Writing "Gwuiteo", even phonetically, does not do it justice. It's one of those words you just have to read in Khmer or Thai to really say it correctly. Anyway, gwuiteo is one of our favorite breafast soups. We know. Some of you are thinking, "Breakfast soup?!?" Yes, breakfast soup. Now, if it was just the gwuiteo, it wouldn't be any good - gwuiteo are just noodles. Dry noodles (think dry Ramen). You need a bowl for the gwuiteo. And then you need some water - no, not water, but some good broth. Oh, and then add some meat - chicken, beef, or pork. Then some veggies - ooh - and some garlic. What Deb? Oh yeah, can't forget the bean sprouts. Or the squeeze of a lime wedge. Mmm. And then a little 'ma-tich' (HOT little green and red peppers). Oh, and the spicy sauce for dipping your meat in when you remove it from the soup.
Now you get the idea. It's not JUST gwuiteo, the noodles. It's GWUITEO, the savory combination of broth, noodles, veggies, meat, spicies, garlic, a little bit of HOT (or much HOT, depending on your taste), and dipping sauce.
So it is with the church, the ecclessia, the 'called out ones' of God. It's never been the church, the building. It's always been the CHURCH - the diverse combination of individuals, all uniquely prepared and equipped to bring 'flavor' to the world - in this case, SALT and LIGHT. As we go about, following in the footsteps of our Master Jesus, making disciples, let us becareful, lest we think we know who should belong in the kingdom and who shouldn't. Consider Him, who chose fishermen, a tax collector, religious zealot, those well studied, soft spoken, 'spicy' spoken - a unique blend of individuals upon whom was laid the task of spreading the word about the kingdom. Let us go forth, and do likewise, and be GWUITEO to the world around us.
