I am one of those who likes to read the instructions. I figure, they were written for good reason, right? Same with cooking. Give me a clear recipe.

The Bible is clearly full of instructions for our lives. We find those instructions hard to follow, most of the time. Like with food, for instance. First story: Naomi and Ruth. The owner of the fields tells his workers to leave extra grain for these hungry widows. He invites Ruth to dip her bread in his oil (bad pick-up line!). Ruth was clearly an outsider, and this hospitality is unexpected and scandalous. Second story: Another widow, an outsider, meal and oil. Enough for one piece of bread for her and her starving son. An angel appears, replenishing. Subsequent stories: Jesus feeds thousands, multiplying from scarcity. The welcoming, radical hospitality of God comes to us unexpectedly in the breaking of bread.

Many hints, many breadcrumb trails to tell and show what we are to do.

Breaking bread, sharing abundance, building community – these actions are non-negotiable. It’s funny, in a tragi-comic sort of way, what we choose to read and heed. Whatever makes us feel good about ourselves; that’s what we hang our moral hats on.

Those we eat with are almost always like us. We might bring a burger or a sandwich to the cardboard sign holder, but far be it from us to bring them to our homes and cook for them. Are we at greater risk than those in the Bible stories? Yes, there is a little fear and risk in offering what we really have. But it’s what The Book says we should do. May God’s unconditional love forgive us when we fail, and give us the courage to keep at it.

Pastor Art