Scrambled Eggs and Fish Tacos
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. Come just as you are, bringing whatever is on your heart today. Take a few moments and allow yourself to just be. Take a couple deep breaths, grab yourself a cup of coffee, light a candle, do something that brings you comfort. Allow yourself to be present in this moment.
Consider the transformation that happens within when someone is given unconditional grace and love.
Mamma says gratitude helps us to see what is there instead of what isn't.
- Annette Bridges
We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.
- John F. Kennedy
John 21:7-13
When Simon Peter realized that it was Jesus, he threw on some clothes and dove into the sea. The other disciples came in by boat for they weren’t far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish. When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it. Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” Simon Peter joined them and pulled the net to shore – 153 big fish! And even with all those fish, the net didn’t rip. Jesus said, “Breakfast is ready.” Not one of the disciples dared ask, “Who are you?” They knew it was Jesus. Then Jesus took the bread and gave it to them. And he did the same with the fish.
Food for Thought
For as long as I can remember, I have felt a deep sense of pride in being my parents’ daughter. I certainly gave them undeserved amounts of stress growing up – and yet, there was always a depth of love and a wideness of grace that I knew held and sustained us all!
I have a vivid memory from the morning of my 17th birthday.
I had overslept, as usual, and was racing to get my hair brushed, my shoes on, and my backpack on my back. As I reached to grab my keys, I noticed a pack of cigarettes, MY cigarettes, lying beside them. When my mom took notice, she said to me, “Your dad went out early this morning to clean out your car for you, and found those in your glove compartment. He said to make sure you give those back to whomever they belong.” I was sure they both knew the truth, that they were mine, and they were terribly disappointed in me for hiding them. But then, just as I got ready to walk out the door, my dad called out from the kitchen, “Well, don’t forget your eggs!” Sitting on the kitchen counter was a plate of scrambled eggs my dad had prepared for me.
It was an unexpected and surprising act of love and grace, when this teenager neither expected nor deserved it! Sure, they may have been disappointed, but here was an offering of communion – a plate of scrambled eggs – to remind me of their deep and abiding love wherever I might be in this journey of life.
When we encounter the disciples in this scripture passage, it is just days after Jesus has been crucified. These are the disciples who journeyed with Jesus throughout his ministry. These are the ones Jesus called away from their nets on the shore to instead become fishers of men. These disciples had witnessed the transformative power of Jesus up close and personal. They had seen it all and had felt it all firsthand – and yet, here they are back out in their boats, their nets in hand.
This is not where they are supposed to be, but it is where Jesus finds them – again! Jesus sees them out there and calls out to them from the shore. I wonder what it was like for them to hear his voice calling from across the water. Were they reminded of that day, all those years ago, when Jesus first called out and asked them to leave their nets behind? I wonder if they heard in his voice the depth of love and the wideness of grace that had held them all those years together. I wonder what they expected to find when they reached the shore.
The disciples realize it is Jesus who is calling, and they immediately go to be with him. And when they finally make it to the shore, they discover that Jesus is there waiting to welcome them with fish and bread. To these, who seem to have forgotten their sense of direction and calling, who are exhausted and hungry, he offers not chastisement, but friendship and a breakfast of fish tacos! It is an unexpected and surprising act of communion that reminds them of his deep and abiding love wherever they have now found themselves in this journey of life and faith.
What a sacred gift it is to have people in your life who meet you with unexpected and surprising acts of communion along the way. Our parents, our grandparents, a friend, a mentor, an elementary school teacher, a minister, a complete stranger – these bearers of unexpected goodness may be folks we know well or those we only knew briefly, but their acts of love continue to live with us. They afford a grace we might otherwise struggle to muster for ourselves, they create an awareness of the love that accompanies us through the good and not so great moments of our lives, and they offer sustenance and strength for the journey onward.
In this season of gratitude, we give thanks for those people who have shown up in our lives in unexpected acts of love – who stand on the shore of our day-to-day life and call us back onto paths of grace and renewal. In our own living, we then strive to become those who can extend that same gift of unexpected kindness and communion, one plate of scrambled eggs or fish tacos at a time – nourishing one another along life’s journey in both body and spirit.
This holiday, simply be present with your loved ones and friends. Create a space that offers a little more grace and love so that your Thanksgiving can bring true welcome to all who join your table. If you need a few ideas, here are Five Things to Remember When Setting a Welcome Table for the Holidays.
Our hope is that this Table Talk series inspires you to take small steps toward inviting others into deeper community with you. This printable version of today's reflection, “Scrambled Eggs and Fish Tacos”, is for you to use in whatever way is helpful for you in your journey!
Blessing
God of grace and love,
you open your arms to each one of us
without question and without condition.
You have shown us time and time again
that we are each beloved creations
and that what we do with our one life matters.
May we look toward each other with the same
unconditional love, grace, and understanding
you have afforded us.
A little Table Talk for your table...
Has someone ever given you grace that was beyond what you felt you deserved – unconditional even? How has that left its mark on you?
Do you find that it is sometimes hard to offer that same type of grace to others? What might be some of the barriers to offering others our unconditional grace, love, and understanding?
Make a list of ways we can be a source of unconditional grace within our own lives and communities.
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Talk with your kiddos about what “unconditional” means.
Ask them to think of examples of how someone might offer unconditional love or grace to someone else.
Make a list together of small ways you can offer grace to others (forgiveness, helping someone when they make a mistake, listening to others’ ideas, etc.).
Meet Our Welcoming Voice!
The Welcome Table Team - We are “The Bunce Girls!” Originally from Lexington, North Carolina, we were raised surrounded by music, justice, and faith. We spent most of our Sunday afternoons gathered around an open table with family and friends where the food was plentiful, stories and laughter connected our hearts, and where the presence of each individual was held sacred. It’s those moments that have inspired The Welcome Table.
To hear more from the TWT Team throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!
Here are Five Things to Remember When Setting Your Own Welcome Table!