In Defense of Drinking Tea and the Three-Kiss Greeting

I love the Middle East. 

I love the colorful souk (outdoor market), the sounds of raised voices bartering, mingled with the distant sound of chickens around the corner, and the call of prayer sounding overhead. 

I love the aroma of spices: cumin, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cloves. 

I love the crowds and the exotic clothing. Don't hate me for this, but the hijabs and abiyahs are beautiful to me. I wouldn't want to be forced to wear them, but many are made of rich fabrics, exotically decorated with sequins and beads. In the windy valley, they're more practical than you might think. (I'm not talking about niqabs.)

I love that the people (both men and women) still wear their native dress. A long, loose cotton "dress" is much cooler in hot weather than American jeans and t-shirt. I haven't tried wearing a keffiyeh, but I believe it would be a nice protection from the sun. 

I love the hospitality. Mississippi calls itself "The Hospitality State." Admittedly, we're a social people, but in comparison to the Arabs, we have a way to go. 

Middle Easterners have honed hospitality to a fine art. "Come have tea with me," is an invitation many made and all meant sincerely. When I dropped by their homes for tea, they stopped whatever they were doing and welcomed me. The hostess gave me the seat of honor, and served hot tea and some sort of sweet. Homemade cake, pastries from the bakery, cookies straight from the box. They always offered something, and I always ate whatever I was given. 

Their welcome can't be beat. I was greeted (by women) with hugs and three kisses, one on my right cheek and two on my left. When I returned home, it felt odd to greet my friends with a distant "hi," even when the distance was only two or three feet. 

In case you can't imagine this, when you hug your visitor and kiss her three times (and she does the same), you instantly slow down and settle in. 

I'm in favor of the three-kiss greeting.

Today, I finally came to 2 Corinthians 13:12 in my study. "Greet one another with a holy kiss," Paul wrote. The three-kiss greetings came to mind and I realized something wonderful. Paul was a Middle Easterner. The kisses I received were something that was practiced even in Paul's time.

How beautiful is that?

Why don't we continue this lovely practice of greeting with holy kisses?

Why don't we have tea and a little sweet and visit for a few minutes with our neighbors on a more regular basis? Why don't we welcome drop-in visitors and stop what we're doing when they come by without inwardly rehearsing all we have left to do?

We're too busy. That's why. But to what point?

Jesus was a Middle Easterner, and His ministry was one of relationships. That's how He trained His disciples. Jesus spent time with his followers. He ate with them, walked with them, and talked as they traveled. They probably drank tea together. He built relationships and, in the process, those disciples became a little more like Him. 

What would happen if we built relationships in the same way, including with unlikely people? If we acted like Jesus, might they become a little more like Him? Might they learn of Him from spending time with us? And we from them? Of course, we'd probably all be more like Jesus.

As we enter the holiday season and the mad dash to those few moments under the tree when tape is torn and wrapping paper tossed aside to reveal gifts we don't need, let's stop to reconsider our relationships, our greetings, our busyness. 

Let's stop, and do something wonderfully different instead.

Take a few moments for a visit with our neighbors. Greet each other warmly. Offer a holy kiss on the cheek. Make a pot of tea and drink a cup together. Eat a cookie from a package or a piece of homemade something. Talk. Visit. Pray. 

Spend time together. Build relationships, not our stash of stuff. 

"Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss." 2 Corinthians 13:11-12 nasb

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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Thanksgiving I Almost Missed

A Visit at Martha's House

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 NIV)

This is one of my favorite passages because it speaks to me on so many levels. Frankly, some days I'm Mary, but more often, I'm Martha. Perhaps you can find yourself in this story, too.

To fill in the details of the story, we need to look at John 11: 1-2 where we find that Mary and Martha were the sisters of Lazarus, of Bethany, who later would be raised from the dead. Mary was the woman who anointed Jesus' feet with ointment and wiped His feet with her hair. Jesus knew this family well and there was much love between them. 

Matthew Henry (my favorite theologian from the 1600-1700's) says that Martha was likely a widow who kept the home where she had lived with her husband (or possibly was housekeeper in Lazarus' home), and that Mary lived with her. Since Jesus was not rich in money, he was dependent upon the hospitality of His friends. Matthew Henry says that "Jesus often invited Himself to them" because He knew he was always welcome at the home of Martha and Mary. "Though it was expensive to entertain Christ for He did not come alone, but brought His disciples with Him, yet she would not regard the cost of it. How can we spend what we have better than in Christ's service?" 

Perhaps the reason for Martha's fretting and worrying was not that everything be perfect but that she be able to serve her Lord at all. For a widow of limited means, entertaining thirteen hearty men was no small undertaking. The food alone would have been a considerable effort and expense. 

Until today, when I thought of Martha and Mary, I have generally thought of them in a 1st century version of my house. If Martha wanted to cook something, she would just go to my pantry or out to the freezer, get it and cook it right up. Nothing could have been further from the truth! The typical meal was likely bread, olive oil, dried fruit, and dried legumes of some sort, either beans or lentils. Bread was likely cooked fresh every day. If Martha wanted to make bread, she had to grind the grain. If Martha wanted to cook beans, she soaked them and likely cooked them for hours. The arrival of Jesus and his disciples meant that, if Martha was going to feed them, she had to get to work and to get busy about it. (Of course, Jesus could have just done a miracle and fed them with the little she had on hand, but it appears that she wanted to provide for Him from her own resources.)

In 1st century Israel, there were no telephones, cell phones, fax machines, or postal service home mail delivery. Without a runner going ahead to say He was coming, Jesus had no way to notify Martha that He was en route. The willing generosity of Martha toward the Lord and His disciples should be an example for us. There is no indication that Martha served grudgingly or under compulsion. Instead, it is clear that she was eager to serve well and to do it on the spur of the moment. There is no greater honor than to have the Lord of Heaven and Earth present in our homes and, in recognizing that, Martha longed to give honor back to Him with her service.

What about us? Are we willing to serve Christ on the spur of the moment, without regard to the amount of effort or expense required? Would we, like Martha, welcome Jesus and all the people who journeyed with Him into our home? Would we be ready to entertain at a moment's notice? 

Jesus visited often in the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus and felt free to bring His friends along, because He knew He would always be welcome. Can He say the same of us? of our homes? Let's be sure that we are as welcoming to our Lord and those He sends our way as Martha, who willing shared the little she had with all who came her way.
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Please be in prayer for Congressman Alan Nunnelee, who is seriously ill and in desperate need of miraculous intervention, as well as his family and friends. 

Sending the Seventy, part 13: The importance of One

But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.' I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city. (Luke 10:10-12 NAS) 

These few verses contain sobering instructions from Jesus. When the sent-ones entered a town or village, they were to look for a man of peace. When he offered hospitality, they were to stay with him, accepting whatever he could provide. In exchange, they were to offer healing to all who were sick and to tell them the Good News of Jesus. There was the possibility that a town might not receive them. They might not find a man of peace, a warm welcome, or hospitality for their stay. 

Of course, the people didn't know what they were missing. Almighty God in the flesh had sent His personal envoys to give them a message straight from Him. He had sent men who could heal their sicknesses. It was more than anyone could imagine, and there were some who did not give them a second thought. The sent-ones and their message were rejected before they had a chance to deliver it. 

When that happened, they were to go into the center of town and make a proclamation where all could hear. "Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near."

I like to think that it was "one more last chance" but Scripture doesn't say that. What the sent-ones did with their proclamation is tell the people what they were missing. "The Kingdom of God has come near." Then, they were to leave. They were not to labor over-long in a place where hearts were hardened against them. They didn't beg or belabor the point. They left and went to the next destination. 

One man of peace could have made the difference in those towns and villages. One man could have prevented the destruction promised them for refusing Jesus. For some of the towns, there was no man of peace. There was not one person who would be the conduit through which the grace and mercy of God could flow. 

Selah. Pause and consider. 

The difference that one man, completely receptive and open to the work of God, can make is astounding. One man of peace could have opened the door for healing of all the sick in a town or village. One man could have opened the door for the gospel for an entire town. One man. One man or woman just like you or me could have made the way for Christ and blessed their town in ways even they could not imagine, and that is still possible today. We have no understanding of what a difference one person, totally sold out to Jesus Christ, can make, but this passage makes it clear that the difference can be incredibly significant. 

If that is true (and it is), then why aren't we more involved in our communities? Why don't we stand up for truth in a loving, generous way? Why don't we allow our homes to be a welcome respite for others? We have a great opportunity for good, and it is a tragedy to miss it. Dear ones, we must open our hearts and our homes to the work of God. Let Him make a difference through us. 

What does He long to do through you? The walk of faith is a grand adventure. Are you ready? Embrace the adventure!  

The Stray Donkey

The saga of the stray donkey continues... 

Over the holiday, a neighbor called to ask if I had a miniature horse. "No," I replied, "And I don't want one." Since he has miniature horses for sale, I was heading him off at the pass. It turns out he wasn't trying to sell me anything.  

"Naw, there's a real ugly miniature horse loose in Sam's yard (he's my next door neighbor) and it has a rope wrapped around its belly.  I thought if it was yours, I'd help you get it up." I tried to explain that I didn't know anything about a stray miniature horse, but that I was having a miniature donkey as a frequent visitor. "Hon, I hate to tell you this, you being a doctor and all, but that ain't no donkey.  That's an ugly little horse."  He had a big laugh at my confusion, but two farm men had told me it was a donkey. It didn't look like a donkey, but that's how it was billed. That's all I'm saying about species recognition. I had already figured out about the ugly part on my own. 

Here's the crazy thing. At the Blue Springs Board of Alderman meeting tonight, I mentioned about the little donkey. One of the other alderman was so surprised. She's had a donkey in her yard too!  We compared pictures and phones were passed around the table. Everyone agreed that she had a miniature donkey in her yard. Of course we all agreed that what was in my yard was not pretty, but our city attorney settled the matter conclusively. "That's a miniature horse. I'm sure of it."  Everyone knows that the attorney gets the final word, so my stray donkey is now a stray miniature horse!

The real question is why do we have these little equine wanderers loose in our town? Neither of them looks malnourished or mistreated, although the miniature horse on my side of town does have a rope halter caught around his belly. (It's not too tight, but I can't get close enough to him to remove it.) 

My neighbor Sam, who thinks the miniature horse is a donkey, says it's lonely and looking for some company. With my three horses in the pasture, the little one has just made himself at home. Who'd have thought it? I want to have a warm and inviting home, and to be hospitable to strangers, (especially since there is the chance of entertaining angels without knowing it (Heb 13:2)) but, really, I did not expect that to extend to strange horses. 

For now, he's out of the road, and that's a blessing for everyone, so I guess I'm in the equine entertainment business. He sure doesn't look much like an angel though.