Don’t worry, be thankful

On the weekend before Thanksgiving, I hosted fourteen people for supper. It all started the previous year, when I said, “I don’t see why our church couldn’t have a team in the Ride for Refuge to raise funds for Inner Hope Youth Ministries.” Then after last year’s team of four walkers, this year I said, “I don’t see why we couldn’t do the walk/run off-site and have a chili supper at my place. More would participate if we didn’t go all the way from Abbotsford into Vancouver.” So, this year, we had eleven walker’s and five cyclists registered for the fundraiser, and twenty-one people coming for supper that Saturday evening. My table even with all of its extra leaves was suddenly too small! But then several people had scheduling conflicts, a few were sick or on the verge of getting sick, and as it turned out, all fourteen of us could sit around one table.

After our chili supper, I had enough chili, tortilla chips, raw veggies, and fruit left over that I decided to invite a few people for lunch the next day after Sunday worship. I added some cookies and chocolates from my freezer, and voila! lunch for four. That was a lot of hosting for one weekend! But suddenly I was on a roll, and by midweek, I decided to invite a few friends for Thanksgiving Sunday lunch. I was already scheduled to preach, and I don’t generally preach and host lunch on the same day. “But I don’t see why I couldn’t do both,” I said to myself. 

After all, Romans 12:13 says, “Practice hospitality.” 1 Peter 4:9 adds, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Can we do that along with all of our other responsibilities in daily life? When we’re already stretched caring for our families, doing our jobs, volunteering in church and community? Who has time or energy for hospitality? At times my “I don’t see why” has sometimes led me into a tangle of too much to do and not enough time to do it. But this time I’m glad I followed through. Here are a few hospitality hints that I’ve found helpful, and I hope might also encourage you to greater hospitality.

Plan ahead. Instead of planning a formal Thanksgiving dinner, I decided on a simple meal: stir-fried pineapple chicken with bell peppers that would be great served over plain rice, a veggie platter with dip, and apple pie for dessert. I shopped for groceries on Friday. I finished my sermon on Saturday. My text was Jesus’ sermon on worry (Matthew 6:25-34), and my sermon title was “Don’t Worry, Be Thankful.” Jesus’ main point was simple: What to do about worry? Don’t do it! Don’t worry about food. Don’t worry about clothing. Don’t worry about how long you’re going to live. Trust in God who cares for you. So, preaching and hosting on the same Sunday? Don’t worry, be thankful.

Prepare early. I set the table the night before. I made a new recipe for two-minute ranch dressing that could double as a vegetable dip. I thought the dip was a bit too tangy, and hoped the recipe was right that the flavours would blend together overnight. On Sunday morning before church, I cut the vegetables for the veggie platter, sampled the dip that turned out delicious, measured the rice into my rice cooker, and cut up everything for my main dish so all was ready in the fridge. I reviewed my sermon once more and printed it out. Don’t worry, be thankful. 

Accept the gifts of others. Practicing hospitality doesn’t mean doing everything yourself. As we receive people into our homes, we can also accept the gifts that they offer. Doing so allows people to express their unique interests and personalities. It gives opportunity for further conversation and deeper relationships. For our Thanksgiving lunch, one friend offered to bring her home-made pickled beets, another brought whipping cream and ice cream for our pie, another brought cream for coffee. For our chili supper the week before, many contributed food. A friend lent me her crock pot. Others arranged chairs and set out the cutlery, napkins, water glasses, and coffee cups. Don’t worry, be thankful.

Be informal. After church, I greeted people as usual, then headed home to wash the rice and turn on my rice cooker. When my friends arrived, I was just starting the stir fry, so we stood and talked in the kitchen as I cooked. “Do you have room in your freezer for the ice cream?” asked one. (Yes – she opened the freezer door and added the carton she had brought.) “That smells delicious,” said another. (Yes – everything was coming together, and soon we sat down to eat.) Don’t worry, be thankful.

April Yamasaki is a pastor, editor, and author, who loves to bring people together. She meets with a writerly group on the first Tuesday of the month to encourage and learn from one another. If you’re interested in participating, please contact her through her author website: https://aprilyamasaki.com/contact/.