Strangers At The Table
I'm
staying at Scott and Karen's house in Wichita and have been here since
Saturday. Tonight, I'm moving to Dave and Sally's for the duration of my
time in Kansas. I'm blessed that my two sisters-in-law are willing to
take me in during both Thanksgiving and Christmas and not just tolerate
me but pamper me! Yesterday, I mentioned on Facebook that Scott and
Karen were about to have some foundation work done in the basement and
Scott was doing some prep down there. People laughed at my part being
confined to hauling debris to the dumpster and doing errand runs to Home
Depot- I know my strengths! Scott stayed up late to get ready for the
crew from the company he contracted with after research. They showed up
at 8 AM ready to go. The three are young and well mannered as well as
professional. Scott made a good choice.
Around
noon, Karen was cooking lunch and when one of the guys walked through
going to their truck, she noticed him glancing over and sniffing. When
the food was ready, Scott went down and asked the trio to join us. It
wasn't an elaborate spread- pork tenderloin sandwiches, chips, and
cheesecake with pop- but it was absolutely excellent. They sat around
the table with us and were extremely effusive in their praise of Karen's
offerings. I'm not sure they knew what to think when Scott led us in
prayer and asked the Lord for their safety along with gratitude for
the wonderful meal we were about to enjoy. They talked about where they
grew up and their Thanksgiving plans and I felt like I had a decent
grasp on their lives by the time we cleaned the table. And when they
finished their part of the project- a different crew will come in next
Monday and handle phase 2- they thanked Karen and Scott again for making
sure they were well fed.
(I should note here that Scott made
sure before they entered the house that they had been tested for COVID.
They had; in fact, all their workers are tested every Monday.)
Hospitality is, if not commanded, strongly urged in the Word. Many know
the entertaining angels phrase in Hebrews 13:2 but we probably need to focus more on the first part of the verse which is Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers.
We talked after they left that we guessed that might have been the only
time a family has asked them to be guests in their home on a different
level than simply employees. Food has the ability to bring people
together, even if hunger is not an issue. Jesus called Himself the bread of life. The least we can do is give others a chance to be served a slice or two. Karen and Scott were the bakers today.
Applicable quote of the day:
"A guest never forgets the host who had treated him kindly."
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
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