Food for Thought & Action
On occasions, with beautiful poetry and prose, the words can cascade so easily that the inherent power of the words themselves can be mislaid. When someone recites Hamlet’s soliloquy, even piecemeal, the words are almost too well known, or perhaps too well-used.The twenty-third Psalm suffers a…
On occasions, with beautiful poetry and prose, the words can cascade so easily that the inherent power of the words themselves can be mislaid. When someone recites Hamlet’s soliloquy, even piecemeal, the words are almost too well known, or perhaps too well-used.
The twenty-third Psalm suffers a similar fate. I have lost count of the people who have asked for it to be read and prayed in crisis, or grief; the beauty and familiarity of the words offer comfort and hope. I wonder though, if we are so familiar that we are less able to hear what the psalmist’s prayer offers us.
For some time, I have been pondering the words “You prepare a table before me, in the presence of my enemies”. Leaving aside Hebraic linguistics and theological commentary for the moment, what do you hear when you sit for a moment with those words?
We have been told that God will shepherd, protect and restore us, beside us in the darkest valley. What then, do we make of this extraordinary “hospitality” of God? Stop reading for a moment and consider what might be happening.
Is it that we are so protected that we can sit amongst our enemies and do what we like? Is God our bodyguard defying the playground bullies?
Or are we at the heart of God’s intent – to be reconciled, even to those who despise us, and whom we despise in turn?
Hamlet’s choices are to suffer the troubles of his life, to oppose them, or simply to give up. God invites us to be reconciled, and the meal table is the place to begin.
The New Testament church is bubbling along, with everything being shared – worship, possessions, finances and food. That sort of energy creates wonder and conflict, as we see in the accounts which follow. What will happen when Christ is both guest and host?
We have pondered hospitality in our congregation for some time, to build relationships and to welcome new people into our lives. What if we considered the meal to be a place of restoration as well? This is no place for fast food – restoration takes time – and us.
We break bread and share it. We open our table to all who are hungry. We serve all who come, the least and the greatest, friend and enemy. We do this because this is who God is, in Jesus Christ, who has first made us welcome. Hungry?