Emphasis Preaching Journal

Five loaves of bread and two fish don't seem worth much even in Jesus' own time; yet, when blessed and shared, an ordinary occasion is transformed into something extraordinary indeed. The sharing of a meal can still be an occasion of grace in human lives, even when there are far fewer than 5,000 coming for dinner. We should not forget that while bread and fish provided nourishment for the hungry bodies, the teachings of Jesus also provided nourishment for hungry souls. In her short story, "An Evening To Remember," Rosamunde Pilcher writes about an important dinner party that doesn't turn out as planned. Alison Stockman, a young wife and mother, has been making lists for herself all week long to make sure all details are under control for a very special event: a Friday evening dinner party in their home to host the chairman of her husband Henry's company, along with the chairman's wife. Alison has taken great pains to see that the house is clean, the menu is planned, and babysitting arrangements have been made for the children; she has even had her hair done especially for the party. A promotion that would advance her husband's career is in the balance. Everything depends, they think, on making the right impression with the chairman and his wife. Certain disaster looms on the horizon when the V.I.P. guests arrive for dinner a whole day early. Both Alison and Henry must take hasty and creative measures to cope with the emergency. A meal is hastily prepared from an odd assortment of canned and frozen foods -- not at all the elaborate gourmet meal planned for the occasion -- and the evening is salvaged, although Alison blames herself for getting the dates mixed up. As it turns out, the chairman's wife calls the next day to apologize for her mistake in getting the dates wrong; meanwhile, Henry is also informed that he received the promotion. In Pilcher's story, grace is present as persons share a meal under less-than-ideal social circumstances and discover they have more in common than they would have imagined; in their sharing together, they discover food for their souls. (Pilcher, Rosamunde, "An Evening To Remember" appears in The Blue Bedroom and Other Stories; New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985) -- Parker