【双语灵修】做一些饼！ Bake Some Bread!

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“〔他〕说：‘你速速拿三细亚细面调和做饼。’” - 创 18:6

读到亚伯拉罕十万火急地吩咐说：“速速 … 做饼”时，我禁不住笑起来。做饼从来就不是一件能够速速完成的事！做饼是需要细心和足够时间才行的啊。

然而，按照待客之礼，亚伯拉罕和撒拉的访客应该得到美味的饼、上好的肉、奶油和鲜奶的款待。所以，为了要为客人提供一个好客和款待的环境，无论要用多少时间来预备，付出工夫和耐性等候总是值得的。

那时的文化背景着重好客，好客显明神对人际关系的旨意。当同席的人一起擘饼时，重要的事情便发生了。一起吃饭的人能够增进彼此之间的认识。

可悲的是，在今天北美洲的社会，我们总是匆匆忙忙的，以致我们不会花时间去真正彼此款待。然而，圣经时常以招待周到、甚至盛大的筵席，来形容神的国度。

今天，在我们的生活中，我们可否从来自其他文化背景的邻居身上学习待客之道呢？我们能否耐心、乐意地彼此拨出时间 － 甚至使用上好的食材 － 好叫我们的相聚能体现出圣经中好客的样式呢？

祷告

耶稣啊，你应许会招聚我们参与一个丰富的筵席。我们期待与你一起擘饼，惟愿这个宏伟的异象感动我们去为别人 － 为那些可能是你所差来的人（希伯来书 13:2） － 摆设丰富的筵席。阿们。

创世记 18:1-8

1耶和华在幔利橡树那里，向亚伯拉罕显现出来。那时正热，亚伯拉罕坐在帐篷门口，
2举目观看，见有三个人在对面站着。他一见，就从帐篷门口跑去迎接他们，俯伏在地，
3说：“我主，我若在你眼前蒙恩，求你不要离开仆人往前去。
4容我拿点水来，你们洗洗脚，在树下歇息歇息。
5我再拿一点饼来，你们可以加添心力，然后往前去。你们既到仆人这里来，理当如此。”他们说：“就照你说的行吧。”
6亚伯拉罕急忙进帐篷见撒拉，说：“你速速拿三细亚细面调和做饼。”
7亚伯拉罕又跑到牛群里，牵了一只又嫩又好的牛犊来，交给仆人，仆人急忙预备好了。
8亚伯拉罕又取了奶油和奶，并预备好的牛犊来，摆在他们面前，自己在树下站在旁边，他们就吃了。

Bake Some Bread!

"'Quick,' he said, 'get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.'" - Genesis 18:6

Part of me has to laugh when I read Abraham's urgent instructions: "Quick . . . bake some bread." Baking bread from scratch is not something you can do quickly! It requires careful work and time.

But hospitality required that Abraham and Sarah's visitors should have bread and choice meat and curds and milk prepared. So, whatever time it took to prepare all that, it was worth the work and the wait to provide a hospitable, generous environment for their guests.

Hospitality was central to the culture of that time, and it demonstrated God's purpose for relationships. When people break bread together, something important happens. People who eat together develop a deeper understanding of each other.

Sadly, in our North American culture today, we're often in such a hurry that we don't take the time to really extend hospitality to each other. Yet the Bible often depicts the kingdom of God as a hospitable, even extravagant feast.

In our lives today, could we learn from our neighbors in other cultures about what it means to be hospitable? Could we make room for each other in a patient, generous way—even using the finest ingredients—so that our gatherings echo a biblical vision of hospitality?

Prayer

Jesus, you promise to gather us at a great banquet. May that extravagant vision of breaking bread with you inspire us to spread a generous table for others who might even be your messengers (Hebrews 13:2). Amen.