Table Manners

Table Manners

Rev. Dan Mahan

Luke 14:11

“For everyone that exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbled himself will be exalted.”

A man returns from a foreign vacation. He is feeling ill and visits a doctor. Immediately, he is rushed to the

hospital to undergo tests. When he wakes up after the tests, he finds himself in a private room at the hospital. He shuffles to the door, but finds it locked from the outside! Just then the phone by his bed rings. "This is your doctor. Your test results are back. You have an extremely nasty virus. We are completely helpless on how to treat it, destroy it or even slow down!" "Oh my goodness,” the man replies. What are you going to do, doctor?" “We are going to put you on a diet of pizzas, pancakes, tortillas & pita bread, ." the doctor replied. "Will that cure me?" the man asked. The doctor answered, "Well no, but... it’s the only food we can get under the door!"

(Sermon Central contributor Byron Sherman)

Have you ever dined at a fancy restaurant? Probably the nicest restaurant that Darlene and I have gone to dine is Stephenson’s in Independence. When I was seated at the table, I realized why that place was so costly. They charge so much in order to make up for the expense of washing all of that silverware! Why in the world do you need 3 spoons and 3 forks to eat one meal, anyway? I just chose the biggest one and began shoveling it in!

Do you feel uncomfortable in places like Stephenson’s? President Calvin Coolidge invited some friends from Vermont to dine at the White House. They were nervous. They were worried about their table manners. They decided to do everything their host did. All went well until coffee was served. Coolidge poured his into the saucer. His guests did the same. The President added sugar and cream. So did the visitors. Then Coolidge leaned over and placed his saucer on the floor for the cat.

Some places make us more uncomfortable than others. Bob Evans is our type of restaurant. Good ole homestyle cooking. Darlene and I are so busy, that we do not have time for much home-cooking. I must admit, we have a McDonalds near our home and we eat there quite often. The workers know us by name. They even know my voice over the speaker in the drive-thru! When you go to places like Stevensons, you dress up in your finest clothes. You use your best table manners. Now, my mom is big on table manners. Table manners is not an easy lesson to teach two growing hungry boys! Chew with your mouth close. Elbows off the table. Say “Please and thank you”. Don’t reach across the table. Ask for the food to be passed. Mom never would be able to handle eating at those restaurants that throw the dinner rolls. She would probably stand up and shout “Pass the dinner rolls. Don’t you have any manners?” It is good manners to let guests fill their plates first. Put others before self by showing a humble, servant attitude. In the old times, servants fed the dinner guests in the dining room. After the guests were all served and finished with dinner, the servants would go into the kitchen and eat themselves. Servants always put others first.

Jesus knew a lot about table manners and a humble servant attitude. Have you ever noticed that many of Jesus’ encounters with people revolved around food? That is proof that Jesus must have been a Baptist. We Baptists like our food! We like to eat, especially Baptist preachers! And folks, we have a great Baptist week ahead of us with business meeting and dinner this Wednesday and Game Night on Friday! Food, food and more food! A chance to get to know each other. An opportunity to form bonds. Building relationships and forming bonds

are what Jesus often did during the sharing of meals with others. He shared dinner alone with Zacchaeus. He shared dinners with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, who were like family to him. Jesus fed the 5,000+ on a hill. His first miracle was at a wedding party dinner. He broke bread with the two disciples he found on the Road to Emmaus. My favorite is the meal He shared with some hungry fishermen. Peter and the disciples were fishing. Jesus was on shore, cooking up breakfast. I like a good breakfast. Have you ever ate breakfast food for supper?

Darlene and I ate breakfast at the Golden Corral in Joplin a few months ago when we went to visit the grandchildren. Wow! A buffet of omelets, pancakes, bacon, sausage, steak, fruit, muffins, biscuits and gravy, pies, cakes—anything imaginable was on that buffet! It must have been some breakfast that Jesus cooked for his disciples that day! The creator of the world cooking up a mess from his own creation! Jesus was perfect and he was doing the cooking! Talk about the perfect meal!