Make Cakes

And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” – Genesis 18:6 (NRSV) 

One of the funny listicles I read in the early weeks of Covid was about the kind of people you wanted to have in your household. I readily identified with the type who can make a meal out of whatever is in the pantry, which felt amazing in the time of shortages. I learned new recipes, cooking and baking for our quarantine cluster with love and enthusiasm. I tried to keep things interesting, because it felt like the best I could do for the people I love so much.  

I definitely have the skills Abraham asked Sarah to put to use in service to the guests who showed up by their tent under the oaks of Mamre, the three men who we like to interpret now as an embodiment of the Trinity. The text doesn’t tell us how the cakes turned out; it just lets us know that hospitality came naturally to Sarah and Abraham. It wasn’t just the cooking; it was the welcoming. 

That used to be true for me, before a pandemic and the long season of tension and division that has followed. It’s sad how closed-off we become when we get out of the habit of letting people inside our lives.  

The only way to have that kind of openness and spontaneity is to practice it.  

So today, I pulled out the good flour and measured out three cups, because we are having company tonight, and it’s time to bake a cake. 

Prayer
Remind us, Holy One-and-Three, that making room around the table is a faith value. Help us be ready to welcome others and to welcome you. Amen.

About the Author
Martha Spong is a UCC pastor, a clergy coach, and editor of The Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle, from The Pilgrim Press.