I Can Cook Eggs

He approached me in passing after worship one Sunday morning and said, “I was looking at the grill in the church kitchen the other day and, remembering my days as a short-order cook, thought to myself, ‘I could cook a lot of eggs on that grill.’ What would you think of me cooking up breakfast once a month for whoever wants to come?” I immediately loved the idea.

Several weeks later when he and his wife shared their breakfast idea with the congregation there was a delightful conversation that developed around the importance of living out our faith, including, as some people say, “presenting the gospel to those who’ve not heard”.  What will forever stand out for me from that stimulating exchange of ideas are this gentleman’s words evoking his desire to be faithful in his expression of faith and service to people around him, “I can cook eggs”. Simple, ordinary, profound.

I think that’s exactly why it will stay with me. Because of its profound ordinary simplicity. Kind of like when Jesus called his disciples, some of whom were fishermen, and simply asked them to continue being fishermen, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” We give who we are to Jesus and Jesus does the rest. God tends to use the things we are good at and even enjoy to build relationships, to create spaces of welcome and hospitality, to naturally and authentically live out God’s love for the world.

We can be tempted to think that service for God requires leaving home and/or country, changing our career, adopting a different vocabulary and different ways of being with people that are somehow saintlier, writing out a cheque to support the “real” service workers, when what God desires is not so much our ability as our availability. Are we ready and willing to be who we are and do what we do, in the name of Christ? Or to say it another way, are our activities and attitudes in life such that whatever we do and say is motivated by the very real truth that we know we are the beloved of God and as the beloved of God we want to live out our life in response to that love?

We’ve been enjoying eggs & bacon & hash-browns monthly for the past several months and it’s become quite the enjoyable event. This simple, faithful act of service is strengthening relationships between people in our congregation and between people in our congregation and people outside of our congregation. It is providing a very ordinary form of working together as young and old offer hospitality, prepare, cook, serve and clean-up. It is creating a very natural space – the sharing of food – in which the love of Christ is being embodied.  Kind of like when Jesus invited his disciples to remember him by coming together regularly to share a simple meal of bread and wine.

First Sunday of the month, 8:30 – 9:30 am, hot cooked breakfast. Everyone is welcome!