A Culinary Invitation

We are invited to participate in acts of generosity, which bring glory to our Savior. And, we are called and equipped to be inviting, looking for opportunities to show the love of Jesus, even to those who cannot necessarily repay our kindness.  Jesus teaches we should give, asking nothing in return. He shared in Luke 14 (ESV):
12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid.
13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. ”

There's a restaurant in Washington state that is actually operated by a church.  It's called The Ramen Shop, and yes, there's pasta on the menu, but there's also kindness available, too - all at the price of, well, zero dollars!  At a minimum.  But, customers are encouraged to "pay in forward," as well - to provide for their own food and the meals of others.

This concept was brought to light in a recent article at the God Reports website.  Writer Meg Jones was encouraged to visit the Shop, a ministry of Calvary Chapel in Sequim, Washington. She wrote:

Here, everyone gets to choose. Toppings. Broth. Protein. Grains. Greens. It may sound simple, but when you’ve had your choices stripped away, getting to choose what goes into your bowl of soup or rice is a quiet revolution. A return of human dignity. A reminder that the Imago Dei lives in you too.

And then there’s the way you pay.

Or don’t.

Pay what you can. That’s what the sign says. There’s a suggested range—from free, to “pay it forward.” And it’s not just marketing fluff. It’s real. I’ve been there many times now, and every time I approach the register, the cashier—without pretense—asks, “Are we donating today?” The tone is light. Gentle. Zero pressure. All grace.

That, too, feels like the Kingdom of God breaking in.

She noted the variety in the crowd - from teenagers to "elderly."  With no artificial socio-economic divisions; she writes, "There was no hierarchy in the air. No lines drawn between the have’s and the have-not’s. It was like a soup kitchen, but not. It carried the heart of one, but with more beauty, more dignity. More choice."

The Ramen Shop's website notes, "The Ramen Shop is non-profit run by Calvary Sequim, a church of people who love Jesus, and believe Jesus loves everyone. Part of Jesus’ love is that He welcomes everyone, regardless of their walk in life, and desires to care for their physical needs."  It includes two passages of Scripture: one, where Jesus fed a multitude, and another, in which Jesus shared about ministering to "the least of these."

Jones, writing at God Reports, states:

It’s an economy of grace. A modern-day loaves and fishes story.

And it’s become one of the most beautiful gifts to this city.

But here’s the thing: food aside, design aside, what really struck me—what lingered long after I left—was the presence. The weighty kind. The kind that can’t be engineered or marketed. The kind that comes when Jesus is quietly welcomed into a place and given authority over it.

Honestly, I love when the concept of the Kingdom of God is identified, and the call to advance the Kingdom is issued.   This gathering place, The Ramen Shop, is seemingly much more than a place where people go to get food.  It's a place where the food of the Bread of Life is made available.

Jesus referred to Himself in that manner, and He calls us to understand that we are not merely to work for the food of this world, but to spread spiritual food to the people around us.  We have to look beyond our human means and show people where the heavenly resources can be found.  In so doing, we provide a reminder of who Jesus is and how He wants to bring people into a saving knowledge of Himself.

So, as Kingdom people, we can ask ourselves how God would have us to behave.  Like The Ramen Shop was launched and is sustained by this particular Church, perhaps God is calling us to creatively use our gifts, our talents, our skills, to point people to our Savior.  We can trust Him to give us the words to say and the actions to take so that they can see and sense the presence of Jesus in us.