Last Saturday our church men’s group got together for dinner. It turned out to be a feast that reminded me of one of Jesus’ parables.
My pal C.J. was cooking up a storm in the church kitchen: ham, sauerkraut, sausages, great steaming plates of vegetables, potato pancakes, apple strudel, a true Oktoberfest. Twenty-one guys had signed up and C.J. looked like he was well prepared. This was not going to be one of those church suppers where we’d need to pray for a loaves-and-fishes miracle. My prayer was that everybody who said they’d come would come and we’d have an evening of “faith, fellowship, food and tomfoolery,” as advertised.
I was setting the tables when the doorbell rang and a good-looking young couple pushing a stroller came in. “Could we talk to a minister?” the man asked.
I found our pastor and went back to setting the table, overhearing the conversation that ensued. The couple said they’d heard we have a soup kitchen on Saturdays. But the soup kitchen was finished by noon, more than 200 people served and nothing remaining of that meal. “We’re having a men’s dinner tonight,” our pastor said. “They might have a little extra food…”
The next time I went back to the kitchen, chef C.J. was spooning out two deep dishes of our dinner—sauerkraut, sausages, potatoes, salad, ham, strudel. They went to that nice-looking couple, our first guests, not the invited ones, but the ones who had appeared and were in need.
Jesus told a parable of a man who hosted a feast and invited many people but everybody made excuses about why they couldn’t come. Finally the man said to his servant, “Go quickly to the city’s streets, the busy ones and the side streets and bring the poor, crippled, blind and lame… Go to the highways and back alleys and urge people to come in so that my house will be filled.” (Luke 14:21-23)
Our church house was full indeed on Saturday night. It was an evening of faith, fellowship and tomfoolery. As for the food, nearly 30 guys showed up, more than expected, and we still had enough. Including serving those guests from the streets of a busy city.
