“Maratha, Maratha. You are worried and
distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.” (Luke 10:41)
I love a good meal, don’t you? Last
Saturday the Bride and I went walking in nearby Collingswood, New Jersey. It’s
a pretty hip little burb across the river from Philly with lots of cool shops
and restaurants on its main drag. On a whim, we stopped at a Victorian tea room
called the Nutty Duchess[i] and enjoyed, I must say, a
scrumptious repast. It was elegantly served in charming surroundings. I
actually felt a little embarrassed eating there, however, as, being clad in
tee-shirt and jeans, I felt myself to be under-dressed for so proper a ritual
as tea time. I was always taught that one should dress for a formal meal to
honor the hostess. I think that’s important. I always like to dress for dinner,
church, or a night at the theatre. It gives one a sense of occasion.
I like a sense of occasion. Frankly, I’m
tired of living in a nation of slobs. I’m sick of dudes not removing their ball
caps at table (or even in church!). I just think that there are times when we
want to show a little of our best selves. You know, with good manners and
respectful speech and all of that jazz that your mother tried to teach you.
Good, old-fashioned hospitality.
Hospitality, the practice of being
friendly and solicitous to others—particularly strangers and new arrivals—or
just plain respect for others is at the core of the lessons appointed for
Pentecost 6, Year C. In the first lesson (Genesis18:1-10a), we see Abraham at
the oaks of Mamre welcoming and entertaining three travelers whom he perceives
to be the incarnation of God. I’d say that’s pretty good perception on his
part. After all, I always maintain my duty as a Christian is to see God or
Christ in others, and to be Christ for others. This is, after all, what
Jesus taught us.[ii]
But: if we won’t perceive him, how can we be him?[iii]
Abe really seems to care about how he
treats these new arrivals. This is an occasion, and he wants to do it up right.
I don’t think he’s trying to win Brownie points with God. It’s not a case of
sucking up so God will do him a solid and give him his longed-for male heir.
After all, God has already made a ritual contract promising Abraham he’ll give
him a bouncing baby boy in due season. The deal has already been made.[iv] I think Abraham is just
honoring these desert travelers because he’s a good dude and this is the right
thing to do. (Note that this will be contrasted with the bad reception
strangers receive in Sodom in Genesis 19).
What I find interesting in the way Abraham
treats his guests is the almost comically frenetic pace with which he responds
to his visitors. The Bible says he ran
to meet them (v.2), he hastened to
give Sarah cooking instructions (v.6), he ran
to his heard to select the main course and his servants hastened to prepare it (v.7). I don’t think three guys walking
across the desert were in much of a hurry to move on, but Abraham, being a good
host and showing respect for his guests, didn’t want to keep them waiting.
This gets me to thinking. Have you ever
been to one of those big family dinners, like at Thanksgiving or Christmas,
when everything is just perfect, but the hostess never sits down to eat? The
table is gorgeous, the food is delicious, the decorations are perfect, but
there’s a really tense feeling in the air. It’s as if your mom (or whoever is
hosting) is so anxious to make the meal perfect that it’s no longer about the
guests. It might be a grand occasion, but there is an empty feeling in the
human being department.
Fast forward to the Gospel lesson (Luke
10:38-42). Poor Martha is slaving away in the kitchen and Mary is just goofing
off, listening to Jesus. I think each sister is wondering why her sibling
doesn’t have a sense of occasion. For Martha, the occasion requires that the
meal be prepared and all be done properly. Mary, on the other hand, doesn’t
care about how the occasion proceeds.
She’s more interested in the why of
the occasion—and the why is to have an encounter with Jesus. I think that’s what
Jesus is trying to get through to Martha. It doesn’t matter how good the food
is or how quickly or elegantly it’s served. It matters that God is present and
perceived.
I confess to being a liturgical junkie. I
love high ritual and the dignity of the mass, but if my worship is not in
response to an encounter with Jesus, it’s only empty play-acting. I will always
feel that hospitality and a sense of occasion are really awesome things;
nevertheless, the care given in worship or any kind of hospitality must be the
response to having seen Jesus Christ and having known him in ourselves and in
others. And when we have experienced the love and joy of Jesus, how else can we
respond but with our very best selves?
God bless you, my friend. I’m so glad you
dropped by this week!
[i]
The Nutty Duchess is at 807 Haddon Ave. in Collingswood. Check it out if you
live in the area. It’s really nice!
[ii]
See Matthew 25:31-46
[iii] Unlike
our hero Abraham, there seem to be a lot of folks in America today who are
having trouble seeing God in the eyes of asylum seekers from Central America. I
think we need to work on our hospitality, don’t you?
[iv]
See Genesis 15:1-21.
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