While traveling in our home state, Texas, Sue and I had the very good fortune to see again a dear friend who is known for her charm, her wit, and her amazing hospitality. She is a woman of deep faith, a faith that is stronger now in her ninth decade than ever before. We spent the morning visiting some of the old haunts and memories important in our younger days…the high school attended, the old swimming pool that isn’t there anymore, a local cafe that brought back memories of teenage years, and even the old homesite that is now a modern, commercial building. But even with the changes over time, the drive was delightful, the company charming, and the memories moving.
Toward the end of the excursion, our friend invited us to her home for an irrestible bowl of Blue Bell ice cream. That’s not an invitation you turn down. But it was also a moment when the word “Hospitality” loomed large, and not just because of the ice cream. One important aspect of the Christian faith is genuine hospitality, a characteristic of Jesus demonstrated over and over again. Thoughtfulness goes out of its way to make the guest welcome and comfortable. And so it was at the kitchen table, friends sharing more than Blue Bell. You might say it was a sacred moment, because every time sisters and brothers sit down in peace to share a moment or a meal, there is the presence of a Spirit that reminds us to care for each other, to be thoughtful and respectful,
to practice generosity, and to seek the other’s welfare first before one’s own.
Perhaps today you will have an opportunity to experience hospitality, as the giver or maybe as the receiver. Appreciate it. And when your soul is nourished, give it away to someone else. The Blue Bell was great, but Christian hospitality is the cherry on top.
In love expressed through hospitality, press on.
Leave a Reply