Welcomed at the Table
.A couple of weeks ago in my opening remarks prior to the Lord's Supper, I shared an account from Will Guidara's book, Unreasonable Hospitality. It seemed to resonate with a number of folks, so I thought I would share it again here as we savor what it means to be a welcome guest of the Lord.
Will tells the story out of a period in his life when his mother died. Both he and his father were heartbroken, devastated by this loss. Will wanted to do something special for his dad. So he called Daniel Boulud, a world class, Michelin-star chef that Daniel had met while studying at Cornell. He was hoping that there might be an off chance that he might be able to secure a spot in Chef Boulud's very popular restaurant where Will could treat his dad. What follows is an account of their evening after getting greeted at the door by the maitre'd:
Chef Daniel is excited to have you with us tonight. Your table is right this way. He brought us through the bar, the formal dining room, into the kitchen, and upstairs into the skybox, a luxurious, glass enclosed, private dining room that looks down over the kitchen, where forty cooks - and Chef Boulud - work in a state of the art facility.
It's a once in a lifetime table and I was too stunned to speak. But the ice was broken immediately as Daniel's voice boomed over the intercom into the booth: Willieeeeee!
The kitchen proceeded to send us up a series of exquisite courses, which Daniel personally spieled over the intercom as each plate arrived. As we tasted the delicious food, drank the superb wines, and experienced the warmth of Daniel's hospitality, I watched years of exhaustion and pain lift from my dad's face.
That night was the saddest I've ever been, or ever want to be, and the same was true for my dad. Yet, even in the midst of sorrow, Chef Boulod and his staff were able to give the two of us what still feels like four of the best hours of my life. It's astonishing to me that one of the most famous chefs in the world stayed until the wee hours to give us a tour, but the meal was so beautiful and so long that by the time Daniel was embracing us goodbye, my dad and I were the last people in the entire restaurant – not just the last guests, but the last people, period. There was no check (p. 19).
Like Will and his dad, we all come bearing the marks of life in a fallen world. Like Will we often approach God tentatively, hoping for an out of the way spot to get a nibble of grace. But like with Chef Boulod, we are greeted at the door and escorted to the prime table where we are met enthusiastically, by name. The Lord himself is our host, feeding us the most exquisite of fare, his life for ours. And as we surrender to His ministrations, days, weeks, years of exhaustion and pain lift from our faces. And like with Will and his dad, there is no check. Jesus, our host, has paid it all.
I do pray that this resonates with you. And next time you come to the Lord's table, I pray that you might hear the booming voice of your host enthusiastically welcoming you!