The Art of Setting the Table...

It was the way of the world in my youth... the boys took shop and the girls took home ec. While the boys were learning the art of wood turning and tools, we were learning how to sew, cook and set the table. Mrs. Barton, our teacher, was the wife of my elementary school principal. She was a tall, slender black haired beauty who spoke softly with a slight lisp. I wanted to be just like her, graciousness personified.
Our first unit of study was sewing. We made aprons followed by a simple skirt. Based on our sewing skills, Mrs. Barton helped us choose a pattern for our final project. Mine was a sage green linen sheath with a crop top lined in a green, grey and soft yellow print. With her help, I made bound buttonholes, stay stitched facings and hemmed, ripped out seams and redid them until my dress was as close to perfect as it (and I) could be. I modeled that dress in a fashion show for the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and at Mrs. Barton’s insistence, entered it in the county fair. I won a blue ribbon, my first and only blue ribbon.
Our next unit was entertaining and cooking. We began by studying the chemistry of baking, baking all sorts of breads, cakes, pies and cookies before we moved on to complete meals. The smells drifting down the long school halls drew students and teachers alike to “drop in” to see what we were cooking. With each cooking project, we set the table. Mrs. Barton taught us how to choose a tablecloth or place mats, two items not used daily at my house. We learned how to place silverware and how to use the various implements for eating... always start from the outside in... salad fork first followed by the dinner fork... where to place the water glass and the wine glass (Wine glass??? None of my friends families drank wine!)...how to fold a cloth napkin in several different ways... how to arrange flowers and other items for a table centerpiece. Our little file boxes began to be stuffed with recipes, pictures and ideas for gracious entertaining.
Out of all the classes I took in high school, this class has been one of the most useful in my life. In addition to the skills I acquired, I learned the fine art of preparation. Before you sew, you check your fabric to make sure it is squared. You might need to wash and iron it. Before you pin your pattern on, you check the pieces and select the ones you need for the particular item you are sewing. Before you launch out into a recipe, you round up the tools you need, you gather your ingredients, measure them out and then read the recipe again to make sure you know what to do and in what order to do it. And before you cook, you prepare the table, set the stage for the meal that you will serve. I learned that preparation is as important as the act itself and has its own kind of pleasure.
I’ve been thinking about taking these home ec skills and using them to help me prepare my heart to entertain God. God, I believe, needs me to set aside a special time for our gathering, needs me to be willing to entertain the presence of the Most High. I will set the table... gather my Bible and books, art supplies and flowers, a cup of tea and a quiet space. I will do the work of preparation... read and create, ponder and write. Then I will be still and wait for the Hospitable One to sit down at my table with me so that we might be as one in the Spirit. We will both leave this time together refreshed and ready to face our different worlds with a renewed spirit of gracious love. Remember, just like with the silverware, you start from the outside in. Do the work, choose the proper tools and ingredients, prepare, create, serve and wait. God will come.