If you ranked all the gifts that the Holy Spirit distributes to His people, which ones would come out on top? If you listed all the people serving in your church, who do you admire most? If you could have any skill or talent to leverage for blessing others, what would you choose?

We admire our preachers, for they way they teach us God’s words. We look up to our worship leaders, who inspire us to praise. Or the leaders who teach or administrate or organize or make plain spaces beautiful.

But I’d like to suggest that one of the greatest gifts that God gives a church are the people who cook.

Who is first to come knocking after tragedy or a baby’s birth? Who are the ones bringing comfort after surgery or death? The people who cook.

We may mean to make the call, and keep putting it off. Or we avoid the sticky situations, hoping that someone else will step in to comfort and support the hurting. But the ones who show up when we need care are the people who cook. They bring their soups and casseroles and brownies, carried with love to our doorsteps. They bring their sandwiches and salads and cookies to funerals, giving space for grieving families. They bring their treats to wedding showers and baby showers, to coffee hours and potlucks, blessing the spaces we gather to celebrate or grieve.

Where we live, in northern Minnesota, that means “hot dish” (a mixture of hamburger, vegetables and canned soup topped with tater tots), “bars” (a sweet staple at every event) or, my favorite, chicken wild rice soup. What are the most-given foods where you live?

Preaching and teaching and music are wonderful gifts. We come to the church, to those people who lead us before the throne of God each week. But the people who cook are the ones who come to us. They are some of the first to hold our hands or our babies or our sorrows as they deliver love and comfort along with their tupperware and casserole dishes.

God bless the people who cook, the ones who may feel insignificant in light of those who garner the attention and praise of our congregations. They are the unremembered ones who choose to remember others. The ones who know how to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

“Do not forget to do good and to share with others,” the Bible says, “for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16)
‭‭

And bring a plate of bars with you.