Eat What Is Set Before You

A few Sundays ago, I preached from the tenth chapter of Luke's gospel. I talked about being a good guest by doing as Jesus tells us, "eat what is set before you." I began telling a story of my grandson; "all you parents know how hard it is to get children to eat what is set before them. It’s a chore and I was reminded of this when my grandson visited a few weeks ago. We were having roast chicken, brown rice with a mango salsa spinach and green beans, a pretty nutritious dinner I thought. My grandson took a couple of bits of this and a couple bits of that and he pointed out what he liked and what he didn’t; he would only eat a tiny piece of the skin of the chicken I had so lovingly prepared; he liked the rice with the mango salsa; he tried the spinach with garlic and onions and wouldn’t touch the green beans. All the while he’s probably thinking, where’s the chicken nuggets and fries?" Even at grandma’s it was hard for him to eat what was set before him.

We are not four years old so we think about what it means to be a good guest; or more than that, what does it mean to accept hospitality? Sometimes that is so difficult for us. We think we have to be on the giving end all the time especially when we are the ones who have the resources. Yet, God provides times and opportunities for us to receive.

I was given such an opportunity. When I was in Guatemala over ten years ago I stayed with a Guatemalan family and was taught by an an awesome young mother Mily. They say that the best way to learn a language is to stay in the home and hang out with native speakers. For three months I wasn't to speak English.The time for conversation was during meals. I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner with the family five days a week. My first week was really hard, because all I could do was nod my head and say 'gracias.' I had no idea what some of the strange mixtures of food or funny looking vegetables were. But I didn’t have the vocabulary to ask or to say what I didn’t like. Little by little I learned from my host family and Mily to converse in Spanish one halting word, then one faltering sentence at a time. Finally, I was able to understand when Mily would ask about me, about my life in the Estados Unidos and mi familia. She asked about my vocation and I told her I was studying to be a pastor; after the shock of a woman becoming a pastor, in the days and weeks that followed, the floodgates of conversation were opened. We began to talk about all kinds of things that Mily never would have talked about with a language student- thinks like faith, forgiveness and God.

There was mutuality, and fellowship; we learned to respect and appreciate each other. Not only did we share meals but Mily taught me to dance Salsa. When Mily was recovering from dental surgery her dance partner even let me fill in as assistant instructor teaching other visitors and students how to dance. Now Mily and I are in touch through the wonderful technology of facebook.

This was an interesting time. I was not simply the language student that paid to learn Spanish, 'eating what was set before me' allowed me to see Mily and her family in action, to understand not only their language but the culture and to participate in their lives if only for a moment. This was a tremendous gift.

Jesus sent his disciples out telling them to be good guest, not to be the ones who thought that they had all the resources but to be the ones who received graciously; he told them to 'eat what is set before you.' Jesus himself did this many times in scripture sitting at table with tax collectors and sinners, visiting at the home of Mary and Martha 'eating what was set before him' receiving what others had to give and giving of himself.

Later he sat at table with his disciples on the way to his death. Jesus breaking bread and giving thanks offered to his disciples his body that would be broken for them. He then took the cup giving thanks and proposing that it was the new covenant in his blood; Jesus set before them a meal that nourishes, strengthens and keeps them.This is a meal that will be shared over and over again with us.

For a four year old it may be hard to eat what is set before you. As we grow and learn what a great gift to receive what is offered and be blessed by what is set before us.