Oysters
Granny is by far the strongest and toughest person I know - spiritually and physically. They could not repair her hip and pelvis, so they cut most of her hip out. She has been in and out of the hospital and ICU, but she is now back at rehab. Her latest surge of energy, I believe, is due in some part to oyster stew. Seriously, she had not eaten for days and one of her friends brought her some oyster stew. She immediately started perking up.
Then this weekend, Dad made her some more oyster stew. She has been allowing other people to feed her, but Mom said she ate two bowls of it right by herself. Dad is out of town again this week for work, but Mom said last night that she was going to attempt to make her some oyster stew today. Mom does not really cook that often, so this should be interesting.
Our family loves oysters. We eat them all through the holidays, even on Christmas Day. Granny and Dad would eat oysters for every meal. I once ate a bad raw oyster, and I thought I wasn't going to live. So, I prefer cooked oysters. In truth, I am really fascinated with the entire idea of an oyster. It is amazing that a pearl is made inside such an ugly creature.
One of John Wesley’s ideas about evangelism, which I absolutely love, was his belief that even people with limited education could form deep theological ideas. In one early meeting of the Methodists, a lay preacher, with a limited education, took as his text Luke 19:21, “Lord, I feared thee, because thou art an austere man.” Not knowing the word “austere,” he thought that the text spoke of an “oyster man.”
Thus, he began to speak to the crowd about the work of those who retrieve oysters from the sea-bed. He eloquently described how the diver plunges down from the surface, cut off from his natural environment, into the bone-chilling water. He then gropes around in the dark for the oysters, sometimes even cutting his hands on the sharp edges of the shells. Once he has the oyster, he kicks back up to the surface where the air is warm and light, all the while clutching in his torn and bleeding hands, the object of this search.
The lay preacher then compared the work of the oyster man to Christ, who descended form the glory of heaven into the squalor of earth, into sinful human society, in order to retrieve humans and bring them back up with Him to the glory of heaven. Christ’s torn and bleeding hands were a sign of the value He has placed on the object of His quest.
As a result of the lay preacher’s sermon, twelve men were converted that evening. Afterwards, someone complained to Wesley about the inappropriateness of allowing preachers who were too ignorant to know the meaning of the texts they were preaching on. Wesley simply said, “Never mind, the Lord got a dozen oysters tonight.”
The first time I heard this story was about three years ago when Bishop Hope Morgan Ward spoke at the service celebrating the covenant of the United Methodist and Episcopal Church. I guess because my family loves oysters so much, the image has stuck with me all this time. As I have worked in the court system over the last year, this image has taken on two new meanings for me.
First, I am constantly reminded that although I see the outer ugly shell of oysters when I look at some of the people we encounter, God sees the pearl within. Secondly, more often than not, those we deem “uneducated” have the most to teach us about life, and especially about God.
So, I will leave you the recipe for oyster stew (dictated to me by Mom):
* Milk - however much you would like to put in the pot
*Oysters - 1 cup milk = 6 oysters
*Salt
*Pepper
*1/2 teaspoon of butter per cup of milk
Do not let it boil, just put it on low and let butter melt. When the milk coats the sides of the bowl then it is finished. (The oysters will be wrinkled looking).
Then this weekend, Dad made her some more oyster stew. She has been allowing other people to feed her, but Mom said she ate two bowls of it right by herself. Dad is out of town again this week for work, but Mom said last night that she was going to attempt to make her some oyster stew today. Mom does not really cook that often, so this should be interesting.
Our family loves oysters. We eat them all through the holidays, even on Christmas Day. Granny and Dad would eat oysters for every meal. I once ate a bad raw oyster, and I thought I wasn't going to live. So, I prefer cooked oysters. In truth, I am really fascinated with the entire idea of an oyster. It is amazing that a pearl is made inside such an ugly creature.
One of John Wesley’s ideas about evangelism, which I absolutely love, was his belief that even people with limited education could form deep theological ideas. In one early meeting of the Methodists, a lay preacher, with a limited education, took as his text Luke 19:21, “Lord, I feared thee, because thou art an austere man.” Not knowing the word “austere,” he thought that the text spoke of an “oyster man.”
Thus, he began to speak to the crowd about the work of those who retrieve oysters from the sea-bed. He eloquently described how the diver plunges down from the surface, cut off from his natural environment, into the bone-chilling water. He then gropes around in the dark for the oysters, sometimes even cutting his hands on the sharp edges of the shells. Once he has the oyster, he kicks back up to the surface where the air is warm and light, all the while clutching in his torn and bleeding hands, the object of this search.
The lay preacher then compared the work of the oyster man to Christ, who descended form the glory of heaven into the squalor of earth, into sinful human society, in order to retrieve humans and bring them back up with Him to the glory of heaven. Christ’s torn and bleeding hands were a sign of the value He has placed on the object of His quest.
As a result of the lay preacher’s sermon, twelve men were converted that evening. Afterwards, someone complained to Wesley about the inappropriateness of allowing preachers who were too ignorant to know the meaning of the texts they were preaching on. Wesley simply said, “Never mind, the Lord got a dozen oysters tonight.”
The first time I heard this story was about three years ago when Bishop Hope Morgan Ward spoke at the service celebrating the covenant of the United Methodist and Episcopal Church. I guess because my family loves oysters so much, the image has stuck with me all this time. As I have worked in the court system over the last year, this image has taken on two new meanings for me.
First, I am constantly reminded that although I see the outer ugly shell of oysters when I look at some of the people we encounter, God sees the pearl within. Secondly, more often than not, those we deem “uneducated” have the most to teach us about life, and especially about God.
So, I will leave you the recipe for oyster stew (dictated to me by Mom):
* Milk - however much you would like to put in the pot
*Oysters - 1 cup milk = 6 oysters
*Salt
*Pepper
*1/2 teaspoon of butter per cup of milk
Do not let it boil, just put it on low and let butter melt. When the milk coats the sides of the bowl then it is finished. (The oysters will be wrinkled looking).
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