Mom’s Hospitality
“Offer hospitality to one another…”
—
Of all the virtues of my late Mother, Anne Green, the one that will always stand out to me was her gift of hospitality.
Let me attempt to explain how seriously she practiced hospitality each week.
It began on Tuesday when Mom would decide on the menu for Sunday Dinner the following Sunday. She would take inventory of her basic supplies of staples - flour, cooking oil, sugar, and spices – and then she would check her supply of frozen fruits and vegetables in the freezer. After surveying all the stock on hand, she would make out a shopping list for the items she needed.
Wednesday was an extra full day of teaching school followed by a late afternoon rest once she arrived home. Then she would head to the church for Wednesday Night Supper, Prayer Meeting, and Choir Practice. This left her little time to do much more than to mentally plan and prepare for the upcoming Sunday feast.
When Thursday afternoon arrived, she would go grocery shopping to get the meat entre (often either chicken or roast beef) and a few other items to fill out the menu.
Friday afternoon found her going to the beauty parlor for her weekly standing appointment with her hairdresser. She relished this time spent in the company of other women. She was “being good to herself” (her oft-used phrase) after a full week of teaching public school kindergarten, raising four active and involved high school age children, serving as a minister’s wife, and keeping up with the household laundry and chores.
After our usual breakfast of Saturday morning pancakes, bacon, and sausage it was “clean-the-house day” for all of us. “Many hands make light work” and “We’ll get it done a lot faster if we all work together” were two of Mom’s favorite sayings. And she did work alongside us in vacuuming through the house, sweeping the carport, changing the sheets on our beds, tidying up the living room and den, dusting the furniture, rinsing off the dishes she planned to use the next day, and completing any outside chores needed for the season – like raking the leaves or mowing the lawn. Working together, we rarely had to work past noon (or maybe 1:00 PM at the latest) to get it all done.
As we (the four children) enjoyed the Saturday afternoon of leisure watching football, hiking in the woods, playing baseball, or reading, Mom began working on her masterpiece – the Sunday Dinner. Maybe dried beans needed to be cooked, or frozen vegetables needed to be thawed, or a blackberry cobbler needed to be stirred together, or the roast beef needed to cook extra slow so that it would be juicy and savory. This was a joy and thrill to Mom. She loved every minute of it. It was the highlight of her week.
Early Sunday morning – well before sunrise, Mom would be in the kitchen making her famous “Angel Biscuit Rolls” and cooking the vegetables for dinner. She would stir together a gallon of sweet tea, cut the lemons, lay out the dishes, boil and mash the potatoes, and any other “before church” chores needed. She often placed items on the menu in the oven under low heat and a timer so that they would be “warm-and-ready-to-go” for the meal when we got home.
And now the magic happened. My Father, as Pastor of Dahlonega Baptist Church, enjoyed greeting church members and guests at the back door of the church after the service. Mother would join him there. And her radar was up. She would actively seek out a new young couple, or some college students, or visitors from another state, a career missionary on furlough, or whomever… to invite to Sunday Dinner at our house. Rarely – if ever – did we eat the Sunday feast of a meal by ourselves, just our family. There was always plenty of food to invite several more to join us. And she did... and they did.
Through the years countless people ate dinner at our Sunday Dinner table. What a ministry. What a display of hospitality. What love expressed in the tangible way. What a testimony of faith. And what good theology in action delivered in a way few sermons could match.
I’ve thought about those Sunday Dinners a lot this past year and a half since Mom passed away. What treasured memories they invoke. I miss her cooking. I miss her smile. I miss her delight in entertaining company. I miss the camaraderie of family and friends gathered around the table.
If we are serious about following Jesus, we will be people of open hearts, open hands, and open homes. In other words, as followers of Jesus we will practice the fine art of hospitality.
In the Old Testament we read, “You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” In the New Testament we hear Jesus saying, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me...” And later we read, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another…”
I love it that our church is such a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive place where we gather as friends around the Table of our Lord to share in the feast of God’s word and enjoy treasured fellowship.
Dear friends, may it always be so among us.
You are loved!
Mark
R. Mark Green
Pastor to Senior Adults and Youth & Children's Music