of grace for sin" collapses infancy and kingship into the same figure without resolving the tension between them, and "our humble Saviour gave it all so we'd be seated with the Lord" names the cost behind the invitation directly. "It doesn't matter what we've done" answers whatever disqualification a listener might assume applies to them, and the repeated closing declaration, "we gather at the table, the table of the Lord, come one, come all, come as you are," turns a Christmas song's manger scene into a standing, present-tense invitation rather than a memory.