Serve Up Hospitality

July is blackberry month around here. Hot summer days filled with sunshine change the color of the berries from bright red to deep purple or black, turning the flavor from sour to deliciously sweet. 

Seven years ago, I bought a blackberry plant at our local farmer’s market from a knowledgeable 4H student. I didn’t know anything about blackberry plants at the time, but the price was right and the enthusiastic seller assured me that they would grow in almost any conditions our Midwest weather might produce. I took my impulse buy home and planted my new plant along our fence line where, just as the young entrepreneur had promised, it thrived and multiplied. 

When we moved to a new home several years later, I couldn’t bear to leave all the plants behind, so we dug up a few blackberry plants in the heat of summer and transferred them to our new garden. Although the conditions weren’t ideal, we planted them and hoped for the best. That was three years ago. This summer we have more berries than I know how to use. Cobbler, blackberry butter, blackberry jam, blackberry pie, blackberry muffins, blackberry syrup – the list seems endless. 

One of my favorite ways to use up extra blackberries is a blackberry muffin recipe that was inspired by a recipe from Sally Clarkson’s book, The Lifegiving Home. (The recipe is located at the end of the article)

I have made this recipe several times already this summer and, once they have cooled, I try to freeze about half of the batch for future use. Having muffins in my freezer makes it easier for me to say yes to having someone over last minute. It makes it easier for me to send home a treat with our single friend or to bless our lonely, elderly neighbors whose children are not nearby. It makes it easier for me to say yes to my kids wanting a dress up tea party complete with treats. 

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines being hospitable as “given to generous and cordial reception of guests, promising or suggesting generous and friendly welcome, offering a pleasant or sustaining environment.” Hospitality is about treating others the way Jesus did – as individuals who are valuable because they are created in the image of God. 

The two greatest commandments are to love God and to love others.(Matt 22:37-40) Although there are many ways to love others, one great way to show love is by inviting someone into your home, by doing life with them. This past year or so of COVID-19 has made reaching out to others a lot more complicated, but taking someone a bag of groceries or a box of freshly-made muffins is one way to show God’s love. 

When COVID-19 was in its beginning stages, and everyone was panicking, I had a tiny newborn with fragile health. Every week or so my in-laws would ask for our grocery order and go shopping for us and deliver our groceries. They would visit with us in our backyard to make sure they weren’t passing on any germs to our baby. Their generosity and thoughtfulness made us feel valued and loved during a tough season. 

In John 13: 34-35, Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

One of the remarkable things about the body of Christ is the diversity of its members. We all come from different backgrounds and cultures and beliefs and yet we are unified because of Jesus. Loving each other – especially the ones who are different from us – is something that makes Christianity unique. 

So reach out to that lonely neighbor, that momma you just met, that single person from your church, that precious child who some days drives you crazy. Love them like Jesus does. Show them they are valuable. Drop off a bag of groceries. Deliver a cup of coffee. Write a note of encouragement. Bake some blackberry muffins. 

“Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me – you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40 The Message)

Fresh Blackberry Muffins 

Ingredients: 

2 cups rolled oats 

1 cup plain, full fat yogurt 

1 cup milk 

2 eggs, beaten 

1 cup brown sugar, packed 

1 cup vegetable oil 

2 cups flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp baking soda 

1 ½ cups blackberries, coarsely chopped if berries are large 

Granulated sugar for sprinkling on the tops of muffins 

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Combine oats, milk, and yogurt in a bowl and set aside for 30 minutes. 
3. After 30 minutes, add eggs, brown sugar and oil to the oat batter. 
4. Stir to combine.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. 
6. Add to oatmeal mixture and stir just until no flour remains. 
7. Gently fold in blackberries. 
8. Fill muffin cups with mixture and sprinkle each muffin with granulated sugar. 
9. Bake for 18 minutes or until golden. 

Makes about 2 dozen muffins.